Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Roberts.
Hi Erika, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Ever since I was a child, I have loved the relationship between nature and art. I grew up on a small piece of farmland in northern Tennessee. I spent much of my childhood tromping around the woods, splashing in the creek, and drawing my daydreams. I credit this childhood with planting and nurturing my love for art.
This passion blossomed in high school, where I took every art class offered and I attended Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. I started college (Lipscomb University) with big dreams of fashion and interior design. During my senior year, I worked as an assistant for an entertainment lawyer and decided to go to law school. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law and passing the bar, I moved to Memphis, where I practiced law for nearly ten years. Now, instead of tromping in the fields, I was hustling to and from the courthouse. I fell in love with this vibrant city.
Although practicing law was my main focus, the thirst to create never ceased. I painted pieces for my home and others, sewed aprons and dishtowels, designed a small collection of children’s clothing, and painted peg dolls. A friend invited me to show my work at an art walk, and I took a small collection to show. At the end of the evening, I had sold every single piece, and I was hooked. This was my heart. Creating art. Where I needed to be.
I started dreaming about leaving the practice of law to create. On paper, it made no sense. Why would I give up a promising career to pursue a dream in which I have no formal training, no mentor, and no guaranteed compensation? But in my heart, I knew creative entrepreneurship was the path I wanted, and I would regret not taking it.
My husband and I started planning for the pivot, and finally, in 2017 – I traded my briefcase for brushes and jumped into painting and small business ownership full-time. It wasn’t an explosive start at first, but each month my business steadily grew and grew. I started with creating original paintings, and over time developed a line of fine art prints, tea towels, and gifts.
I have been sharing and selling my art ever since. I sell my original work on my website, at art shows and festivals, and at a few galleries and boutiques. My gifts and products can now be found in shops across the country. I also do custom work for businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. It is a joyful, stressful, humbling, and exhilarating business, and I am so grateful that I made the leap from law to art.
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?
Smooth road? Ha – absolutely not! More like a circuitous path with no road signs, and the GPS not working!
I think starting out, my biggest hurdle was trying to figure out what exactly I was doing and how I wanted to grow my business. As a young lawyer, I had wonderful mentors at my firm who trained me and helped me navigate the ins and outs of law practice and business building. As a creative entrepreneur, I initially had no one. Thankfully, I met a wonderful group of fellow artists. Their comradery, support, and willingness to answer nuts and bolts questions were so helpful and valuable to me.
Now, my biggest issue is time management. I have dreams of expanding my business to be a true lifestyle brand, and of opening a gallery that shows my work as well as other artists. With commissions, wholesale orders, art shows, workshops, and general business maintenance, there seems to be only about 15-20% of the workweek left to create. I have a wonderful studio manager who helps with a lot of this, but an extra 48 hours per week would be really nice too!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My tagline is “modern art for old souls.” I like to take traditional subject matter and themes and reinterpret it in a contemporary abstract way, whether that is through color palette or composition. I use acrylic, ink, watercolor, oil pastel, and metallic leaf in my art. I love to experiment with juxtapositions for the senses – toothy textures paired with soft palettes, crisp lines, and organic shapes.
I am inspired by the buzz of the big city, the charm of a small town square, the warmth of good people, and magical moments (both of people and nature). I am a positive and grateful person, and I think the joy in my soul comes through in my work and people connect with that.
I am probably best known for my whimsical watercolor interpretations of city skylines and garden goddesses. Both collections came from my daydreams and doodles and have blossomed into full collections.
As my business grows, I also hope to inspire and help other aspiring creative spirits. We are actively working on purchasing a commercial property that I dream of showcasing talent as well as housing resident artists and becoming a destination for creative workshops and community experiences.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The saying “don’t put your eggs in one basket” rings true for me. When the pandemic started, I had five different major revenue streams – art shows, wholesale orders for shops, in-person workshops, online sales, and licensing. Almost overnight 3 of the 5 halted. All of a sudden, I had boxes of merchandise sitting in my studio ready for spring 2020 shows and events, and every event was canceled. Then, all my stockists had to cease and then limit in-person shopping. In-person, workshops were also not an option.
Thankfully, I had a solid website and email list. Prior to Covid-19, my website had only prints, gifts, and an occasional original painting. After the pandemic hit, I pivoted and listed my collections online. Had I not had the email list to notify my collectors and followers, and my website to sell my art, I honestly do not know where my business would be right now.
Contact Info:
- Email: erikarobertsart@gmail.com
- Website: www.erikaroberts.studio
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/erikarobertsstudio
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/erikarobertsstudio
Image Credits
Simply M Photography and Teresa Daniel Photography
