Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with the lovely Louise of Louise Dean Designs. Charmed by her English accent and won over by her beautiful work, I couldn't wait to share a little part of the heart of her business with you. If you follow my instagram, I'm sure you've already gotten to see some Louise Dean Design goodies because we did a shoot together last fall. But take some time now to hear from Louise herself!
Name: Louise Dean
Business Name: Louise Dean Design LLC
Website: www.louisedeandesign.com
Favorite Dessert: Chocolate Cake
Favorite Artist/Album: The Beatles / Abbey Road
Tell us a little about what your business: My business reflects my passion for making beautiful things and as it is still evolving I would say my main goal is to make lovely sustainable pieces, people can keep in there homes that will be loved and stand the test of time. I hand paint all of my designs to begin with, in my studio using inspiration from my travels around the country and world. To create my textile pieces, I scan my artwork and generate repeats in the computer. My digitally printed linens and cottons are produced in the US and select pieces are hand screen printed in my workspace. Everything is created in limited amounts, which means we can put a lot of thought and love into each individual piece.
When did you start your business? I began planning my business in December of 2013 but didn’t launch until May 2014, it took while to get things in place to start up.
What inspired you to start it? My Dad has ben a huge inspiration to me. He has run his own business my whole life and to see him not only succeed but go through every part, the whole rollercoaster, was a huge motivation and a great example of someone working very hard at something they love to do.
What would you say was your biggest challenge to overcome? I would say my biggest challenge was and is my own self. I saw a quote the other day saying:
“a woman who needs no validation is the most fearsome thing”
I would love to become that woman sometimes and to stop over analyzing and needing justification.
Who/what was your biggest encouragement and why? My husband, Rob. He encouraged me to start my own business and he gives me lots of great feedback so that is extremely encouraging. He is apparently my biggest fan haha but he believes in me and that is wonderful to have at the end of each day.
What is your favorite part of your business: My favorite part…hmm… painting, starting out doing something new is so exciting Seeing my designs on product is always cool and I love seeing people get excited about placing my designs in their homes too. I guess there is a lot I love that’s why I do it!
If you had advice to anyone who might be starting a business like yours? I would say don’t worry about what other people think and see where is takes you.
Always have a pen and paper handy (I keep one next to my bed as I have been known to wake up and scribble things down at 3am) Take time off at the weekends, it is important and stay organized!
Anything else about your small business that you’re passionate about? Too much to write :-)
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Love, love, love the quote about "a woman who needs no validation is the most fearsome thing," I do think with all the social media craziness these days I find myself comparing and finding worth in things like that. Such a good reminder of what we could do if we choose to focus that attention on our goals instead of our insecurities. Thanks for sharing Louise! xoxoely