Rising Stars: Meet Annie Stout

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Stout.  

Annie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi! I’m Annie, and I’m a compulsive creator. I’ve always been this way. Even as a child, I was always making things. I grew up in metro Detroit with my parents, Al and Diane, who always supported my artistic endeavors, and my three older brothers. Every year in my “School Days” book under what do you want to be when you grow up, it was always some kind of artist. 

In 2002 I moved away to study art at Central Michigan University after a short saga of disappointment at not being able to afford art school in Chicago or Detroit, despite my being accepted. At the time, I was crushed, but looking back, I can appreciate that I ended up exactly where I should be. I made lifelong friends and met my husband, Jerod, in Mt. Pleasant. I also learned a lot about creating. I graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Applied Arts, as a double major in Graphic Design and Sculpture, with a minor in Art History, and a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, with a minor in Industrial Education. I guess I’m a compulsive learner too. As my art education progressed, I wanted to take every class, obsessed with knowing as much as possible about creating. I still consider myself a jack of all trades, constantly learning new skills and expanding my base of knowledge. 

I started my creative business, Paper Heart Design, in 2008. I had moved out of state with my husband right after graduation and was having a very hard time finding work, so I started an Etsy shop where I designed and printed custom wedding invitations and stationery from our apartment. I had no idea how to run a business, but I didn’t have it in me to do nothing. I worked at various full-time jobs over the years and did this on the side, though the kind of work I focused on evolved more than once. We moved back to Michigan in 2009, and I quit my full-time job to be a stay-at-home mom in 2010. Slowly, as my two daughters grew, so did my business. 

At present day, Paper Heart Design is my studio for all the things. It is a full-service graphic design studio specializing in small business branding. I also offer creativity coaching, sell original art, I show art in local galleries, and run a creative lifestyle blog with an online creatives community (Art is a Record on Facebook). I am passionate about empowering small business owners, encouraging artists of all kinds to get out of their own way to live a more creative life, and creating opportunities for connection. My personal mission is to courageously access and amplify creativity, in myself and in others, in a way that leverages sharing our artistic gifts to make an impact. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been struggles along the way. I spent a lot of my early years undervaluing my skills, which meant not pricing appropriately. I struggled a lot with balance and boundaries in the beginning. I still do sometimes, but I’m much better about trying to keep work in my office hours. I also took on any client I could get in the beginning, which I don’t regret, but it’s nice to be in the position now to choose clients who you really connect with. Working with people who value the same things as you lead to better work. I fumbled my way through so many different things! It’s nice to be on the other side of that with a set of systems and structure in place to help the business side of things run more smoothly. Yes, I’m an artist with a set of systems! All the work I put into setting that up now lets me have more freedom and more time to create. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Most of my work is graphic design based. I specialize in small business branding and logo design, so I get to work with a lot of small business owners and creative entrepreneurs, which I love. I like to create in all kinds of ways, and am most proud of the work I recently completed on The Key House sculpture. It is my first large-scale piece of public art. This project has been permanently installed at Creative 360 in Midland and was built as part of the NEA Big Read Great Lakes Bay Region Public Arts Project in partnership with Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum. It’s a 7’x8’x12.5′ steel house with no doors, and the community will be invited to hang keys on the structure at the upcoming ribbon cutting, August 10th. The keys represent individuals in the community with open minds, hearts, and doors to their neighbors. 

I’ve done such a wide variety of work in the past few years, but I’m currently working on painting a mini-mural on a utility box as part of Public Arts Midlands Outside the Box Project. In 2021 I was selected to be included in Studio 23’s 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region exhibition in Bay City for my paintings. As part of this program, one of my paintings was recreated on metal and is on display as part of the Art Around the City installation through 2023. I’ve also created many, many branding packages, a variety of illustrations, been a creativity coach in 1:1 and group settings, and I even designed a map of Saginaw, which take up an entire wall at the newest location of Live Oak Coffeehouse. I enjoy variety. 

In addition to my work with Paper Heart Design. I am also involved with Public Arts Midland and Art Seen Festival, and I am co-founder of The Ashman Collective. The Ashman Collective consists of myself, Reneé Deckrow, and Dacia Parker. These women have both been a huge part of my story in growing my business. They welcomed me into their community of creative entrepreneurs around 2016 and have taught me so much. I’ve grown in leaps and bounds since then. Now, the three of us work together and offer vision coaching, business consulting, teach storytelling, and we run a support group for women entrepreneurs in our area, out of The Ashman Plaza, in Midtown Midland. 

When I explain all the things I do it feels like a swirling storm of sorts, but that’s kind of how my head feels most days, so I suppose it’s appropriate. All the things I do still connect, and I think this quote from Elsie de Wolfe sums it up pretty well, “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful- that will be my life.” 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Do more of what make you feel alive. Let yourself be bad at things. 

It’s never too late to learn something new. 

Contact Info:

• Website: http://paperheartdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperheartdesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperHeartDesign
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/paperheartdesign/

Image Credits
Renee Deckrow
Natalie LodicoBond