NEXT AVENUE SPECIAL SECTION
Meet Cute with Mary Engelbreit By Nancy Monson
Mary Engelbreit is one of the most successful and prolific illustrators in America. For over 40 years, she's put out a dizzying array of calendars, cards, mugs, magnets and other types of merchandise featuring her whimsical drawings and inspirational quotes. With over 2,500+ manufactured and licensed products and a large social media following, Engelbreit, 72, is notable for her success because she didn't go to art school and didn't go to business school, yet she's developed a unique and recognizable artistic style and built a small empire that pulls in around $4 million a year. That's a rare feat for a working artist.
Born and raised in St. Louis, where her Mary Engelbreit Studio is based, Engelbreit got her first job at an art supply store. Her next job was at a small advertising agency where she learned about business, contracts and how to approach a career. "I don't think I would have learned those things in art school," she says. At the age of 22, she officially began her career as a freelance illustrator, creating the now-familiar, nostalgia-laden greeting cards depicting families and pets. After 30 years of sticking to sweet, safe topics, in 2014 Engelbreit decided to speak out against gun violence after teenager Michael Brown was killed by police in Missouri. In a bold leap of faith, she posted a drawing on her Facebook page titled "No one should have to teach their children this in the USA," and braced for the impact. "I thought I had ruined my business because it caused a lot of backlash and many people unfollowed me on social media," she recalls, "but then I gained many more followers than I had before." Today, she regularly conveys her beliefs through a line of Social Justice cards that urge kindness and inclusion. Of them, she says, "I'd like to think that people are basically good and good will prevail. But the problems today are so dire, you can't disconnect from them. You have to stay aware and do what you can — which I'm trying to do with these cards."
Read more of this story on NextAvenue.org
21
NEXTAVENUE.ORG
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator