We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin McManness Rodda. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes! I currently have worked full-time as a professional illustrator for almost a decade. My brand, Paper Raven Co., was founded in 2015, after I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with my Masters in Illustration, and after working several industry jobs as an Art Director/Product Designer, etc. I left the traditional workplace to pursue Paper Raven Co. full-time, after spending a few years building a foundation behind the scenes of day jobs. While I was still in grad school, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Surface Design, and fell in love. I was drawn to the idea of seeing my artwork on a variety of products, and so I started with one of the most accessible: greeting cards.

When I started my Greeting Card line, I had about 10 designs, was cutting and folding every one of them by hand, and was still working a day job. I knew that in order to move to a sustainable freelance lifestyle, I would have to grow my line quite a bit and start wholesaling; which would require a huge sacrifice of stamina as I maintained a 9 to 5. I spent every free moment listening to personal and business finance podcasts and classes, and designing more cards. Fast forward a bit, and I left my job as a Product Designer to pursue Paper Raven Co. full-time, with a line that included over 75 Cards and several gift items as well. By that time, I had also started licensing my artwork. I quickly learned that, in order to work for myself successfully, I had to diversify my income quite a bit.

Now, after 8 years in business, I have had the pleasure of seeing my line in over 200 stores nationwide, and have had the privilege of working with clients like Target, Anthropologie, Macy’s, Publix, Trader Joe’s, The Happy Planner and Postable, to name a few.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an illustrator who works primarily in ProCreate and Photoshop, but I also like to return to traditional materials and create work with pen and ink, pencil, watercolor and gouache. My background includes a BA in Studio Art (with a focus on painting), and an MFA in Illustration (with a focus on surface design). I have been illustrating professionally for 8 years, and I create patterns and illustrations that can be found on greeting cards, notebooks, calendars, wallpaper, fabric, and gift items! Most of my work has a complex, colorful botanical and floral feel, and I pair my florals with hand-lettering, little animal friends, and coordinating patterns. I believe more is more, and I love tucking little surprises into my illustrations! My goal is to draw the viewer in and transport them to another world.

I currently work primarily in art licensing, and work one-on-one with clients to create artwork that will grace their products – like bedding, stationery items, and home decor! I always love finding companies who also prioritize sustainability, functionality and beauty – those are my core values.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons of business ownership that I had to unlearn was the idea that My Productivity = My Self Worth. Oh boy, if I could talk to my younger self!

I started my business when I was in my mid-twenties, and getting a business up off the ground requires a lot of hustle. “Hustle” used to be a word en vogue a few years ago, and it has since fallen from grace as the world went through a global pandemic, and everyone started to rethink their connection to work. Back then though, before “quiet quitting” was a thing, and everyone glorified a no-boundaries hustle culture, I was working full-time as a product designer, and taking my lunch breaks to create designs for my own line. I was also listening to business finance podcasts while doing my paid work. I went home, and worked on my business until midnight or later. I had the gift of being a goal-oriented self-starter, and I put it to use almost every minute of the day. And it became my identity.

I have now run my business full-time for 8 years, and one of the things I appreciate most about it is that it’s constantly evolving. I started to realize the hustle was no longer sustainable when I hit 30. I wanted a break and I wanted rest. I wanted a balance of white space. I had a few small(ish) health scares/reality-checks, and I realized that I could – and wanted to! – be a whole person, without my business and my productivity being the only part of me that counted. I started to intentionally carve out time for rest, for hobbies, and for time spent with my (now) husband. It was a challenge at first, but got easier the more I did it.

Now, I am in my mid-thirties, and continuing to prioritize that white space is a profound goal of mine. I love my work, but I have gone through the process of unlinking my identity from it. Part of unlinking my identity from my work was also unlinking my productivity from my sense of self-worth. It took me quite some time, and I still struggle with completely deactivating this part of my brain, because our American culture reinforces this norm in so many ways. It took me many uncomfortable (but freeing) moments of actively choosing to rename “unproductive time” to “rest”, “recharging” or “mental health day/hour”. And I realized that I absolutely LOVED time away – and that that time away benefitted my work. I love my work, but now I have embraced the idea that resting and balance is of equal importance to actively working.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Buy from them, at full price if you can :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shoppaperravenco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperraven.co/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/erin-mcmanness-6662392b

Image Credits
Kelley Raye Photography