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

Leann, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

When I graduated in the spring of 2020, I didn’t have a lot going on due to the global pandemic. One evening a family friend sent me a Facebook invite for a craft fair happening in my hometown. I saw they were still accepting vendors so I signed up! I sold my prints and paintings from my college portfolio as well as a couple of hand-sewn sketchbooks that I made. To my surprise, it ended up being a really successful day! Something about it also just felt right. I really enjoyed talking to people about art and connecting over the different types of craft that I was interested in. I started applying to more fairs and markets locally. I didn’t have a fancy booth as it was mostly just my prints and a sign. I borrowed some display stuff from a friend, and as I sold my artwork, I used that revenue to add things to my set-up. While I felt excited about the path that I was creating, there were some obstacles too. Not every market is a sold-out show, and sometimes I would barely make back the fee it cost me to participate. I also had to learn how to adapt to wind and rain, as well as intense heat and cold. Despite all of this, I still kept going! I eventually found my target audience and people were remembering me. I started to expand my inventory from works on paper to making clothes, as well as printing small favors such as pins and stickers. About a year after my first craft fair, I joined the Shoppes at Medford Mill, an artisan market in South Jersey, where I have a booth of my hand-made wares on display year-round. I also started taking wholesale orders, where I printed illustrations on t-shirts for other artists and small businesses in my area. And now within the past year, I’ve begun teaching workshops. I offer a beginner’s course for aspiring printmakers to learn different techniques every month at the Squirrels Nest Art Studio in Woodstown, NJ. It’s honestly crazy to me how I went from one table at a local fair to being a business, and I have no plan to stop any time soon. There is still so much to do, such as collaborating with a big brand or creating sponsored content, that I hope to have an opportunity to try within the next year!

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?

Like most artists, I’ve been into drawing since I could hold a pencil. I grew up taking painting lessons, I went to art school, and I love anything that’s handmade. But how I came to be a printmaker is a little less straightforward. When I got to college, I wanted to be a fashion designer, but that wasn’t available. So then I wanted to be a game designer and an animator. It wasn’t until my junior year when I took a printmaking elective that I fell in love. I really connected with the technical process and I quickly switched from a digital-based education to mostly focusing on traditional craft. I did a semester abroad at Studio Arts College International, where I learned textile printing, and I was a work-study intern at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Those experiences combined strengthened my passion for printmaking and fibers.

Fast forward to today, I am a freelancer who offers a number of services related to traditional printmaking and illustrative work. My favorite projects are ones where I get to collaborate with fellow independent artists and small businesses to make apparel for their brands. I can print a design they already have made or design something special for them. Then it can be stamped on anything, including (but not limited to) shirts, pants, bags, and more! Not only am I looking to pick up more wholesale projects, but I am also searching for more artisan-based stores and co-ops that would like to feature my original prints in their shop.

This also ties into custom orders. For many of my designs, I can print or tie-dye a piece that is tailor-made to my customer’s style. My most popular form of custom items is pants! I like to up-cycle and rework pieces my client already owns using my hand-carved stamps. That way I can breathe new life into an old item of clothing, as well as give my client the chance to wear something made by myself that will last.

Prospective collaborators can see my last projects and reach out to me at any time through my Instagram @leann.theillustrator, by email at [email protected], or on my website: leanntheillustrator.com!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

As much as I love social media, I struggle with figuring out what works best for their algorithms and what kind of audience views my content. So for me, most of my success has been conducted the old-fashioned way: in person! Many of the opportunities I’ve been presented with were from people I met in person either through art markets or gallery events. As intimidating as it is to talk to strangers in real life, it works the best in my opinion. You don’t even have to approach anyone with the intention to network on a professional level either. You can just make friends. And if you see the same people frequently (such as at a craft fair that happens on a monthly basis) people will remember you! They’ll like you and want to support you in the same way you’d want to support them. As someone who primarily works from home, going out into the world and connecting with other people face-to-face is incredibly important to me. Cultivating and nurturing a community of entrepreneurs and creative people alike opens doors that you may have otherwise missed. I think that’s the best part about being a freelance illustrator and printmaker.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

While it doesn’t directly relate to marketing or sales, one of my favorite stories to tell people is how I started teaching workshops at the Squirrels Nest Art Studio. Last fall I was planning to drive up to North Jersey to vend at a craft fair. The night before this event, I had to take a family member of mine to the emergency room. It was a very long and stressful evening. I was going back and forth on whether or not I should go since I was feeling emotionally drained from everything that just happened. I really hate having to cancel my attendance at events, so I decided I’d go regardless of how little sleep I had the night before. While I was there I met a fellow illustrator, Mikaela (@doodlealldayy on Instagram), and upon chatting it turns out we were both from the same county! She told me about how her mom recently opened the Squirrels Nest in Woodstown and helped connect us on social media. I met the owner, Jenn, in person, and since then, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching workshop classes, a solo exhibit in the gallery, and I have a booth set up in the maker’s market section of her shop with my hand-printed wares for sale! Now that I’m thinking about it, this kind of is like a sales story, because I can’t help but think about how I would have missed out on such a special connection had I decided not to attend that market up north. I’m so grateful that it all worked out though, and I look forward to seeing us all flourish as we move towards the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: leanntheillustrator.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/leann.theillustrator
• Twitter: twitter.com/leaillustrator
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@leann.theillustrator?lang=en