Ava Wolf on creating your own success

I had the pleasure of chatting with Ava Wolf, whose colorful illustrations decorate hilarious, pop culture inspired greeting cards for her company Aviate Press, and whose relatable, uplifting mental health illustrations she shares with over 50 thousand people on her Instagram @aviate.press

Anna: How would you describe what you do?

Ava: I primarily make greeting cards and prints illustrated on my iPad. A lot of fun, girly, playful things. I also make a lot of art focused on self care and things that I've learned in therapy. So half of my work is making things for my line of products through Aviate Press, and the other half is freelance stuff. I've licensed greeting cards, mostly to other businesses. And I've done a handful of freelance illustration jobs, a few book projects, and a puzzle.

Did you study illustration in college, how did you get into it?

I went to Belmont and started off in the commercial voice program. I thought I wanted to write music, which I still do occasionally. And then I ended up in entertainment industry studies, which is music business. I was struggling with wanting to do something creative, but nervous about fully pursuing it. 

17 or 18 is a very tough time to really commit to something. I had a lot of creative endeavors. I thought I wanted to do musical theater at one point. College was a more difficult transition than I thought it would be. After college, I was struggling to find a job in the music business/entertainment industry and ended up working a bunch of side jobs and I got back into art and illustration at that time. I don't think I even knew what an illustrator was. I didn't know that that was a thing. But I opened an Etsy shop with some greeting cards and then I took a course through Watkins. A letterpress class, and that's where I met Kayla Stark. She told me about the space that she was opening with Becca Green, The Warren. That's how I got back into the world of art, and then I saw that you can actually do it as a job. I give The Warren a lot of credit for getting into that world and learning from other people.

The Warren was a co-working space for illustrators. I met a lot of cool people there. A lot of children's book illustrators, people who did licensing, and we hosted a few workshops there and participated in some art crawls. It was a lot of fun. I don't know where I would be creatively if I wasn't a part of  The Warren.

Did you make art when you were younger?

I always had a sketchbook in high school and my mom and my grandma were both pretty talented painters and artists, so I think that's where I got it.

Was that just a hobby for them?

Yeah, my parents are both attorneys. So that's another piece of it, looking back on college, it felt very different to try to pursue art. I didn't really see that as a path, not that my parents were against it. They were very supportive, but I don't think it was modeled for me. But my mom is very crafty. She's always taking a new class. She's in an upholstery class now.

How do you balance the business side of making art?

The business side can be a fun part. It's freeing but there are challenges that come with being an entrepreneur. It’s empowering to be in control of those kinds of decisions. It’s been more of a struggle lately. Some of the things that I thought were pretty stable, have become more challenging. I've heard from other artists that it's just a tough time right now. It feels like the industry is very saturated and social media has definitely changed a lot. I'm also focusing on being a mom now. It's hard to balance all that. But I do enjoy the business side of it.

How do you license your work?

There are a lot of revenue streams. So wholesale/consignment, that's one side; online sales, which I have a Shopify website and Etsy; and then there's licensing. I've worked with a few different companies. There's a company called Felt that makes square greeting cards. You can write what you want in the cards in an app, so you don't have to physically receive it and then send it out. I’ve worked with another company called RSVP Greetings. I do stuff through them that's more traditional. They sell to big stores like Walmart.

Freelance is the other category. So doing projects like the puzzle or doing commissioned work, like the costume portraits I'm currently doing, which are fun. I also do illustrations of people's homes.

And you sell in person?

That's another revenue stream, craft fairs. That's another thing that’s changed a little bit lately just since the pandemic and since being a mom, I haven't been traveling as much for those. I've been doing smaller, local markets. But those are a lot of fun because it gives me a chance to meet people face to face and connect with customers. And to see what makes people laugh. Every market is so different. It's hard to see a through-line because sometimes at a market there's one sticker that I sell out of or a card that is usually super popular that doesn’t sell at all.

How have you learned the business side of art?

I took one wholesale workshop at a conference, that was helpful. But I think just talking with other creatives. other business owners, that's usually like the most helpful. Being part of The Warren and connecting with artists like Lauren Lowen. She teaches and she does a lot of licensing. I met up with her a few times to talk about licensing specifically, which was super helpful. When I met other illustrators, I just felt like I fit into that world. Talking with other illustrators, and learning from them and getting connected to people that way, has been the best.

Do you have a dream project or dream client you'd love to work with?

I would love to put out my own book. I've worked on a few different proposals and gotten close. That's where I'd really like to see myself. I would like to work on a journaling book for young adults focusing on creativity or self care. Also, now that I have a child, it would be so fun to work on a children's book. It's nice to have friends who have more experience in that area. I've been asking them a lot of questions lately. 

I’d also love to have my products in Urban Outfitters.

How did you start your series of mental health illustrations?

When I started going to therapy. It was a few years out of college. I'm a big fan of therapy, obviously. I began taking the time to illustrate my thoughts, and what I've learned from therapy. It helps me process things. When I started sharing some of those illustrations, it seemed like people connected with them a lot, and I think there was a wave of that happening online. It was very cool to be a part of, and connect with other illustrators who were doing the same type of thing. It seems like people resonated with those illustrations the most and it felt more purposeful for me. I felt like I found my thing. The more stuff I do in that realm, the better I feel like I connect with people, and it makes it more meaningful.

What would you tell someone that wants to do what you do?

The biggest thing that's helped me was connecting with other creatives, so making some friends who also do art or are doing the type of work that you want to be doing. That's really helpful. 

Also just doing the work that you would like to be hired for. It's a good place to start. If you don't have a commission or a job that you're already working on, work on your dream project and put it out there.

Has parenthood changed anything about your work?

Definitely. I just don't have as much time to like do the deeper work that I used to do, like journaling and creating art from those connections. In some ways, it's allowed me to take myself less seriously. And to try to do my work and the amount of time I have, which is not as much time as I used to have. She really likes me to draw things for her right now, which is fun. I draw a lot of dogs for her. So maybe I'm better at drawing dogs.

Do you think about the example you set for her as a creative?

Yeah, I do think about how someday maybe she'll be helping me in the studio, which would be cool.

I would love to be able to share that with my daughter Jane, and have her be a part of it and see what that life would potentially look like. A few generations back there were more family businesses. I hope that that will be a special thing to share with her someday and show her that you can pursue creative endeavors and start your own thing. 

That's also what I want to instill in other people. You can create your own success and income and you don't have to abide by the nine to five corporate or capitalist world. I try to fight the patriarchy slowly.

Shop Ava’s cards, art, and more at aviatepress.com