Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Miller.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m originally a New Yorker, but I’ve been living in Texas now for almost four years. I started this little brand of stationery & desk accessories to provide reminders of hope, courage, gratitude, and determination that I found myself to be in need of. After working in the fashion industry for several years, I felt a bit disenchanted with how fast-paced the industry was. Although I’ll always love fashion and I do believe it is an empowering source of self-expression, the fashion and beauty industries compounded by social media left me with a sense of never being/having enough. Collectively, it seemed to me that our overall self-esteem & mental health were feeling the effects of the impossibly high standards being set by those industries. I decided that I wanted to be on the other end of that – reminding people of the power they have within themselves.
Shortly after moving to Texas and feeling a bit confused on my career path, I developed an interest in self-development, essentialism, and intentional living. I’d always loved reading & collecting inspirational stories and quotes, so this felt like an extension of that… And ever since I was a little kid, I remember being excited by stationery… I can remember when stationery started trending at toys stores! So, although I’m stepping into a new space, I’ve loved learning more and more about stationery and desk products.
I hope my products remind people to slow down a bit and break away from the pressures to constantly keep up. My goal is to tie the best of the ‘old’ with the new to inspire people through empowering quotes, art, and stories. I’m very excited to be able to align my experience in product development with my excitement around self-acceptance, courage, and hope. Moving into a new product category & starting my own brand has been pretty scary, but I’m excited at the opportunity of helping to inspire & empower others.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has most definitely not been smooth. 🙂 I’ve had all sorts of struggles from delays with my launch to just generally struggling with self-doubt being on this new path. But I stayed determined, always trying to find the next small step I needed to take. I knew that by facing my challenges with open eyes and resourceful thinking, that I would become stronger and better through it.
By the Moon – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I believe that each one of us has unique gifts worth celebrating & leaning into. However, when navigating our fast-paced & distracting world, it’s easy to lose focus and forget to make time to be mindful about the life we want to create. To counteract the noise, my goal is to create stationery, desk, and home products with inspirational messages and prompts to help inspire people, and in turn, build a better world.
My first product is the Inspiration Display + Starter Kit, which is a desk/ home accent which provides a modern way to stay inspired. The kit includes our Inspiration Display, an easel designed to keep inspiration cards front of mind. The cards included are printed with a selection of my favorite empowering quotes. The back of each card features prompts to help you think of ways to apply that inspiration in your life, with an area to note your intentions directly on the card. The keepsake box is designed to hold your inspiration cards as you build your collection. In addition, we have an online community where you can read stories on how the cards you’ve received have uplifted & inspired others. There’s also a subscription option, so that you can receive & collect new cards on a recurring basis — to help remind you to stay inspired & continually set intentions!
This product idea started with the simple act of collecting quotes. I often found myself writing down quotes in little journals or in my phone. As my collection grew, I realized I had quotes scattered between my phone screenshots, my notes app, and a couple of little journals I had. When I found a quote that felt really relevant, I’d write it on a sticky note, and put it on my desk – but that got me thinking – I wished there was a beautiful and convenient way to display & collect these bite-sized reminders so that they’d be in front of me when I needed to hear them. So, I started brainstorming ways I could create something that would make collecting and reflecting on quotes fun, easy, and most importantly, relevant & uplifting. In our fast-paced lives filled with lots of negativity, it’s easy to fall into doubt or placing higher value on things outside of ourselves. I thought this product could help so many others like myself stay grounded in who we are. Similar to looking up at the moon, these quotes helped me look at the bigger picture when having a bad day. They remind me to stay courageous, hopeful, determined, and grateful – and it’s my hope that they will do the same for others!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am so, so grateful for my parents (LeeAnn + Rich O’Donnell). They have worked EXTREMELY hard to give me the best education, opportunities, and belief in myself. They’ve given me the chance to dream, to be creative and curious, to become who I am, to care for others, and develop in my own passions. Through their own dedication & passion in their careers, they’ve inspired me beyond words. Their unwavering love, generosity, and support is something I could never thank them enough for. I will never take it for granted.
My husband (Bryan) has also played a huge role in cheering me on and supporting me in this. I feel incredibly blessed for his love, support, and belief in me.
My family (Ashlee, Richie, RJ, Laura, Patrick), my husband’s fam (Kimi, Pops, Chase, Blair, Grant, Kacie, Andrew, Laura, Gibbs, Jack, and Madison), and my good friends from home have been so supportive of me. Despite the challenges I faced with starting this, they believed in me without a doubt, which helped me push through – and that means more than they’ll ever know!
And our dog, Moose. He inspires me every day. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bythemoon.com
- Email: emily@bythemoon.com
- Instagram: @bythemoon.co
Image Credit:
Alyssa Cates Studio
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