Today we’d like to introduce you to Katelynn Hilden.
Hi Katelynn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I had no intention of ever starting a small business. After my career choice failed on me and my college degree meant nothing, I took a step back and started looking at side hustles I could start doing at home. My journey started with Poshmark as a way to make some extra cash selling the clothes I wasn’t wearing anymore, and eventually, I started thrifting and became an active reseller. Once I joined the Poshmark community on Instagram I started to see people that were doing other things on the side as well and I became rather interested in expanding. I started a blog during the Covid19 shutdown because I love to write. I’d always been on the artistic side, having spent quite a bit of free time doing graphic design and photo editing, so I started slowly making my way into those aspects as well. I launched my photography job on the side, and a couple months later I finally invested in an iPad so that I could start showcasing my art. I started out with stickers, which is still my main thing, and branched off into jewelry as well because I always liked doing that as well. Now, I successfully balance my part time job as a bridal consultant, a photographer, a fashion reseller, a blogger, a social media influencer, and an Etsy shop owner!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish I could say that the journey to where I am now has been smooth. I struggled, and do still struggle, with consistency and motivation to keep going when something isn’t as successful as I hoped it would be. I fall off the rails quiet often, but I always have to remind myself to get back on track and keep moving forward! I’ve learned that there are days where you won’t make a single sale on any platforms, you won’t make a blog post for months, or your post won’t get as many likes or interactions as you’d like. It’s all a part of the ride, and in the end, it has taught me so much about how to be resilient and hold hope in myself and my future!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The work I’m most known for is definitely the Etsy side of my work. I create stickers, art, graphic designs, etc. While I wasn’t sure what to create at first, I started to focus on things that I’m passionate about. One of my favorite things to do in my free time is rock hunt for agates, and I know there is quite a large community who does that also. My Minnesota and Lake Superior sticker designs are my most popular work and the ones that I’m most proud of. I’d like to think what sets me apart is my unique interests and how I like to represent them! The reason I created my most popular designs is because I couldn’t find anything like them that I liked, so I knew there had to be others out there with the same problem! So, I started creating what I was looking for!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are so many others that deserve some credit throughout my story. My high school art teacher was a massive influence on not only my work, but my life as well. That art room quite literally saved my life. I struggled a lot with depression and being different when I was in high school, but being able to have that safe place with someone I could trust was something I will always be grateful for. It was also where I learned how to start in graphic design, so that was awesome, too. My family is and always will be my biggest support system. No matter what they are always there to encourage me in my journey and make sure I don’t get too hard on myself when things don’t go the way I planned. Same can be said for my Husband. He’s a solid rock in my life that always keeps me going. Lastly, I owe a lot to my fur babies. They give me a reason to work so hard until they have a human sibling some day. I love being able to do my work and always have one or more of my little buddies by my side.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lifewithkatelynn.com
- Instagram: katelynnscanvas
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LifeWithKatelynn
