WCW #2: Em Prints Studio Meets World

Welcome back for another Woman Crush Wednesday! Did you read last week's? Here we go...

Meet Emily Lind of Em Prints Studio! 

You’ve been on Etsy since 2014, when did you officially start your Em Prints Studio?

• My Etsy store opened in January of 2014. I was trying to sell a couple prints and photos I took of a recent trip to Europe but  had little luck. I kept it open, sold maybe 2 custom orders but other than that it really wasn't Em Prints Studio just yet. I had a different store name (I can't remember it now!) but in May of 2015 I logged back in, changed the store name, and starting listing new prints that I was making during my down time after graduation. I didn't know what to do with my free time not being in class -- and not having a real job yet -- so I turned to making prints! So, May 2015 is more accurate for the start of Em Prints Studio.

▪ Can you tell me about your background? School? What set you up for this endeavor?

• I received a Bachelors degree in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois in May of 2015. I had been an avid artist all my life. My mother went to college for the first time shortly after a divorce and having 2 kids. She majored in Elementary Education with a minor in Art Education, so my brother and I served as test dumbies for many of her art lesson plans. I was about 3 years old when she first started teaching me how to draw and paint and whether it be my artistic ability was inherited -- my mom, grandma, and dad as well as my two brothers are all artistic -- or learned, I noticed from a young age that I not only enjoyed it but my teachers were always very impressed. I took as many art classes as I could in high school and worked really hard to win several scholarships to go to college for art. I won a Gold Key at the regional National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition in my area and my portfolio went on to the national jury winning a Silver Key. I was granted enough art and academic scholarships to pay for my first year of college at SIU, where I chose to follow my mom and brother's footsteps as students. I am currently a Master's in Social Work student through Simmons College in Boston - Online. I debated going into Art Therapy, Higher Education, and Psychology because I want to tie my love of art with mental and physical rehabilitation. My mom is a big backing for the direction of my art as well as my personal life. Having lost my mother to breast cancer when I was 16, I've taken the lessons she taught me about hard work, kindness to others, and pursuing my dreams to heart.  Art has always served as my escape to calm my mind, cope with struggles, and refocus. I'm so intrigued with what stimulating the creative parts of our brain can do for our overall health! 

▪ What all does Em Prints Studio do? What are your products?

• I've done a bit of everything. I've made Snap Chat geotags, business logos, painted business signs onto buildings, custom watercolor painting, wood art, wedding invitations and ceremony cards, pet portraits, and more. Basically, if someone throws an idea at me, I let them know what I am capable of doing. My highest selling product is custom watercolor house illustrations. I thought about being an architect for a while, so I really love being able to still draw houses but put my artistic touch to them. 

▪ Is anyone else involved in Em Prints Studio?

• It's just me! This has proven to be rather difficult when being approached for larger projects with people or companies, but I actually really like it. Being a one-girl business, I'm able to work individually with my clients and really get to know them and the meaning behind their custom request. 

▪ Is this your sole job? If not, what else do you do?

• Yep! Well, aside from being a full-time student. I'm currently interning in a healthcare facility for school, taking three classes, and running this business. 

▪ If you’re not doing it, what would your dream job be?

• My dream job is to one day work as a licensed clinical social worker and hopefully continue my art part-time as well as utilizing art practices in my work with clients. It's such a powerful tool to express thoughts and feelings non-verbally as well as to use to mark progress. I am particularly interested in working with clients who have experienced trauma. Organizations like the Military Veteran Project and Art + Therapy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital are types of work that I would like to do one day. 

▪ How important is social media to your business?

• Social media is SO SO SO important. If not for connecting with other artists via Instagram, Etsy, and Facebook...I don't know where my business would be. It really is a science that you have to get down if you want to succeed. How many hashtags, what are the best hashtags, when is the best time to post, how often to post, what should your pictures look like...? It was a lot of guessing at first. What posts got the most interactions? How many followers could I get in a week? Etsy is really great because you can look at what links bring customers to your page. You can see if they click via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google search, or Etsy. This helps me gauge where my presence is being seen (there is also a map so you can see how many views and sales have happened per country) and how to tweak it if need be. YOU CANNOT SUCCEED IF YOU CANNOT DO SOCIAL MEDIA! I'm still learning but I have seen how I've grown from 60 followers last year to 2500+ currently. 

Em Prints Studio

▪ What would you say is your personal brand is?

