It’s no secret that I love just about anything created by Hunt Seat Paper Co’s Amy Ellison. Exquisite paper goods that scream #equinegirlboss, perfect for those days that need a little oomph!
What I enjoy most about Amy’s work is the sassy messaging that inspires me to rock an attitude of fiiire. Permission to spend this week’s pay check on an excessive amount of stationery and wrapping paper? Granted.
Amy’s way of life is unconventional, especially for a fine paper goods designer. She’s dedicated to helping others in the industry. And that’s why I wanted to feature her in my “How I Equestrian” series of interviews.
1. Any interesting/ funny/ quirky facts you could share with us about your work and what you do?
Well…I’m generally not wearing pants at my desk and 94% of the time there are two
dogs under my desk. I also sit Indian style in my office chair, which is terrible for my hips….so I
got a standing desk to make up for it.
2. What originally made you want to become a fine paper goods designer for the modern
equestrian?
It happened pretty organically. I started out making fun little equestrian graphics as a personal
exercise to get my mind off work and try new techniques. I did that for about two years and had a
folder on my computer that was full of random little things I’d make. One night I was sitting at the
table with my mom after dinner telling her about my exercises and showing her my dropbox folder
on my phone. She mentioned I should do something with them and said greeting cards…as soon
as she said that my mind went wild with ideas.
A few months later, I was at a trade show for my day job in Dallas, TX and met a fellow
equestrian. Horse girls are always fast friends, so we ended up going out for drinks after the
show. I showed her what I had so far in my dropbox folder and her reaction motivated me to really
pull the trigger and make Hunt Seat Paper Co. real. When I got home I started an Instagram
account just to test the waters and had almost 300 followers in just two days! I bought the domain
name and started pricing out printing. By January of 2017 I was officially a paper company and
the rest is history.
3. Can you briefly describe your journey so far?
It all happened very fast! My Instagram account gave me a sense of urgency to get a product line
in place, but I am a perfectionist and never half-ass anything…so I went all out. I pulled a bunch
of money out of my savings account, threw it all into a printing budget, and crossed my fingers.
When I picked up my printing order, I felt totally overwhelmed with over 12,000 pieces of raw
paper. I ordered all the packaging and called my friends over for a “Packing Party” with pizza and
beers. I set up assembly lines in my living room and dining room and together we packaged
everything into neat little packages. Each card, envelope and seal were slid into a cellophane
sleeve; each gift tag set was counted, strings cut, hole punched, and stapled into a cellophane
sleeve with hang tag….it was quite the ordeal. I owe my friends everything, without their help I
would have never made it happen. Most of my friends are dudes, so it was pretty funny to see big
guys covered in tattoos carefully folding greeting cards! I WISH I took pictures of that day, I’ll
never forgive myself for not documenting that memory!
Once I had everything packaged, it was time to sell them. I did a lot of horse shows, followed the
A Circuit in SoCal, and sent out a lot of freebies for nonprofit fundraisers and giveaways. It was a
journey, but I really had a lot of fun at the horse shows and meeting SO MANY amazing people. I
have to say the one thing I’ve taken away from my journey is friendship. Our equestrian
community is full of kind, inspiring, empowering and overall awesome people. Without all the
friends I’ve made, I probably would have fizzled out. It’s important to me that I have personal
connections with people, because my products are for them…with love! Through word-of-mouth, I
was able to grow Hunt Seat Paper Co. and make industry connections that made it all come
together.
4. How do you go about establishing a concept and an overall direction/ look & feel for a project? Do you have a particular process you follow?
For my overall branding, I keep it very standardized. My primary colors are black and white with
turquoise as my accent color…and I try to only use those colors as much as possible. It makes me very recognizable! When I first started out, someone had taken one of my posts and cropped
my name out of it. Jen @styledequestrian (who I really looked up to!) DM’d me and told me about
it. My reaction wasn’t that the girl had used my work without credit…it was that first, someone
thought it was cool enough to repost, and second that Jennifer Sims — THE Styled Equestrian — Knew it
was my work. I was like…really excited that someone jacked my work, haha! So stuff like that is
exactly why I keep my style very cohesive. You can take my name off of it, but it is definitely mine.
