We were lucky to catch up with Emily Harvey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My mum is the reason my story is a success. From an early age she supported my goals, never once questioning my decisions to be in the creative arts. Growing up, she worked in the corporate world. As a premium bank manager, her hours were long and most of the time me and my brother spent time in the care of childminders. When I became a mum, I knew I wanted something different for my son. My goal was to build a business where I could choose my own hours and make enough money to do the school run everyday and be with him.

As I grew up, my love for the arts and creativity became very prominent and my mum was the first to support it. When I shared my desire to work in animation and the creative industries, she was there cheering me on. She had my school art project mounted and framed in the living room, she was the first to buy my products and would stand in the cold and rain at my craft fairs.

My business would not be where it is today without my mum. And as my son grows up, I’m reminded how important it is to support our children’s dreams.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Emily and I am an illustrator and stationery business based in Manchester, UK.

I have a degree in Animation Arts and worked as a 2D designer in children’s animation. In 2019, I gave birth to my son Luca and sadly my work contract had ended.

With a passion for drawing, I found myself needing a creative outlet while my newborn soon slept. I decided to start documenting my journey to building a business on Youtube. Filming in between nap times and building an online community was my focus for the following few months.

By November 2019, I opened a Patreon. A platform where your biggest fans can support you, and they did, in their hundreds. I was able to build my income up to support myself and my son.

Now, 5 years on, I have a wonderful Patreon community filled with members from all over the world. I use the platform to help and support other small businesses. I also have an online store with stationery, pins and lovely products which are all illustrated and designed by myself.

My ultimate dream was to be able to work when I wanted, earn enough to pay my bills and live comfortably and to be able to take my son to school every day and pick him up.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My audience has built based on my desire to share the real highs and lows of running a business.

Yes I love to have a pretty feed and if you love lilac, you’ll certainly like my page. But beneath that, Im not afraid to show you when things aren’t working, when there’s been a struggle and when Im not feeling my best.

Being a working mum is a struggle and I would never want me audience to think I have it all figured out. It’s hard and Im not afraid to show it.

I think that’s what has helped me grow, people can see past the beautifully curated feed. It’s not reality. My advice would be to keep it real with your audience. Be relatable.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me is holding a product in your hand that is completely yours.

A rough sketch can become a gorgeous enamel pin, a beautiful notebook or an art print. What’s even more rewarding is when that little idea you had on a napkin, can become a bestselling product, selling out on launch day.

It still blows me away when I get a sale from the other side of the world and when its a product you’ve dreamt of making, it can be pretty magical.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilyharveyart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyharveyart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgL8apX08WJIIYOPtcI5KDw