We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Russell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.
Brittany, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
As an artist, there can be so much pressure to be creative all the time. However, that’s just not realistic, and it’s so important to foster some good habits that allow for creativity to happen naturally – you truly can’t force it! Here are a few things that have worked best for me over the years:
– Physical exercise: I can’t say enough about how much physical movement has helped my creativity. It’s so true that physical activity can help get the ideas and creativity flowing again. Just taking a 15-minute walk can help boost creativity immensely!
– Step outside / get some fresh air / change your environment: Working in the same spot every single day can lead to a serious lack of inspiration and motivation, and I often find that my environment can be stifling my creativity. If you’re able, try moving to a different spot in your home/office or working outside. If you work well being around other people, try getting together with another creative friend and have a co-working session or working from a coffee shop!
– Get enough sleep / rest: Sleep and rest are absolutely essential to fostering your creativity. Our bodies and brains don’t function at their best when we don’t make sleep and rest a priority. I find that I work best with at least 7 hours of sleep per night!
– Take breaks: On the topic of rest, it’s so important to take breaks. You truly cannot force creativity, and by stepping away from it, you allow your mind to relax a bit. And if you let it happen, you will likely find motivation and inspiration once you stop searching and working so hard for it.
– Get off of social media / stop comparing yourself to others: This is huge. Looking at others’ work, comparing our work to theirs or comparing our creative journeys can be so, so defeating. I’ve found that taking a break from social media and from looking at what others are doing is extremely beneficial to my creativity – it makes it so much to easier to get back to my own creative ideas and motivations rather than constantly looking at what others are doing. We all have our own unique creative path, ideas and journeys, and there is room for all of us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Brittany Russell, and I own Letter Lane Design Studio in Omaha, NE where I currently offer watercolor artwork, illustration and custom wedding stationery design. I started dmy business in 2017, and it honestly the biggest blessing to myself and my family.
It was late one night as I was sitting alone on a barstool at my counter in my first apartment. I had had a long, hard, frustrating day at my day job – my first job out of college. I had gone to school for graphic design, but ended up taking the first job I was offered, which was as an Administrative Assistant at a newspaper. After about a year into that job, I realized how naive I had been to think that the first job I was offered was the right offer, having not even taken into consideration that I wasn’t getting to use my degree for the job. It dawned on me that I had made a huge mistake, and sitting alone in my apartment, feeling hopeless as I continued browsing job openings on my laptop, it really hit me how I had wasted a whole year of my life doing something I did not care about.
After a good cry, I got back on my computer and decided that I was going to make up my mind about my next move in my career. I just happened to stumble across a YouTube video of someone doing calligraphy, and as they say, the rest is history. That video honestly struck me to my core – I felt such a connection to the beauty that was on display, and somehow knew that that was my next step.
Flash forward a few weeks, I had spent many late nights and many dollars buying supplies, watching tutorials and practicing calligraphy. I posted my progress to Instagram and was so encouraged when everyone let me know that they loved what I was doing and thought it was beautiful (it definitely wasn’t – not for a while, at least). But that encouragement from others, and the love for the new skill I was slowly building, told me I was on the right path.
Up until that point, it hadn’t even dawned on me that I could create a business from calligraphy. It had mostly started out as an intentional creative outlet for me, as I had decided to put the job search on the backburner for the time being. But then I received my first inquiry for addressing someone’s wedding invitation envelopes in calligraphy, a new fire lit from within me.
I thought to myself… Someone will pay me to do this?? Oh my gosh, this is AMAZING. THIS is the answer I’ve been looking for!
And it was. I began researching the business of calligraphy, which opened up a whole other world – wedding invitations. I already had formal graphic design training from college – I just needed to brush up on my skills, and then I’d be able to offer that as well! So, I began taking as many online classes as I could, learning everything about starting a business, what to charge, how to design wedding invitations, how to get clients, etc. Pretty soon it was all I was thinking about. I continued posting my work and being encouraged even more by the positive comments and feedback I received.
And then I got my first real wedding invitation client. It was surreal. And exciting. And terrifying. All at the same time. But when I finished that client’s invitations and handed them off to her, it was the most proud of myself I have ever been.
The point is that I pushed through the hard times in business over the past few years – not having enough clients, dealing with impostor syndrome and comparison, working with difficult clients, not understanding a lot of the business side of things… and I still want this. I still want to be my own boss, and set my own schedule, and work from the comfort of my cozy office, and work with people that inspire me to create beautiful things and have more time for myself and my family.
I had always envisioned getting a job at an agency right out of college and climbing the corporate ladder, but that is of no interest to me anymore. I’m so proud of what I have built and the amazing clients I have worked with who have brought me so much joy. And I love that they allow me to bring my talents to their table to create something meaningful and unique to them, that they will treasure for years to come.
Today, I still offer wedding stationery, but I am also a self-taught watercolor artist and illustrator. I’ve been doing watercolor since 2019, and it’s easily my favorite part of my business. I do lots of watercolor house portraits and pet portraits, and I also created a line of stationery products (greeting cards, art prints, note pads, stickers and more) with my own artwork that I sell online and in-person at markets. I also work with other designers to create custom artwork and illustrations for their clients. I absolutely love the variety!
I am truly so thankful to myself that I never gave up on this creative business of mine, because I’ll be honest – entrepreneurship is not easy. But it is so, so worth it.
In 2024, I am so excited to be branching out into the education space – I’m working on lots of offerings for other creatives who want to learn watercolor, illustration and wedding stationery design, and I think it’s going to be the best part of my business yet. I’d love to have you along for the ride! You can join my email list at the link below and follow along on Instagram for updates!
Join my email list: www.brittanyrussell.myflodesk.com/letterlaneeducation
Follow me on Instagram: @brittany.nicole.russell
Visit my website: www.letterlanedesignstudio.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance – As an entrepreneur/business owner, it’s so important to be able to push through when times are tough (EX: 2020/COVID). If you are passionate about what you do and never want to give up, you need to be able to pivot and change things as you go. Nothing stays the same forever, and being a successful creative means you are able and willing to adapt to change.
Always be honing your craft and sharing your work – Never stop working on your creative/artistic skills and always aim to improve your craft as you go. And don’t forget to share it with the world – you won’t be successful if you hide your creativity, and the world needs to see what you have to offer. There is room for everyone.
Always be a learner – I’ve always been big on education and learning as much as I can. No one knows everything, and everything is always changing. I’ve always been open to learning as much as I can whenever I can, and that has served me so well. I’ve invested in online courses and coaching throughout my entrepreneurial career, and I know that has played a huge part in my success as a creative and artist.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I am currently working to break into the education space. I want to teach new/early creative business owners and artists how to create a successful business they love. When I was first starting, I needed so much guidance, and looking back now from where I currently am today, I see such an opportunity to serve creatives as an educator/mentor. My biggest struggle with this is finding the time and space to get this side of my business going. But I know that if I prioritize my time well and have a clear vision that I will be able to accomplish it! I’ll also be looking to my own mentors for guidance along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.letterlanedesignstudio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/brittany.nicole.russell
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/letterlanedesignstudio
