The Card Designer Spotlight is a series featuring independent makers whose greeting cards you can find in Paper Source stores. Meet and be inspired by a new designer every month on our blog!
This month we want to introduce our featured card designer, Amy Heitman. Find out about the path that Amy has taken to get to where she is today and how she juggles wearing many hats as an artist, illustrator, wife and mom.
How did you begin your card-making career?
Card-making wasn’t something I originally intentionally set out to do. I taught art for two years after graduating college, before becoming a mom. After deciding to stay home with our daughter I was looking for a creative outlet and created a portfolio site 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 began to have a lot of inquiries if I could do custom wedding invites/event stationery. I opened a little Etsy shop after being prompted by one of my husband’s co-workers, and one month later was put on bedrest 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 designed my first line of greeting cards, with the thought that even if they didn’t sell it would be great to have a set of cards on hand to be more intentional and thoughtful with writing and sending cards to others.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration everywhere. Most of my inspiration comes from everyday life, literature, traveling, places we explore, and art history. I’m always drawn to patterns found in nature and things that have stood the test of time.
What does your day look like as a card maker and designer?
Every day is different, and I also homeschool our three children, so most often is quite full in the best way. Generally, though, my day starts with prayer/quiet time then usually a run or workout and breakfast. Usually, by that time, our team is in the studio (which is in a pole building on our property) so I’ll stop out there for a while to check in with everyone for the day, then head inside where I spend the morning doing school with our three kids, then we eat a late lunch, and I will check back in the studio, answer emails, sign off on proofs and spend an hour or two on more business-related tasks before heading out to late afternoon sports/social activities. Most of my design work, dreaming, and planning for new collections happens later at night when the house is quiet and my mind is a bit freer from more task-oriented things.
What is your preferred medium?
Painting will forever be my favorite, and nothing can replace pencil on paper, but now after initial sketches, I create almost all of my final artwork on my iPad in Procreate which is amazing because it allows me to work on designs anywhere, whether we’re traveling, sitting outside at a table while the kids are playing or splashing in the pool, or in the car at sports practice.
What does your creative process look like?
My creative process starts with dreaming up new ideas, I have sketchbook pages filled with lists and a Google doc where I’ll start writing ideas for new collections and cards before I begin sketching. I release a new collection three times a year. Once I decide on a direction for a new collection I’ll gather inspiration images or create a mood board, then move into sketching ideas for new designs, and from there into more final artwork. However, I never finalize artwork until I see the whole collection come together.
What are you most proud of as a creator and card maker?
I’m not sure what I’m most proud of, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to create and see my ideas come to life, and to create something others can use to spread a bit of love and joy in the world. My favorite thing is hearing someone received one of my cards and I love that people choose to send them to those they love filled with thoughtful words. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing team that handles the fulfillment of all of our orders and keeps things running every day and is not only such a blessing and encouragement to me but also creates such a truly joyous environment in our studio.
Any personal tidbits? Special talents/fun facts?
Our family loves hiking, camping, backpacking, and exploring outdoors. I think our kids have been to thirty-something national parks with us over the past 7 or so years. We just spent the last two weeks in Banff and Glacier National Park and are currently on the road home after hiking over 75 miles. It is so awing to see and experience God through His creation and I love just being surrounded by beauty, there is nothing more inspirational.
Find Amy Heitman Design cards and wrap, such as Work Of Art Birthday Card and Birthday News Gift Bag at your local store or online at papersource.com. For more inspiration and behind-the-scenes action, follow @amy_heitman on IG.