• I'm still working on this. Ideally, I would say custom watercolor illustrations. My biggest sellers and requests come from painting homes, colleges, pets, people, etc. I also run on Redbubble and Society6 so some of my work has wound up on home decor. I'm currently revisiting old ideas, developing new projects, and trying to define my true direction. 

▪ What can others learn from you?

• I love talking process. I use a mixed plethora of materials and sometimes feel like I use unconventional methods to reach my end result. I'm so interested in how people create what they do as well as sharing what my process looks like. I also love talking about my experience over the last year. I really threw myself out there -- which is so unlike my personality -- and said sink or swim. I have made new friends or have other friends who ask about how I got to this point and I love to talk about my success and failures so I can try to help them thrive. 

▪ How do you under pressure? How do you handle stress?

• Stress is so hard. I always feel a little bit of stress over school, a project, or just life in general. I've learned that stress is normal and can be good in certain quantities. A few months ago, I was really taking on more than I could handle as far as work and school. My education is the most important part of my life, so I had to stand up and start saying "no" to some art requests. I always want to make my customers happy, but sometimes there are requests such as deadlines, discounts, expedited shipping, or the design itself that can be too much for me to handle. I also undersold myself a lot. I would sell my work for very cheap because I was focused on gaining a lot of customers, but then I wasn't making what I deserve. So, I've upped my prices a bit, extended my processing time, and have set a strict amount of custom orders that I will have pending at one time. I've got a few people on a wait list but with good, individual communication they are totally understanding. It is so, so important to leave time for yourself every day to relax or take part in something you love outside of work. 

▪ What’s the average day in the life of Emily look like?

• Honestly, it's probably pretty boring, haha! I have my internship 2-3 days a week, so on an off day I would wake up, make some coffee (or go get an iced coffee from Dunkin), play with my cat and dog, and then get to the computer to either work on homework or orders. I "work" a lot while doing other things. If I go to my boyfriend's house to watch a movie or cook dinner, or go to a friends house to watch our weekly #TGIT shows, I've got my pencils, watercolor, and paper in my bag. It's so important to leave some time for yourself every day so I either get outside for a bit or catch up on my shows on Netflix and Hulu. 

▪ Do you/Did you have a mentor/mentee?

• I have been so overwhelmed with the amount of people who have given me guidance, suggestions, or praise. Throughout grade school, my art teachers were always super supportive. My high school art teacher is such a sweet heart and really became like a family member to me. We still talk every now any then -- 5 years since graduation -- and she loves to hear what I'm up to in life. In college, I learned something from all of my teachers. I think my biggest influences were my academic advisor, my child psychology teacher, my photography teacher, and my brother. 
• I heard so many horror stories about academic advisors but our Art and Design program really is blessed with a wonderful advisor (Valerie Brooks). She helped me pick my classes, really listened to my needs, and having been the advisor for my older brother too, she really knew a lot about my family. I remember a day when I had told one of my professors that I would be a little MIA from class because a family member was sick and my advisor called my phone that week just to check in on me. She supported all of my goals and wrote me a beautiful recommendation letter for graduate school. 
• My child psychology teacher (Matthew Schlesinger) was so cool and I asked to meet with him one day to talk about my interests because I had no clue what to do for a career at this point. He listened to me, was so fascinated with my love of psychology, art, and business, and served as a wonderful listening ear. We wound up getting coffee the last week of my senior year to bounce off what we had both been up to -- he's an amazing researcher -- and to see where I was going next. 
• My photography teacher is a total B.A. to say the least. I studied abroad in Paris the summer before my junior year of college and took a photography class. I expected to learn how to better use my DSLR camera but wow, I learned so much more. Halle Pancer is an amazing American-born-France-living photography who has used her skills to break social stigmas and problems within Israel. It was her that really influenced me to research how I could use my love of art to help people one day.
• My older brother (Matt) really motivates me a lot. We've gone through a lot together and being five years older than me, he's been very supportive of me. We lived together again my first two years of college. He also graduated from SIU with a degree from the Art and Design program so it was great to have someone so close to tell me how certain classes worked, what he liked and didn't like, which professors he really enjoyed, and to simply discuss my ideas about how I would use my degree in the future. He's a great artist, too. 
• Also, all of the amazing artists I've connected with on Instagram as well as community members who have supported and shared my artwork with their connections has been wonderful.

