Meet Emilie Eklund | Designer + Illustrator

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

Hi Emilie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had never really intended to start my own creative company. I had always been drawn to art, and creating things with my hands, but I also had a lot of loud voices internally and externally, telling me that art is not a career. I actually remember asking my high school art teacher if she could make a list of options where I could have an art career, but even with the list, I didn’t have a big enough imagination to think I could actually do it. It takes time to really be able to listen to your own voice. I was great at listening to what others thought I should do, but not so great at listening to what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I was post college, taking an online teaching certification course, that I really started listening to my own voice. My first day of student teaching, I could feel it in my bones, that this was not for me. It became so clear that I was going into teaching because I didn’t know what to do with my art. So I stopped my online school after that first day, and told myself I was going to try and put all my energy into my art. I felt so alive, connected, and inspired, and I knew I had to listen and follow that path. Now I am 16 years since that day, and I’m still doing the thing that makes me feel so alive!

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.
My work has really evolved over the past 16 years since I started LIEFdesign. I love looking back and seeing the different ways that my work has shifted. When I started I was doing a lot of modern calligraphy and custom work, and now I am mostly wholesale with a lot of paper + home good products. And that is what I love about the work I get to do; I get to create based on what’s inspiring me, and I’ve found that listening to my own creativity + inspiration, often creates some of my best work. This process definitely has not been easy. There have been many days that I find myself asking if I want to keep going with this work. The days when work is slow, when I’m not feeling inspired, and lately as a mother of two small girls, just not having the time like I used to. There was a day last year, soon after my second daughter was born, that I felt defeated from trying to do both mother + creative entrepreneur, that I felt some sort of ultimatum internally. I needed to shift a few things within my work, otherwise, I wasn’t convinced this was the season for me to keep going. So I gave myself this year to shift the things in my business to be more aligned with my vision for LIEFdesign, and though it was a lot of very long, late nights, I did it. And now I’m feeling so energized and inspired to keep going with this work, and I’m so grateful for that!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooo, this is a fun question! 🙂 Well, to start, I love food. I love to go to restaurants, and I love to cook. So that would be top on my list. We’d start with a lingering breakfast, likely at Field and Fire, and have coffee, biscuit sandwiches, and a kouign-Amann to wrap it up. Then we would go for a walk at Blandford Nature Center, have some cozy time at home before heading out for a good happy hour and dinner! Maybe Cafe Mamo, Butcher’s Union, Madrid, or GRNoir. We may even hit up Furniture City Creamery for ice cream after, or swing by Martha’s Vineyard to snag some chocolate and after dinner drinks.

Other places throughout the week we’d likely go to would be: Frederick Meijer Gardens, John Ball Zoo with the kids, a beach day at Hoffmaster State Park, a hike at Seidman Park, grab coffee at Madcap, and stroll the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. And for a little shopping, we’d prolly swing by Rebel Reclaimed, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Pursuit Gift Shop, Arts Marketplace, and some thrift shops.

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?
There are a few different people along the way that have really helped me in my career. The first was Delia, my high school art teacher. She really encouraged my art, and helped me dream of ways that I could use art as a career. It was hard for me to think that I could actually do it, but she was a constant voice cheering me on. Sometimes it really takes another persons belief in you, to help you do the thing you want to do. The second is my step-mom. She runs her own graphic design company and seeing her follow her art, was such an inspiration for me, and really helped me see how it can be done. And lastly is my partner, Kirk. Though I had started LIEFdesign before I met him, once he can into my life, he became a partner in my work. From giving me feedback on my work, to pushing me to stretch myself, helping me dream big, and be such a wild supporter of what I’m doing. His constant support over the years has been such a pillar for me in this journey of solo entrepreneurship.

Website: www.liefdesign.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/liefdesign

Facebook: www.facebook.com/liefdesign

Image Credits
Dionel Fisher | MittenTog Photography