If you’ve poked around the Virgo and Paper blog, you’ll know I regularly share posts on topics like journaling, planning, goal setting, and tips and tricks I've learned in my work as an artist. I love to share behind the scenes peeks into my studio and sketchbook, as well as how I balance digital & analog tools as a surface designer.
However, I’ve never done a long post about Virgo and Paper itself - how I started my business, what my day to day looks like, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned. If you’re curious about what life as a solo-preneur in illustration and surface design looks like, I hope you’ll love reading all about it.
This blog post has been adapted from an interview by Lisa of Lisse Ree Designs for her blog series, smArt Talk, featuring interviews with surface designers and illustrators. Lisa is a talented surface designer in her own right, creating painterly floral pattern work for interiors. You can read the entire article on Lisa’s blog. While you’re there, be sure to shop her wallpaper and home goods, and explore her blog full of thoughtful home decor ideas, creative business inspiration, and more.
How I Fell Into the Design World
It might surprise you that I never, ever planned to be self-employed, and I have no art and design background. But when I look back, I can see the right seeds were planted all along.
I loved art as a kid, thanks to my mom. She’s very creative and encouraged me to work alongside her on all kinds of crafts from scrapbooking to sewing. In high school, I took drawing, painting, photography, jewelry making, and art history classes. I feel so lucky that my school provided thorough art education, as I still lean on those skills today.
I wasn’t aware of the design world until I got a job at a print shop, where I started to learn Adobe Illustrator. I was searching for a way to keep organized, so I decided to try to use the program to design stickers for my planner. Though I was three years into a Religious Studies degree, I started dreaming about becoming a self-employed artist.
While I didn't have design or business schooling, I figured there was no better time to take the risk of being self-employed. After graduation in 2015, I opened an Etsy shop to sell my sticker designs. Today, I run my online shop, teach classes, and create art for a wider range of products. Seeing how my business has grown, I’m glad I took the leap back then!
The Meaning Behind the Name: Virgo and Paper
Names weren’t coming to me easily at first. I spent weeks brainstorming all kinds of words that didn’t sound good together. Then, I read somewhere that your business name should describe who you are and what you do. I took it quite literally. I’m a Virgo, and I love all things paper… so I landed on ‘Virgo and Paper’ and it just felt right!
Today, I lean into branding my work with my own name more often, but Virgo and Paper will always adorn the products I sell in my own little shop.
Analog Art: The Core of Virgo and Paper
While I wear a lot of different hats today, I try to center everything around time actually creating art. Creating on paper is very grounding for me.
I’ve always been drawn to the tactile experience of paper. Books, magazines, journals, sketchbooks, paper planners…they light me up. I generate the best ideas for my artwork on paper as well. I translate my work into a digital medium by scanning my sketchbook pages and drawing over them in Illustrator or Procreate. I also paint motifs and textures in black ink on paper and vectorize them. My sketchbook practice is essential. When I start a project digitally, it tends to fall flat. Working with physical paint and pencils on paper keeps my art alive.
An Average Day at Virgo and Paper
I look forward to starting work each morning, and that is a great feeling. I'm very blessed to have my dream career and create my own schedule. There are days I’m frustrated or don’t like what I’m working on, but for the most part, I have to pinch myself. I can’t believe I get to make art and call it work!
I used to be quite scheduled and orderly with my time, but since becoming a mom, flexibility has been my focus. My morning still starts with coffee and some kind of creative planning and journaling. I try to stay in the habit of identifying 1-3 priorities for each day and keep checking in with my list throughout the day to keep on track. Having a home studio and being able to work from home while prioritizing my family is something I’m so grateful for.
What I need to work on each day varies a lot since I juggle creating art for my online shop, teaching, and content creation, as well as admin and business tasks. Each week I choose a few priorities to get done, but I don’t strictly schedule each day, so I can work on the type of tasks that seem to fit each day best. I focus on art when I’m feeling more creative and pack orders or send pitch emails when I’m not feeling as inspired.
I always end the work day by writing down what I need to do the next day, which helps me to transition away from work. I also make sure to close the door and stay out of my studio for the rest of the evening. Creating those boundaries have been so helpful for my productivity and focus.
Systems & Workflows: Lessons I’ve Learned by Running a Creative Business
Investing time into learning Adobe Illustrator has been worth every second. I have worked in the program for years, yet I’m still discovering new ways to speed up my workflow there. Becoming an Adobe Express Ambassador was an exciting milestone as well. I primarily use Adobe Express to pull my existing work from other Adobe programs into Express and quickly repurpose it across platforms - social media, my website and portfolio, and more.
Another huge win for me was learning how to batch process mockups in Photoshop. Essentially, you can create tons of product mockups for your website with the click of a button. That shortcut has saved me hours, maybe entire days of time.
I’ve also learned quite a few lessons on mindset. Truly, being self-employed is mostly about mindset. In order to succeed as an artist, I’ve learned to be willing to work through any problem that comes my way.
I truly believe that it’s okay to fail. It’s okay to have days where you cry because something you tried failed or a big dream fell through. Take time to grieve or vent about it to a friend. And then, gather your thoughts and come up with a plan to get over it.
Challenges are constantly popping up and that’s part of being a business owner. Instead of saying “I don’t know how to do this”, I’ve learned to jump in headfirst and learn the skills needed to figure it out. I think that’s what a growth mindset really is - not just believing you can do it, but doing it!
Teaching Art Journaling
I’ve always wanted to teach art in some capacity but figured it was a ‘someday’ project. So I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to start teaching online at Skillshare.
I teach mixed media art journaling techniques, how to establish a daily journaling practice, and more in my online classes. Focusing on self-expression, my art classes are perfect for beginners and seasoned creatives alike. You can access my classes and thousands more with a free one-month Skillshare membership by signing up through this link.
Please note: If you make a purchase through the referral links in this post, I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work as a Skillshare teacher!
It’s so rewarding and fun to see student projects and reviews. Preparing outlines and projects has fueled my own creativity as well, which just motivates me to keep going!
Dreams for the Future
I have so many companies I’d like to collaborate with, shops I’d like to see my art in, and products I’d like to make. Working with any stationery, gift wrap or paper goods brand is a natural fit, and that's where my focus lies. But I also dream of seeing my patterns on swimwear. The beach is my favorite place to be, and it would just be the coolest thing to see my artwork there.
Something I want to continue to explore through teaching is the concept that art is not just for “artists”. Anyone can benefit from a creative practice. I want to share techniques that anyone can use, and welcome everyone to journal creatively and explore their artistic side.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into real life as an artist and educator. If you’re a fellow designer or just getting started, I’m an open book and always love to talk shop - feel free to send me a DM on instagram anytime!
Thank you again, Lisa for thoughtful interview questions to help me explain my work and inspiration. You can find Lisa’s work - stunning painting and repeat patterns for interiors, wallpaper, and more - at Lisee Ree Designs. (https://www.liseeree.com/ )