▪ How did you advance your career?

• I'm still in this process. I have another year and a half before I will be done with my Master's degree. In the mean time, I'm still working on growing my art business. I've done a lot of work related to Southern Illinois so I am hoping to get some prints mass produced and for sale in local restaurants and businesses. 

▪ Why do you do what you do?

• I think it's just natural for me to create art. It's been a part of my interests since I can remember. I love to create art and I love even more that now I can create work for people all across the country.

▪ How would you describe your personal style?

• As I type this, I'm wearing a comfort colors t-shirt and workout leggings, haha! I stay pretty comfortable when I'm at home. When I go to my internship or out and about, I'm still usually pretty comfortable and laid back but clean and simple. 

▪ What makes up your wardrobe?

• Skinny jeans and a t-shirt makes up most of my average day-to-day wear. I wear a lot of black, grey, navy, and stripes. If I wear color, it's usually a cardigan or blazer, my purse, or a piece of jewelry. I like to keep it pretty simple. I do like to invest in good make-up, though. I don't wear a whole lot, but what I do wear I like to be good quality for my skin and get the job done right. 

▪ Who is your fashion icon?

• I've never been one to be too big into fashion. I stay pretty modest about what I spend on clothes and accessories, usually buying a new item once every three or four months. I'd probably go with Lauren Conrad. I've loved her since Laguna Beach! I always eyeball her line at Kohl's :)

▪ What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

• Graduating college is my greatest accomplishment thus far. Education is so important to me and I am very proud of my achievements while in undergrad. I know that once I finish my Master's that will be my greatest accomplishment!

▪ What is your ‘must have’ accessory?

• Earrings. Whatever I'm wearing I need to have earrings. I usually have little diamond studs or pearls in. 

▪ What advice can you give others that look towards you to gauge success?

• It. Takes. Time. When I started out I saw all of these artists with 10,000 followers and like 200 posts on Instagram. Let me tell you, we delete photos. It may look like we have 200 posts, but really it was probably like 700 in there and we feed out what doesn't work or what doesn't look cohesive with the feed. It's really important when selling on Redbubble, Society6, or Etsy to utilize tags, descriptions, and know your value. Research artists who sell similar products and take note of what they provide their customers as far as shipping cost, turn around time, and quality. Also, be sure to take time for yourself. It may seem like a hobby that makes money at first but I assure you there will be days when it feels like the worst job ever. You'll be swamped, you won't want to do it, and you may or may not have a break down. I know I have had a few. Be stern about what you can and cannot do and always, always, always try to make a connection with your client!

▪ What advice can you give on failure?

• Failure happens. It's unavoidable. You could be late on a deadline, forget a project entirely, make a whole piece and then spell something wrong at the end, etc. Sometimes client's back-out too -- but be sure to list refund policies!! It is so unfair to you to do all the work and then they request their money back. If it happens, talk to your client, explain the situation, offer some form on reimbursement or added item for their wait, and move on. Sometimes I've done everything I could for a client and still wound up with a bad review. You win some, you lose some, and if you stay composed you will get through it to see new customers still roll in. 

▪ What was your big break?

• I had a lot of custom orders last October-November of house illustrations for Christmas gifts. I saw almost 50 orders in two months. This really helped my sale count go up and gain more exposure. After that, I had a few realty companies inquire about my services. I've been working with a mortgage company over the last few months making custom illustrations for house buyers. It's really helped me solidify a style and get a large client base.

▪ Are you a member of any organizations? Trade Organizations, etc.

• I'm not a part of any organizations really. I created the logo for our local Professional Women's Networking Group of Jackson County, Illinois and sat in on a meeting to discuss my work and learn about all of the other business women in our area. I haven't been able to make any more meetings due to school, but I connected with some great women who I've got on to purchase their services! 

▪ What’s next for you? What’s next for Em Prints Studio?

• I have another year and a half of school, so I'll continue to run the business alongside classes. I'm hoping to get a stronger presence in my community and do more custom work for businesses and people. Growing up in Southern Illinois, it is really easy to find inspiration in my surroundings! I've been reaching out to different groups in my community that focus on the arts, so I hope to start organizing and teaching some community classes at some point. I'm still pretty new, so the direction could really go any way, but I'm excited for anything that comes!

Thanks, Emily!

xo,

KJB

Make sure you come back next Wednesday to meet our next, WCW!