We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Christianson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to be an artist at a very young age! But I didn’t start to think about it in a professional way until I was in college. The other people in my art classes, who quickly became my best friends, inspired me to try graphic design, animation, and digital illustration. When I took my first graphic design class, I found out I really enjoyed creating logos and branding, so I decided to make a logo for myself. This kicked off my journey as a self-employed artist who still re-designs her logo and branding almost every year!

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.

My name is Heather, and I’ve been creating digital art, physical products, and now tattoos, all under the name ummmheather since 2013! I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is where I currently live. I went to school in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and then lived in Los Angeles, California for 7 years.

I’ve been self-employed as an artist for the last 5 years, but before that I worked for a YouTube channel as an illustrator, I tried (and failed) pitching a lot of cartoons to Nickelodeon, I worked at a screen-printing shop, and in-between some of those jobs I worked retail. I became fully self-employed when I moved back to Minneapolis in 2021.

As a self-employed artist, sometimes it feels like you’re doing 10 people’s jobs. I run an online shop, where I sell things like stickers, pins, and art prints. I also have a Patreon where people can sign up for digital downloads (like cute phone wallpapers) or get a print and sticker mailed to their door every month! I also document a lot of my artist process and life, so I create and edit videos for my own YouTube channel. And since this past November, I’ve been learning how to tattoo! This has been the most exciting pivot in my career so far. I’m an official apprentice at Patchwork Studio in Minneapolis.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My story with social media might be a little different than most, but those who get it, get it. I started building my social media audience on… Vine! Anybody remember those six-second videos? They changed my life! Somehow making goofy and cringe videos grew me an audience- something I never thought would happen! I made so many real-life friends through Vine. It connected with people like no other app has. These days I connect with my audience through Instagram and YouTube, but you could say I “peaked” on Vine 😂 Maybe there’s something to be said about truly being your goofy, cringey self.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting in your life or career can be scary, but every time that I have, something new and wonderful comes of it. When the Pandemic started in 2020, my in-person job survived for only about another year, I moved out of Los Angeles and drove all the way back to Minneapolis. That was an huge life pivot for me and my California-partner. And now the biggest, best pivot of my career is happening! Starting my tattoo apprenticeship at 34 years old is scary, but nothing has felt more correct for me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ummmheather.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ummmheather
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ummmheather