Hi Emily, Tell us a little about you and your business. Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?

In high school I knew I wanted to be a designer and create beauty, but it took many years to find the career I’m in now. After jobs in interior design, book cover design, brand and logo creation, and a short stint in the wedding paper industry, I found my passion for designing paper goods and gifts for others to enjoy. The most accurate term for what I do now is surface pattern design.

What advice do you have for young aspiring business women in your field?

Start by taking baby steps, and eventually you’ll be amazed how far you’ve come! You won’t know everything when you start, and that is absolutely okay. I’ve been designing products for 10 years, and I still have so much to learn. I remember setting up my first meeting with a local boutique to see if they wanted to purchase Texture Design Co. wholesale. My stomach began doing somersaults when they ended the meeting by submitting a very large order. I really wasn’t expecting them to place an order, much less a large order. I left their office stunned and trying to figure out how I was actually going to fulfill their order! With the pressure on, I quickly found printing companies and other resources for creating bulk orders. So in summary, be okay with on-the-job learning, and recognize that great knowledge comes from what others would consider failures.

Are you working on anything special right now?

What are some of your favorite subjects to paint or draw?

Where do you find your inspiration?

Most of your products are for sale.  Where can we find your work?

As a mom with her own business, what does your schedule look like?

As a mom and a business owner, I have to be flexible. Today, for example, our son was sick, and couldn’t go to school. So I changed up my work plans, and prioritized anything that had to be done today and anything I could do WITH him. The rest could wait until tomorrow! We have two toddlers, so normally I try to only work during their preschool hours or during nap times. I know as they get older, I’ll have more time to work, but I also want to enjoy these younger years where they are at home. It is all about balance and keeping priorities straight. Some days I do better at this than others!

I have always been creative-minded, and I think that creativity was instilled in me by my grandmothers! Even from a young age, I can vividly remember painting with one grandmother and learning to sew purses from the other. Later in life, those experiences inspired a love for decorating, which led me to pursue a degree in interior design at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). My studies in the field landed me a job on King Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, and I quickly fell in love not only with the city, but the textures, patterns, and color selection associated with my work.