As for how I developed my branding, it was also very organic. I am a huge fan of black and white,
and it’s usually all I wear…so black and white was an obvious choice for me. Besides horses, I
have two major passions in my life: Fiesta Dinnerware, and antique turquoise jewelry. Most of my
Fiesta is turquoise, as it is the only color that matches with any other color on the color wheel. It
also, is the color of my favorite jewelry. So naturally, turquoise had to me my accent color. I try to
only use two different fonts on all my projects, so that often times dictates the look and feel of my
work. But other than that, it just depends on what I’m feeling like when I make projects.
Sometimes I’ll switch up my style from simple photo edits, to vector illustrations or typography.
But no matter what it is, I make sure it fits my style and can easily be recognized as Hunt Seat
Paper Co.
5. Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking?
Cliché answer: My parents. But it’s true. My dad was a hard-working entrepreneur who blazed his
own path despite many obstacles. He played by the rules and always taught me that my work
ethic would be my most important feature, and that honesty is always the best policy. Life is what
you make it. My mom was his partner, and together they built amazing things and provided my
brother and I with a life we are so very fortunate to have had. My parents set an example for me
that no school in the world could have taught me: dedication, sacrifice, resilience, compassion
and truth. While I had my years of rebellion and self-discovery, I find myself now a grown-ass
lady, with these values ingrained in my soul. The person I am, is the child they raised. I am
thankful.
6. What would you say is your strongest skill and how have you honed that skill over the years?
My strongest skill is speed. My partner for my day job calls me “Turbo” because I’m so fast with
my turnaround times…from conceptualization to final product — Though it doesn’t always work
like that! Sometimes I’ll spend 2 hours on something, and sometimes I’ll spend weeks on it. I think
I developed my speed because I genuinely like what I’m doing and my mind gets completely
focused on what I’m working on. Over the years, I’ve learned new tricks to speed up my
development time, and I’m still learning new things every day. For me, it just depends on how
much I love it. If I hate it….I’ll be very, very slow, haha!
7. What type of project do you enjoy working on the most?
The ones that make me crazy focused! Usually, these projects hit me late at night and I’ll sit up till 4am with music blaring clicking away with my mouse. The vector illustrations have been the most
fun for me. A lot of times I’ll take progression shots with my cell phone and as I work, look back at
how bad it was five minutes ago, and how much better it looks now! It’s incredibly satisfying
having something in your head and making it real.
8. If you had to pick one design you’ve created to represent you, what would it be and why?
The Misfit Pony. I have yet to have this printed, so far it is just an instagram post…but it is SO me.
I’m a big punk rock fan and in love with Glenn Danzig and The Misfits. They broke up back in the 70’s (before I was even born) and hated each other…but had a big reunion tour this year and I
got tickets to see them in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles! I was excited out of my mind. In
anticipation, I sat up late one night, blasting The Misfits, and made a little punk rock pony, with a
studded bridle, devilock and broken reins. That pony is so me….A rebel pony with big bucks.
9. What are you seeking to portray in your work? Is there something that is fundamental to your philosophy?
Kindness and friendship. The goal is to bring our equestrian community together. We strive to
make our sport better by encouraging gratitude, creating friendships, and offering a leg up to
riders and horse enthusiasts of all ages and disciplines. Whether you’re a professional show
jumper, or a hobby trail rider, we are all equestrians…and we stick together!
10. What are you currently fascinated by and how is it feeding into your work?
I go through the same phases over and over again, and they all revolve around music. I blast
music when I’m doing my best work (when I’m in that crazy super-focused mode I love so much!)
and what I’m listening to has a big impact on the vibe of my work. I have three phases that rotate
in and out: Punk Rock, Wayne Hancock and World Beats.
I was a punk rocker from about 14-22 years old. I lived in Doc Martens and back patches, was
frequently found getting into trouble, and had one hell of a good time. They were wild years, and
I’ve changed A LOT since then…but I don’t regret a single thing, worth it. I still blast the same
punk I was blasting out the window of my beat up pick up truck when I was in high school. When I
listen to that same punk today, I have the same feeling of rebellious freedom and empowerment. I
was definitely blasting punk rock when I made the “Be Fearless” warhorse.
