Old Stamfordian sets up business selling her artwork

Old Stamfordian, Emily Howard (OS17) has set up a small business selling her artwork.Emily always knew she wanted to be an artist and have a creative career."When I was tiny I constantly made things, entered little art competitions and doodled in my endless amount of sketchbooks. Even in sixth form I spent nearly all of my free time in the art block and it was there that I decided to study art further, so I applied for an Art and Design Foundation course."After the completion of her foundation course, Emily went on to do a degree in Graphic Design (illustration) and graduated in November 2021.Prior to setting up her business back in August 2021, Emily was selling paintings throughout school and university. She also had stands at country shows including Leicestershire County show and Rutland County show."I took my very first commission in 2016 of a pony. In 2017 I sold my first original painting of 2 pigs and in 2018 I made my first limited edition framed prints. It was so hard to let go of my original paintings at first, I was so attached to them!""In my final year at university I had guidance creating a branding strategy, promotional merchandise, creating an online portfolio/website etc. I began to work full time on my art business after setting it up in August and after completing all my university work."With her business becoming more established Emily decided it was time to move out of her parent's house where her art completely took over."I moved into my flat in Stamford where I turned my spare room into my art studio. Starting my own business and working for myself has been and still is scary. Painting animals from home all day sounds pretty idyllic, but it can be really stressful at times as I never know what’s around the corner."Since then Emily has had lots of support from customers buying original paintings, prints or commissions. Currently, her art subjects are animals, as she explains there is an especially high demand for them."I would love to experiment with painting other subjects one day when my business is a bit more established; however, as I’m still trying to grow and expand my business I prefer to stick to my niche!"Emily's plans for the future involve travelling to gain inspiration for her art, being a part of exhibitions and one day opening up her own gallery.The Schools wish Emily the best of luck in her future plans.[gallery size="medium" ids="https://www.stamfordschools.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/new.png|,https://www.stamfordschools.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/thumbnail_image2.jpg|,https://www.stamfordschools.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/thumbnail_image3.jpg|,https://www.stamfordschools.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/thumbnail_image0.jpg|"]