Here at Harmonie House Images, what we really love to do is to sing your praises through beautiful brand imagery. Today, we are singing the praises of sweet Mae Sellner of Stitched By Mae.
When we launched our business in July, we hosted an Instagram giveaway of our Signature Personal Branding Photo Shoot package to celebrate. Mae’s mother, Ashley Sellner of a @a.sellner.art actually won the giveaway, but quickly informed us that she entered the contest with the hopes of being able to gift the photo shoot to her daughter if she won. We loved this so much and were so excited to be able to create imagery for this young businesswoman with such a heart for others!
Mae is the owner, designer, and embroiderer for Stitched by Mae. She started her company during the pandemic when she began sewing and embroidering masks for her friends. She gradually progressed to embroidering sweatshirts. She is known for her “love does” and “u are loved” designs, but she has also been known to work with college students on school or sorority sweatshirts.
Our goal for this shoot was to help give Mae’s audience and the clients she serves a connection to her through images that felt cheerful, inviting, creative, genuine, and approachable. We wanted these images to showcase her youth and creativity as well as give a glimpse into what it is like to work with her behind the scenes.
We love the creativity, vibrancy, and service-oriented nature of this young female entrepreneur!
But, enough about what WE think! Let’s let you hear directly from Mae. We asked her a series of questions designed to help our audience get to know her better, specifically as a small business owner. Here’s what she had to say:
What does your company do? What makes your service or product unique and notable? I make custom designs and embroider all of my sweatshirts by hand. Each piece is unique and one of a kind.
What inspired you to create your business? What draws you to the clients you serve? What would you like to share about the impact you hope to have? During the pandemic, I wanted a hobby to keep me busy at home. Now it’s become a fun business that helps to connect me with friends and friends of friends. I’m also committed to mental health amongst my peers and my most popular sweatshirts promote awareness of this issue.
Are there any books you would recommend to people in your niche or books that you just generally love? My friend Liza and I just started a club at school called “Women in Literature.” We are starting with the book Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Are there any resources or assets (software, apps, courses, etc) that have really helped you uplevel your business? I use Canva and Procreate to make most of my graphics.
What would you say is the main thing that has helped you grow your business? This could be a personality trait, a mindset, an event, etc. My community. I have several friends who have their own businesses and we have worked together to plan pop-up shops around Charlotte. We promote one another and encourage each other.
If you started your business over today, what would you focus on first to help you grow? I don’t know if I would make any changes. All of it has been a learning experience.
What is the best business advise you have ever been given? My second grade teacher, Ms. Jones, is still part of our family’s life today. She helped me create my Etsy page. That helped me gain traction with a wider audience. She advocated for me from the beginning.
What is your favorite mantra? “u are loved”
What was your absolute biggest challenge prior to doing a personal branding photo shoot? Finding a new path after the pandemic.
How did that challenge make you feel? It’s been encouraging to see how flexibility has paid off.
What changed after getting and using your images and/or videos? I loved the experience and it’s fun to see the consistency on my Instagram page.
Thanks, Mae! It was so fun to create these images with you. We can’t wait to see what else you create and accomplish!
To see more of Mae’s amazing work, give her a follow on Instagram at @stitchedby.mae and check out her Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/stitchedbymae.
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