Emily Arrison, M.A. '07

In Her Own Words …

While my first crayon-sketched horses and watercolor puppies may not have made viable products, even my childhood years were filled with artistic ventures. I got into graphic design more seriously in my undergraduate years at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., and developed a real passion for the practice of design. The University of Baltimore M.A. in Publications Design program then cemented that love and made it possible for me to make a career of it.

While at UB, I secured my first paid positions in the marketing end of graphic design. In successive years, I moved jobs and homes a couple of times and eventually settled with my husband, Michael, in Drexel Hill, Pa. It was in the process of getting married that I learned how much people admired my creations. I hand-made every piece of our save-the-date information, wedding invitations and programs. Many people told me how much they admired my work, and several even asked for me to repeat the process for their events.

Lingering in the back of my mind was the dream to work for myself, and this encouragement provided the push I needed to start my own business. Timeless Paper was founded in December 2008 to make handmade embellishments for weddings and parties. With the help of my husband, we slowly found a customer here and there who enjoyed the stationery and place cards I designed.

The first major leap came when I listed my products for sale on Etsy.com, a site that caters specifically to artisans of handmade crafts and brings in buyers from all corners of the globe. I found that by relentlessly advertising my diverse product line, buyers warmed to me, and sales increased rapidly. The Etsy editors also repeatedly placed my products in their feature section and in e-mail promotions.

In December 2009, Timeless Paper launched a Web site, TimelessPaper.com, which has brought in more international customers as well as stores that have asked about carrying our products. Several online and print publications have also started to take note of our success. In April, Etsy selected Timeless Paper as its featured seller, commending us on both our designs and solid business practices.

Our goals for 2010 include printing a catalog for stores, finding more stores to carry our products and attending trade shows where higher-volume sales might be made. Timeless Paper is just over 1 year old—an infant really. But already, we see its potential to be our careers for a long time to come.

I often step back from my design work and ask if it would be good enough for a critique in my UB classes. The thousands of lessons learned about balance, alignment, typography—and the list goes on —have guided me in creating products people love.