We were lucky to catch up with Stacie Bloomfield recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stacie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

I’ve been working as a full time artist since 2011. I began a VERY part time side hustle in 2009 selling handmade items and art prints on Etsy. I called my Etsy store Gingiber (old Latin for ginger). I was working full time as a coffee shop manager at that time. Eventually, I worked a desk job at a university, and in 2011, my Etsy store began to pick up, so I left my job to pursue illustration full time. BUT, even then, I wasn’t making a lot of money. It was a real leap of faith to leave a steady job. My husband was a graduate student, and we had 2 small children when I made the leap.

My first year in business I didn’t even sell $1000 worth of products. Now, 14 years later, Gingiber is a multi million dollar art studio.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! My name is Stacie Bloomfield, and I am an illustrator. I am the proud owner of a company called Gingiber. I reside in the beautiful town of Springdale, Arkansas, along with my three wonderful kids, two delightful dogs, and my incredible partner Nathan. From the earliest moments of my life, I have had a deep love for drawing. I can still recall fond memories of doodling adorable little puppy dogs on napkins at restaurants, using my father’s cherished fountain pen.

Art has always been an integral part of my existence, but I wasn’t quite sure how to pursue it. I got married when I was just 20 years old, and by the age of 22, I welcomed my first daughter into the world. Balancing a full-time job as a manager at Starbucks and being a young mother left me with little time to decorate my daughter’s nursery. Financially, times were tough, as my husband was a graduate student. Determined to create a beautiful space for my child, I began crafting my own art to adorn her walls.

During that period, Etsy was still relatively new, and it was then that my husband encouraged me to open my own Etsy store and sell my artwork. I ventured into various creative avenues, crafting pillows, aprons, notebooks, art prints—anything I could imagine, I showcased in my Etsy shop. Initially, sales were slow to come by, but after three years, I discovered my true artistic voice. I focused on creating art specifically for nurseries and managed to carve out a unique niche for myself. Gingiber was even recognized as one of the top Nursery Decor brands on Etsy—an accomplishment that filled me with astonishment. I had stumbled upon an entirely new career path.

When my second daughter was born, I took the leap and left my day job, devoting myself to Etsy full-time. But the journey didn’t stop there. I gradually expanded my horizons, delving into wholesaling and designing for other companies through art licensing. Gingiber began to grow into a brand beyond my wildest dreams. Our distinguishing feature is the artwork we produce—sweet enough to captivate children’s hearts, yet sophisticated enough to be cherished by adults.

Over the years, Gingiber has transitioned from exclusively focusing on nursery art. Nowadays, I design products that inspire creativity and empower women. Our best-selling items include tea towels, greeting cards, stickers, calendars, planners, and blankets—products that beautifully showcase our artwork. However, what fills me with the greatest pride is our incredible team. Gone are the days when I ran this company from my dining room table after work. Gingiber now employs 20 talented individuals. Half of our team works diligently in our Springdale, Arkansas Studio, hand-assembling and shipping orders to our valued customers, while the other half operates remotely.

In 2020, like many other businesses, Gingiber had to adapt and find new ways to generate income due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a predominantly product-based business, we faced significant obstacles in selling our products to retailers, who were forced to close their doors. This prompted me to venture into online education. For years, people had been seeking my advice on how to grow their own art businesses. I would often meet up with individuals for coffee and offer guidance. However, I realized it was time to create a comprehensive course to help people leverage their art, guiding them towards multiple income streams—much like I had been doing since Gingiber’s inception in 2009. This decision propelled me into the world of online education, where I have now taught over 50,000 artists through free and paid programs. I instruct them on building portfolios, designing their own products , licensing their art, and establishing a stable and thriving art business. I firmly believe that being an artist does not mean one cannot excel as a boss and business owner. Unfortunately, many artists underestimate their abilities to run successful ventures. However, any small business owner will attest that it’s a challenging journey.

