Stationery for the Soul: Meet Creative Entrepreneur Tiombe Huggins

Tiombe Huggins believes creativity and well-being go hand in hand. Her self-care stationery brand, Living on the Butter Side, invites women to slow down, reflect and find joy beyond the daily grind. Tiombe’s guided journal, the Living on the Butter Side Playbook, was her first product. Its success inspired the creative entrepreneur to design a collection of products featuring illustrations by her teenage sister.

In this interview with Artisan Joy, Tiombe shares how she built her self-care stationery brand from a spark of inspiration, the lessons she’s learned about marketing and mindset, and why living on the “butter” side of life means embracing joy, purpose, and positivity.

Tell us about your craft.

We are a self-care brand that focuses on stationery. Our products are thoughtfully made to help and encourage women to find joy and purpose outside of the workplace. Ultimately, living on the "butter" side of life.

How did you get started?

As a former educator, I have always loved stationery products and staying organized. So, I knew I wanted to combine my love for self-care and stationery. The business started with the Living on the Butter Side Playbook, which is a hybrid of a guided journal and self-care planner. I got started by organizing my ideas of the various topics I wanted to cover and knowing that I wanted it to be something the customer could complete in less than a month. So, I made the content informative, yet concise. Fun, yet meaningful. Then I came up with the fun artwork for the cover and got the journal in production!

When did you realize that you could start a business?

Once other women at my prior workplace started asking me for advice about self-care and valued my thoughts, I knew there could be a way I could make this into a business.

How do you define success for your business?

Success correlates to persistence. The ability to not give up in the face of obstacles and celebrate the small wins that my business does incur. Simply seeing growth is representative of success.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

My inspiration comes from the things that I find compelling. When I get inspired, I always have a notebook with me and write down any ideas or thoughts that come to mind.

What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you first started your business?

I wish someone would have told me how important marketing is. You can have a great product, but if it's not marketed properly, people won't know about it. Marketing is such a vital piece in starting a business. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start selling their art or creative product?

Give yourself a deadline for when you want to start selling. What you don't want to happen is analysis paralysis, where you analyze every detail, preventing you from showing your product to the world. So, give yourself a reasonable amount of time to get everything together (it will never be perfect) and then put your product out there! 

What's something our audience would be surprised to learn about you?

This isn't exactly pertaining to me but about my brand and its creative process. I am the founder of Living on the Butter Side Lifestyle, but I am definitely not the artist behind the artwork. My teenage sister draws the artwork for all of our greeting cards. She is truly a gem and brings authenticity to the brand.

How do you handle perfectionism?

I always aim to produce my best work, and if I feel confident in it, I am able to show it to the world. It is important to make a product that you feel good about, so that is what I try to focus on.

What's something that surprised you about running a creative business?

What surprised me was how much time must be dedicated to social media. When running any business, social media is critical. Creating content and being active on your accounts was something I was not expecting when I first decided to launch my brand.

What’s your advice for handling the highs and lows of running a business?

Live in gratitude and stay focused. Running a business means you’re going to have days of sales and growth and some days of no sales. But you still give it what you got each day, regardless of the outcome. Being positive and knowing that your time will arrive is definitely essential.

Has someone ever criticized your work? How did you handle it?

I haven't had many critiques, but people do give their suggestions when I am at markets. I usually write down what they suggested and see if it has any validity. Did someone else feel the same, or is it something that I think would improve the products or the presentation? Being able to take feedback from customers is important but know which feedback would actually be beneficial.

What's a cause you are passionate about?

If it is not obvious, we love sloths over here. So, I am passionate about protecting them and their environment. Sloths are a critical part of the ecosystem, but there are not as many around anymore. The Sloth Conservation Foundation not only protects wild sloths but their environment too, making the rainforest a better place to live for them and other wildlife creatures.   

Can you share the name of a supplier or vendor that you use for your business that you just love—one that makes running your business a bit easier?

I enjoy using Canva to get some of my promotional items printed, such as thank-you cards and our greeting cards. They have great customer service, and shipping is always within a reasonable time. 

What brings you joy?
Being able to wake up and do the things I love. I don't take it for granted, and that brings me tremendous joy. 

Thanks, Tiombe! You can learn more about her brand at https://livingbuttery.etsy.com.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.