We recently connected with Nellie Hutchinson and have shared our conversation below.
Nellie, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
A common fear throughout my life has always been the fear of failure. If something didn’t come easy to me I would avoid it at all costs. So when I found that painting portraits was something I thrived at I dove in head first. I spent years ONLY painting portraits, telling myself that this was the only art form I was good at. Even though I desperately wanted to try different things. Fast forward through years of putting my art on the back burner and assuming I wasn’t good enough to ever make art a full time job, in 2021 I decided to step out and see if I could start painting portraits full time. I bought a tablet and learned to paint digitally and found that the freedom of not having to wait for paint to dry was so freeing! Within that first year I was asked to paint a children’s book which I had always said was too difficult for me, but I loved the story so much that I decided to give it a try. Taking that chance and having the support of the author who I now call my friend, opened up a whole world of possibilities. I started painting books and experimenting for the first time in my life and with taking those chances I found people who became my cheerleaders. They were strangers and friends and family who loved my books and my art and that support helped me lean into experimenting with other art forms and creating things I never thought I could. I spent the next year learning clay sculpture, crochet, needle felting, and sewing plushies. I pushed past my fears and reached out to stores to carry my books and creations, and for every “No” there was a “yes” that built an amazing new relationship and opened my art to a new audience. The biggest leap has been my latest endeavor that has combined all of my passions into one. Taking care of people, embroidery art, sewing, painting and lovable creations. Worry friends have become a HUGE gift in my life and in those who I create for. Honestly the voice telling me how stupid it is to spend my days making plushies can be LOUD. But with every negative thought I am blessed to be given a dozen more positive notes from my customers. So for me fighting imposter syndrome is two fold: I spent my life fighting against the lies that I’m not worthy of good things and proved to myself that failure isn’t scary, it’s just an opportunity to learn; and the support I’ve been given by my customers, friends and family have helped build a foundation of truth to turn back to.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In 2021 I took a leap and decided to start a small art business called “Nellie’s Art Studio” and in the last 4 years I’ve pivoted the direction of that business multiple times. I’ve gone from painting portraits, to illustrating children’s books to creating handmade weighted plushies. In all of these endeavors I’ve learned more about myself and grown as an artist and business owner.
Along with creating the books and plushies, a special thing I’ve gotten to do in the past few years is teach art classes through my connections with local businesses. Building relationships with small business owners and other artists has been a huge gift in being able to learn from them and encourage each other. It’s one of the things I love most about creating art is the connection it makes between people. I have sold my creations at multiple stores in Chelsea and Dexter Michigan. I also sell online by marketing through my social media. I’ve met the most amazing people through instagram and TikTok. I’ve met social workers who have bought plushies to help comfort kids in need and friends buying plushies to comfort each other through the loss of a parent. I’ve met people who buy my plushies to deal with the transition of leaving a bad marriage or the loss of a job. The fact that I get to be a small part of someone’s comfort and care in this really unique way is so cool. I feel so lucky to get the opportunity to sell online as well as in person. Getting to meet people at craft shows and tell them my story (while it can be scary) is really sweet. Telling people about my books and plushies and why I make them tends to draw people into their childhoods and bring a sentimental element that is really special. I love doing craft shows and having people walk past my booth and see the Worry Friends and their instant reaction is “Aww!”.
I stumbled upon the idea for Worry friends after I realized that I enjoyed using tactile things to help with my anxiety. I learned this after I started needle felting and started carrying around the little creatures I would make. After a while I realized that I wanted to create something that was more sturdy and could easily to given to a child or an adult. I taught myself to sew plushies after buying a few simple patterns and then created my own pattern for the worry friends. I also bought an embroidery machine (which I’ve ALWAYS loved embroidery but haven’t got the patience to do it by hand) and learned how to design embroidery patterns and digitize them through an app. Through lots of trial and error I now have a product that I love that comes in 3 different sizes and in any creature or form I can dream up! I’ve also been able to create the book characters as worry friend plushies and that’s been pretty amazing. I’m signed up for a few craft shows this year and I’m currently selling my books and plushies online in my store as well as at Lily’s place in Dexter Michigan. I hope to continue to learn and grow as a small business. I’m so grateful every day that I get to create and share the creations that I love with world. Whether I continue to make worry friends and picture books or I transition to a new art form, I am excited to see what’s happening in Nellie’s Art Studio.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When I first decided to try selling my art I did quite a bit of research into the business side of things. I didn’t know anything about marketing or how to do taxes as a sole proprietor or if it’s better to be an LLC. So asking other small businesses and reading books and blogs was very helpful on the practical side.
Emotionally, it took a lot of faith to believe that I was skilled enough or smart enough to make my art be something I was sharing with the world. Pretty early on I learned the value of having art friends and how important it can be to lean on people who are doing the same thing as you. We are able to encourage each other and learn from each other’s mistakes.
Lastly I think that being willing to TRY has been a huge help. I’ve had to learn so many new things and if I hadn’t been willing to at least try these new things I never would have figured out how wonderful they can be. Maybe it won’t work out every time but at least you can say you tried!
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My mom! It’s so cliche but it’s true. My mom is my sounding board and my creative partner in so many ways. She helps me during craft shows and reads through all of my book ideas before I share them with the world. I’m extremely lucky to be able to say that my sisters and my dad, always cheer me on. They’re always there to listen to my ideas and offer suggestions. My sister Katie has been a teacher and creative director for her daughter’s school in the past and her insight into the schools has been extremely helpful. My sister Emily is always buying my books and plushies to give to her friends which helps me connect with these amazing new customers. My kids and husband are huge helpers and inspiration as well. I’ve talked their ears off with all of my ideas and they just continue to support and care for me. My husband has been especially helpful on the business side of things. As I’ve gotten more community surrounding my business I’ve creating amazing relationships with fellow artists where we can bounce marketing ideas off each other or encourage each other as we create. My customers have become my friends and I often will contact them if I have a new idea I’m not sure about. Their feedback on my plushies and books are extremely valuable. As I have opened myself up more through this business it’s helped me fight that voice in the back of my head that’s filled with insecurities. The positive critiques and feedback from all of these different voices helps me to know if what I’m creating is connecting with more than just me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nelliesartstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nellies_artstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nelliehutchinsonart/
Image Credits
(All photos were taken by me)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
