February 4, 2020

Meet Liz St.John of Elizabeth Ann Creative Co. in Fort Worth

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz St.John.

Liz, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It’s been an interesting path! For as long as I can remember, I wanted to join the Army and be an Army doctor. Everything I did was focused on exactly that, get a biology degree, get into medical school, be a doctor. I took internships, I shadowed doctors, I worked in hospitals, it was insane. It was my life. And then suddenly, it wasn’t. It got down to me actually looking at starting medical school before it hit me that I really did not want to be a doctor. At that point everything fell apart, I felt like everything was crashing in around me. My entire life had been, up to that point, about a future in the medical field. I was looking out at this emptiness, terrified about what the hell I was going to do with my life.

It wasn’t until I accepted the fact that I had been chasing someone else’s ideal or at least what I perceived to be someone else’s expectations of me to realize that I needed something that offered more freedom. So I added an extra year to my college career, got another degree in Strategic Communication, started taking on projects and clients without a clue in the world as to what I was doing.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think there is any such thing as a smooth road if you own your own business? At least if there is I have no idea where that road is. Oz maybe?

Elizabeth Ann Creative Co. was a move of TOTAL desperation, and it didn’t even really start as a business. I had started getting all of these referrals and people were reaching out asking for help on projects and launches and it was just a series of projects that I eventually just put under this “umbrella” of a business.

Ultimately, I wanted something that was mine, I wanted something I was passionate about, and there was the fact that I was $247,000 in debt. I needed a way to get ahead, and when I looked at the work I was doing and the projects I was taking on I realized that there was something there that I could take and run with. So it was just a string of opportunity, needing to make things work and doing whatever it took to make that happen.

Learning to juggle projects and deadlines and my 9-5 has been quite a balancing act. You would think 17 years of school would give you a pretty good grip on deadlines but its a whole different ballgame when there are dollar signs attached to those deadlines. I remember the days of going 48+ hours without sleep just to get things done in time. I used to take projects that I definitely should have turned down just because I needed the experience or the income. I’ve always been a firm believer in building your parachute on the way down, so say yes and figure it out later, and I’ve definitely had to do that a time or two, but it’s always ended up pushing me even further ahead.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Elizabeth Ann Creative Co. – what should we know?
Elizabeth Ann Creative Co. is best described as a collection of passion projects. Over the years, I’ve begun to focus more on social media management and branding with logo design and brand identity being my absolute favorite thing to work on.

Knowing who you are, what your passion is, and what you and your brand stand for is huge for me and it’s what I kinda just fell into business-wise. I love working with business owners to figure out how to best portray their business and how to bridge the gap between themselves and their ideal clients. Also, I just love pretty things and spaces so if I can make something pretty I’m gonna do it.

As for what sets me apart? I think it’s definitely how I work with clients. I don’t have a templated experience and I don’t really like the standard “client/contractor” relationship. Everyone is different, everyone thrives in a different environment, some clients want their hands held through the entire project, some clients want to hand over the reins completely, so you have to gauge and adapt. Want to do everything in an office? sure. You would rather sit on your living floor and storyboard? Great!

Jury is still out on how scalable that will be, but right now it’s working so I’m just running with it

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh man, my parents for sure, a lot of people think that they pushed me to be a doctor, but in reality I could have told them I was going to be a circus performer and they would have been at every show. Glori, my best friend and mentor, she’s always there to talk me off a ledge and to make sure I’m taking time to be a human and not just a work robot. Staci & Beth for putting up with my constant jumping from one idea to the next, as well as the occasional meltdown. Ren, for being the most level headed and supportive, caring friend/sounding board/photographer extraordinaire. Honestly, the list could go forever. I’ve been blessed with a pretty amazing group of family and friends.

Pricing:

Branding Package – $3500+
Logo Design – $500+

Contact Info:

Email: eacreativeco@gmail.com
Instagram: l.stjohn

Image Credit:
Ren Newman & Kendall Salsberry

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Sponsor Shoutout:
Laine McCandless of DFW Kid’s Directory is hosting a Summer Camp & Activities Expo on February 22nd and 29th. There will be over 40 vendors at the event, parents can meet one on one and get information about so many amazing camps all in one spot. It’s an extraordinary event and one that makes us very proud of our city. Tickets are free. Info and RSVP here: Dallas & Frisco