We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Heitman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
When I launched the wholesale line eight years ago, my babies were young, so there were naps, and early bedtimes I could devote to some of the more focused/creative work. We were home more so it was easier to devote more time to work. As our kids have grown and our commitments within our community have grown, my time is a bit more scattered. I also made the decision to homeschool our kids several years back which means I do have limited time to work on new designs and product development, but it is such a treasure to be able to spend my mornings doing school with my kids and I try to keep a rhythm of devoting a chunk of time each afternoon to checking in with what is going on in the studio, responding to emails, managing the business side of things etc. This means more and more of my design time comes in random late night chunks, but I am so blessed to have an amazing little team that handles packaging and fulfillment and keeps the studio running day to day. Owning my own business is such an incredible blessing but I hope it always takes a backseat to the people and relationships in my life, so that balance is tricky to navigate at times!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Starting a business wasn’t something I originally intentionally set out to do. I taught art for two years after graduating college, before giving birth to Ramona, our oldest. After deciding to stay home with her I was looking for a creative outlet where I could work just part time and created a portfolio website with a handful of murals I’d painted throughout the school district I had taught in, I threw some wedding stationery I had designed on the site as well and although no one was interested in murals, I had lots of inquiries if I could do custom wedding invites/event stationery. I opened a little etsy shop and one month later was put on bed-rest for 5 months while pregnant with our second. The etsy shop was such an incredible blessing in the midst of a dark season as it gave me something to do and I found a new love for design and paper. After a few years of doing solely custom stationery design I decided to design a line of greeting cards, with the thought that even if they didn’t sell it would be great to have some on hand to be more intentional with writing and sending to others.

Eight years later I’m so blessed to have a tiny team that keeps things running and afloat day to day. It’s been such a blessing to be able to create, and I hope the cards I create bless others in some way and bring beauty into the places that need it.

Framed in our studio is a little print that quotes the verse from Proverbs 16:24: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

In a nutshell this is why 8 years after launching our first collection of greeting cards, I continue to make them. I make cards because we know the power our words have to bless others and the life carefully chosen words can bring. We’ve seen the powerful way written words connect us. We believe it is a way we can love our neighbor.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend from high school just visited for the weekend last weekend. We spent some time kayaking down one of the two rivers that meet in our town. We also spent a day blueberry picking with our kiddos-the fresh berries in Michigan this time of year are the best. I few had more time we would have spent some time hiking or at the beach along Lake Michigan. Michigan is such a beautiful place in the summer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family who has always been so encouraging to me and encouraged me to step out in faith.

Website: www.amyheitman.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_heitman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyheitmanstudio/

Image Credits
Meg Pearson

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