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

Hi Holly, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

After unexpectedly becoming a stay-at-home mom following the birth of my daughter, I decided that in addition to my new role as a mother and stay-at-home mom/wife, I also wanted to invest in my creative identity and see what I could do with some of the ideas and interests that had been swirling around in my head for some time. I began trying to work out some of my ideas, some of which never came to full fruition and some which are still part of my business today, and began to feel like the time and energy that I was investing into my pursuing my business and creative talents was allowing me to feel more rounded and balanced, as well as find a sense of pride and accomplishment in seeing the possibility of turning my creative hobbies into a financially profitable business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My business is named Fabi Loves Gracie. Fabi is a nickname for Fabio (as in the romance novel cover model of the 90’s,) my very beloved dog, and Gracelyn (nicknamed Gracie) my daughter.

Many of the products that I make fall into the categories of baby, pet, Minnesota, or outdoors related as those are some of my strong passions in life. Many of the things I make are purchased as gifts for others and I love that I get to be a small part of the excitement that goes into the gift-giving process.

One of my best-selling products, and my personal favorite, are my Minnesota sherpa blankets. They are large, cozy, blankets with an applique of Minnesota sewn onto the corner. Many people buy these blankets as gifts, corporate holiday employee or client gifts, and out-of-state/country gifts to send some love from Minnesota.

Since I make everything myself, nearly everything that I sell can be customized. For example, many of my products feature Minnesota, my home and resident state, but if you would like one of my products to feature a different state or to be made in a different color, I can usually accommodate.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to keep enjoying what I’m doing and to continue to learn and grow. Life is too short to spend time working at a job that does not bring you joy or fulfillment. I love what I do and my goal is to keep loving it. I try to be aware of when I need breaks or need to ask for help in order to avoid feeling burnout. Sometimes, I make things that aren’t necessarily driven by a desired business or financial outcome but are done because I want to try a new technique or just want to make something different. This keeps things fun and interesting for me and is one of the ways I pursue growth in myself which I hope in turn supports growth and continued fulfillment in my business.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The freedom it allows in me in how I structure my day and time. Since I work for myself, I get to choose when I work and I can structure that around when I am feeling most creative and productive as well as around my family’s needs. My daughter is young and at home with me during the days right now. I am grateful every day that this path has afforded me the opportunity to structure my time in a way that allows me to spend quality time with my growing daughter during the day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FabiLovesGracie
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabilovesgracie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FabiLovesGracie