Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Stribling Sutherland and Debra White Doty.
Hi Kelly and Debra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Kelly: Debra and I were classmates together at Art Center College of Design. We saw one another summer of 2019 in Santa Fe and we rekindled our friendship and our creative desires. We both thought as we walked through the International Folk Art Museum, that we both had always dreamed of creating products as we admired the work of designer Alexander Girard. Less than a year later, I texted Debra to see if she wanted to create something together. Debra had the idea of creating a card line and she came up with our name Springamajig Press. That was the beginning of many fun hours of creating lines of note cards that featured art and photography. We continued on with new products including prints, wrapping paper, educational posters, and handmade items such as wooden hearts and Angels and vegan folios.
Debra: Kelly and I first met at Art Center College of Design where we both studied Illustration. Years later, we reconnected on a visit in Santa Fe. We both share a passion for the Southwest and the iconic imagery it inspires. We brainstormed and fantasized about collaborating and creating a business together.
We recognize the need for encouraging personal connections through traditional note writing and the importance of an inspiring live/workspace. Our concept was to up-cycle artwork from our past, create new work, and design a line of note cards, fine art prints, and inspirational prints for the classroom. We enjoy sales on our website and have a growing number of shops that carry our products in the Dallas area and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and we continue to create and expand our creative lines.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Kelly: I think we have had a lot of fun with creating together but we are struggling with getting our product out in a big way. How do we reach a large audience? I think we have a beautiful and unique product, and we want everyone to have access to it. That is our desire and also our challenge.
Debra: I think it’s always a bumpy road in the beginning. Starting a new business is complicated, there’s so much to learn!
We have a lot of competition in this sector and the most difficult part is marketing our products to reach a larger audience.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Kelly: I illustrated for 20 years and now am currently teach high school art. I love both but my creative strings were tugging at me to continue to create. In my illustration career, I worked with Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Target, Marshal Fields, Nordstroms, Scholastic Books, D Magazine, Dallas Times Herald, American Way Magazine, and many more. I created 2 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog covers as a young illustrator. Life circumstances caused me to make changes in my career and then begin my teaching journey. This is year 16. Creatively, I’m drawn to color, design, beauty, fresh perspective, and all styles of art. Recently I was gifted an IPAD from my parents, and I have begun drawing portraits. I’m hoping that I can create a line of portraits for our educational category to celebrate Visual Artists, Black History, Hispanic Heritage, and all of our beautiful diversity on this planet. Working with Debra has filled a huge creative need that I had to work and collaborate with another creative individual to build something new together.
Debra: I began my career as an illustrator in New York, focusing on editorial illustration, working on assignments for magazines, and creating book covers. Later in my career, I became interested in graphic design, and the combination of these disciplines has provided me a unique opportunity for Springamajig Press. I love collaborating with Kelly on creating new artwork for new products, as well as working on branding, packaging, and web design. Although Kelly and I live in different cities, we have developed a system for creating and sharing that works pretty seamlessly.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Kelly: As a child, I was probably in my own imaginary world most of the time. I was quiet, introverted and I worried a lot! I loved going to the college library with my mom, a student at University of New Mexico, strumming through all of the art and dance books I could get my hands on. I always loved to draw, and I was encouraged to do so by my parents although I had very little art in grade school. I was always most happy creating or also dancing. My other passion was ballet. I always felt that my line quality reflected movement and grace that I also found in dance. I met my people when I went to Art Center College of Design.
Debra: I was interested in art from a very early age. I loved drawing, painting, sewing, sculpture, and ceramics and received a lot of positive reinforcement from family and friends. Except for a brief time in college when I studied Geology, I always knew I wanted to work in a creative profession.
Pricing:
- Cards 4.50 to 5.00
- Prints 19.00 to 85.00 (Giclee)
- Gift Wrap 5.00
- Handmade items 25.00 to 75.00
- Mini notecards, Notecard sets 15.00- 28.00
Contact Info:
- Email: info@springamajigpress.com
- Website: https://www.springamajigpress.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Springamajig-Press-107824434462060/
- Instagram: @springamajigpress
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Springamajigpress
Debra
Kelly