What brings me the greatest satisfaction is witnessing individuals who join our programs discover newfound confidence and belief in their potential to become amazing business owners. Each artist’s path is unique, and that’s by design. As creative artists, we possess a distinct advantage—the power of our creative voices. By infusing more of ourselves into our businesses, we strengthen our perspectives.

Our primary focus is to train artists to become exceptional business owners. Through our product-based business and educational initiatives, our goal is to provide encouragement and beauty. We want people to witness their passions being seen and appreciated by the world.

In conclusion, let your artistic spirit soar. Embrace the possibilities of building a successful business while staying true to your creative vision. Together, we can create a vibrant community of artists-turned-entrepreneurs, spreading inspiration and joy through our beautiful creations.

I’ve written a book called “Give Yourself Margin” which was published with Andrews McMeel Publishing. I’ve designed for Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Moda Fabrics, Chasing Paper Wallpaper, Chronicle Books, Sellers Publishing, Quarto Publishing, and so many other amazing brands. Gingiber products are sold in over 1200 brick and mortar stores. The best is yet to come.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2020, when COVID-19 struck, I had just returned from the highly successful New York Stationery Show. We experienced our best show to date in terms of wholesale orders. However, shortly after the show concluded, the entire world seemed to come to a halt. One by one, our purchase orders from the show were canceled, as retailers were forced to close their doors. We found ourselves with a significant amount of inventory, and I had a team of dedicated employees whom I wanted to keep employed and fully supported.

In the face of this challenge, I knew I had to be innovative and adaptable. The first step I took was creating a digital download coloring book featuring my own illustrations. I decided to sell it directly to customers, with the intention of using the proceeds to ensure my team received their full salaries. I was transparent and honest, expressing uncertainty about the future of Gingiber. However, I was determined to keep my team together. I invited everyone who resonated with our cause to purchase the coloring book, knowing that every sale would contribute directly to supporting my team. Remarkably, we sold enough coloring books to cover our payroll for that month.

Driven by this success, I pushed my creativity even further. We found ourselves with an abundance of beautiful greeting cards that we couldn’t sell due to the pandemic. That’s when the idea of a Pen Pal Club was born. We offered people the opportunity to sign up for a packet of greeting cards, envelopes, and stamps, and we personally matched them with a pen pal. Astonishingly, to this day, we have participants who are still in correspondence through that Pen Pal Club. By charging a nominal fee, we were able to utilize our existing inventory to generate income and foster meaningful connections.

But I didn’t stop there. Prior to the pandemic, we had a workshop space where people could learn crafts like hand embroidery and watercolor. Leveraging the supplies we had on hand, we transformed them into DIY kits. We started selling embroidery kits to our customers, and the response was overwhelming. Crafting became a popular pastime during that time, and our assembled embroidery kits became a major success for us in the following years.

In the face of adversity, we refused to be defeated. We turned challenges into opportunities and discovered the power of adaptability and resourcefulness. Our ability to think outside the box and leverage our artistic talents allowed us to navigate uncertain times and continue supporting our team.

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

A HUGE lesson that I had to unlearn years ago is that of letting go of control of every aspect of my company. Like so many artists and business owners, I wanted to touch everything because, I often thought that no one could do it like I could.

That philosophy was a path to burn out, which I have had to relearn with each growth spurt of my business.

I had a realization that my business could not grow if I was a bottleneck. If people were waiting on me to write a newsletter or create a listing or edit all of the products myself, then the system wasn’t working. You want to work “on” your business, not in your business. And for a long time, I was in the middle, slowing things down with my perfectionism.

Once I realized that delegating and hiring out positions to other people would help the company AND ME, I never looked back. I will hire early if possible, because the time to hire was typically before you knew you needed to hire, if that makes sense.

I never want myself or my team at Gingiber to feel stretched too thin again. Hiring people at the top of their game is my focus now, and because of that, I’ve been able to “Buy Back My Time” (which P.S. is the title of a GREAT book by Dan Martell).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gingiber.com and www.staciebloomfield.com
• Instagram: gingiber
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopgingiber

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Molly Thrasher Photography