Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Hopkins.
Emily, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My business has changed and shifted so much over the years, and I’m so thankful it has! It’s naturally become more defined as I’ve grown confident in what I do and comfortable with saying “yes” to things that help me thrive and tossing things that don’t. When I started freelancing in 2014, I worked mostly with small businesses on branding and logo design, which is what my degree is in (Thanks, degree!). I felt that most of the design work I did represent me well and allowed me to be artistic, but it required me to tap into the part of my brain that understands client-based, commercial work that is centered around an aesthetic and style that might not necessarily be my own. My illustrative style led me to lettering and calligraphy and into the wedding industry for a bit, designing invitation suites.
This was a really wonderful transition for me and a vital turning point in my business. Weddings are still very much client-based and vary in style and trends like branding, but the clients weren’t businesses and vision statements; they were excited brides and grooms with sweet stories and inside jokes, and ohhh, I loved it. That’s what I wanted business to look like for me! Relationships. One-on-one meetings over coffee. Being part of peoples’ events and lives and memories. Using my creativity and knowledge to design things that people keep as a keepsake (assuming that every person keeps every wedding invitation they’ve ever received like I do).
In 2017, while still working in the wedding industry, I started illustrating families as a creative outlet, and I found it to be the absolute sweet spot for me. It allowed me to create using my own aesthetic and my own style, while also giving me the opportunity to work for and with interesting people, get to know them, and hear their stories. I’ve been primarily focusing on sketching families, couples, friends, and business owners ever since!
Has it been a smooth road?
I certainly didn’t have a business plan right out of the gate. It took time and a few failures to refine my business from branding to weddings to illustration. That wasn’t always easy, but it was clear. Realizing what I want my business to look like and what I want to come out of it has been very seamless for me. Along the way, I made really simple changes to the projects I was working on, how I worked on them, and who I worked for.
I paid attention to what kept me up at night, stress-eating Reese’s peanut butter cups, versus what kept me up at night because I truly wanted to keep working. Personally, though, I do think I have had all the normal insecurities and struggles of any small business owner, even doing what I love. Some days I feel like I’m totally rocking it and like I should buy myself a congratulatory margarita, and the next week I feel totally discouraged and like I’m falling hard and wishing I could take that congratulatory marg back from myself. It’s humbling!
The biggest struggle has been drawing the lines between my life at home as a mom and wife and my life as a business owner — also in my home. Having a little studio in my house blurs the lines of when I’m working and when I’m not. Boundaries and some sleep neglect here and there have been my constant companions.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I create illustrated portraits of families and couples from photographs they provide! (They make fantastic gifts *wink wink*). Business is so about people and relationships for me and reflecting the personalities and lives of so many families is my favorite thing. Usually, I get an order and finish it up with very little interaction, but I love when I really get to know things about the people I’m drawing. There are hilarious little details that I’ve been asked to include, funny stories about ugly pets, and husbands who tell me all the things they love about their wives and want to make sure I get just right. It’s such a delight.
I’ve been able to have a small part in others’ seasons of celebration and, sometimes, loss. I’ve doodled families celebrating finalized adoptions, marriages, first pregnancies. Last year I produced a portrait for the sweetest family who had lost their little girl, Sophie, to cancer and had a baby boy on the way. I got to create a representation of their family of four as a whole and it was so so special. It touched me in a way I can’t even describe. Being able to piece together families in a way that’s colorful and brings happiness to them (and me!) is huge. It’s a simple little gift, but I love knowing that it does sweet things for peoples’ hearts. It brings me such joy!
When I’m not drawing families, I’m taking my little doodles and turning them into paper dolls, printing them onto graphic tees, or making them into vinyl stickers and mugs. Illustrating families takes a lot of time and brain cells so it’s nice to have an outlet for creating easy, non-custom items, too! It’s always fun to see a woman in the wild wearing my “Strong Women” or “Nope” tee!
One of the things that sets A Little Papery apart is personal service and a little bit of personality. As I said, relationships is what it’s all about, so I really do strive for a personal touch. I’d also like to think I’m a pretty good Instagram follow.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I’m pretty new to this area and am still trying to get settled in myself! I moved here with an established business that is primarily online, but being in a new place and wanting to find other creatives and small business owners to connect and work with is vital and I still consider myself “starting out” in that effort! In the past, I’ve collaborated with jewelry stores, coffee shops, and other small businesses and I always loved that side of having a relationship-driven business. I’ve missed working with others, locally and long-distance. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed it so far and still have so many opportunities to discover.
Pricing:
- Pricing for portraits starts at $40 and increases by number of figures included
- Non-custom items such as tees and mugs are under $25
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alittlepapery.com
- Email: alittlepapery@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alittlepapery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/alittlepapery
Image Credit:
Emily Dodson Design
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