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

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I few years back I was flipping through an old record book that my mom kept for me when I was in elementary school. Starting from kindergarten on, almost every year the question of “What do I want to be when I grow up?” is followed with the answer of “artist.” I still remember that feeling as a kid, knowing that I wanted to be an artist not only in practice, but for my job and in my profession. In fact, one of my clearest memories from those elementary years is when a well known local artist came into our 3rd grade class. She brought in a couple of her paintings and gave us some drawing tips. I still draw grass with the technique that she taught us that day. As a young kid, that experience of meeting a real artist just deepened my desire to follow a similar path as I grew up. That desire didn’t waver much as a grew older, and just deepened as I went through high school and into college.

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 a lifelong artist turned entrepreneur and business owner. I was born and raised in Wyoming, and once graduating high school focused my college studies on fine arts and art education. I spent the first few years of my post-college life teaching art classes at community art centers and assisted living homes, as well as painting oil and mixed media landscapes and participating in art shows, galleries and events.

In my mid-twenties, my husband and I shifted our life path by packing most of our belongings into storage and moving to Guatemala for six months to travel, study Spanish, and experience life from a different perspective. During this time of both personal and language growth, I also began exploring different art techniques and materials than I hadn’t previously worked with. I began experimenting with watercolor pencils and drawing pens and found a love for simple, small and colorful drawings – many based on poems and inspiring quotes. Upon returning to the States, I began using those illustrations to design cards, stationery and other fun paper goods to sell and Whimsicals Paperie was born! I started out small with just a few things on Etsy, and have since grown to having a large collection of high-quality handmade products focused on intentionality, simplicity and connection, and have shipped my products to all 50 states and 30 countries. Currently, I am focusing on expanding into wholesale, participating at fun and interactive in-person markets around the Denver metro, and growing my retail website and product offerings.

One of my recent favorite things has been participating in local handmade markets. There is a large and vibrant art and craft community in the Denver metro area, and it has been fun to be out and experiencing that in person. It brings me joy to see people’s reactions to my illustrations, and I love seeing their faces and hearing them talk about how my work makes them happy. It always reminds me that something as simple as a little box of cards is about so much more. It’s about joy and connection. Creativity and fun. Warmth and encouragement. I feel so honored that people want to buy my artwork for themselves and to share with others.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve learned that as much as I may want to, I cannot be all things to all people, nor can my products. It can be hard to really hone in on your business direction, brand voice and product offerings – especially as a creative! I want to make things that make everyone happy… but that is impossible. I’ve learned (from a lot of trial and error) to not try and offer everything I dream up or everything that is requested of me, but to focus in on what can take my business, creative pursuits and impact deep instead of wide. This framework has really freed me up to focus in on what’s working, what isn’t, and what direction I want to go next.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes! The two most recent and impactful resources that I have been learning from are Profit First method by Mike Michalowicz and The Product Boss podcast by Jacqueline Snyder and Minna Khounlo-Sithe. Both of these have really helped me level up my business strategies and have helped give me renewed focus, direction and inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: whimsicalspaperie.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/whimsicalspaperie/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/whimsicalspaperie/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-collins-84ab7073/

Image Credits
Brandi Inman/Barefeet Imagery Kelly Groeneweg/Rugged Grace Photography Nikki A. Rae Sarah Collins