When I started aging out of being able to be so careless, I morphed into rockabilly-esqu outlaw
country to tone it down a bit. This is where I met Wayne “The Train” Hancock. Wayne Hancock is
my #1 forever and always favorite musician on the planet. I can listen to his songs forever and
never get bored, and I’ve even planned vacations around his tour schedule just so I can see him
in all 50 states (working on it). Google…immediately. I went on a trip to Santa Fe, NM to see
Wayne Hancock, by myself. There is not enough time to tell you what that trip did for me, but I
had one of those major life discovery moments on that trip…I found out who I truly was as a
human…and Wayne Hancock was my soundtrack. When I listen to Wayne “The Train,” I feel that
same feeling of discovery and independence. The first nine posts on my instagram where heavily
influenced by “The Train.”
And lastly, World Beats. One of my best friends is a DJ and a Tastemaker here in LA (DJ Seano).
He has a late night radio show on a nonprofit FM radio station and he digs up jams from all over
the world. He finds these old vinyls of 70’s Nigerian AfroFunk, Brazilian jazz, jam bands and hip
hop that will blow your mind. I will literally get lost in the music, completely immersed. The foreign
languages just become another instrument in my head and it is some of the most powerful music
I’ve ever heard. I tend to fall into my World Beats phase in the summers. I throw some killer pool
parties, and I’ve always made DJ Seano my summer playlist. On late summer nights, I’ll open my
office windows and let the warm LA breeze float through my office….world jams playing on my
iMac. When I work to my summer jams…I have a feeling of chill vibes and organic creativity. A
specific piece I did jamming out to World Beats is my Barn Babes video of the girl in the inter tube
with killer tan lines!
11. What are you passionate about besides your work?
I’m a huge fan of southwestern art. I’m a West Coast girl through and through…I love our story of
moving west and making new opportunities. Native American crafts, cowboy culture and the
paintings of Mark Maggiori and Logan Maxwell Hagege give me goosebumps. One of my ultimate goals in life is to be a southwestern art collector, dripping in turquoise jewelry and living on a
ranch in the desert surrounded by the stories of our heritage.
12. Do you have any self-imposed rules that you live by?
Be kind, always.
13. If you could change one thing about the paper goods industry, what would it be?
I have no idea haha! I don’t actually consider myself to be in the “paper industry”…I feel like if I’m in any industry…it’s the equestrian industry. I don’t know that I have anything standout that I
would like to change about the industry…I am just having a blast working with everyone so far!
Sorry if that was the lamest answer ever…it’s the truth!
14. How has the popularity of the Instagram affected Hunt Seat Paper Co.?
Huge. I would be nothing without it, actually. I’ve met a billion amazing people on the West Coast
through life, horse shows and events….but a majority of my customers and retailers are actually
on the East Coast! Without Instagram, I wouldn’t know any of them! Plus, it’s been amazing
connecting with people from all over the world and getting comments and feedback, which have
really helped me in my creative process!
15. What is your next career move, if any?
Well, I just did it. I owned a boutique branding studio for seven years. I worked from home, made
my own hours, and had ultimate freedom…giving me lots of flexibility while building Hunt Seat
Paper Co. However, I am also the co-founder of a tech startup and we’ve been cooking tech for
about three years on the side. January 2018 we officially got venture funding to manufacture our
hardware and bring it to market for a national launch. I shut down my design studio and have
been working full-time for our little startup. You know that old metal call box intercom at the front
of apartment buildings, gated communities and college dorms? We reinvented that technology
into a touchscreen directory and mobile app, essentially making entire communities keyless. We
have a three-person team and we’re working 15-hour days, seven days a week to reach our
goal….so it’s been tough juggling startup cowgirl life, real life, horses, and Hunt Seat Paper Co.
But the struggle is what makes us stronger, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
—
Follow Amy:
Website // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest
-Photo credit: Kristin Lee Photography
