TOTAL Art Licensing

TOTAL Art
Licensing
A day in the life of...
Laura Kelly
Laura Kelly Designs & Licensing encompasses retail and wholesale products,
personalized stationery services, and licensing agreements.
Here is an insight into the life of the artist behind the company, Laura Kelly.
L
by Elizabeth Shugg
aura Kelly wakes up with purpose at 5:30 famous. Her business, Laura Kelly Designs & Lia.m. everyday - no alarm necessary. She stretch- censing in downtown Apex, N.C., encompasses
es, works out, empties the dishwasher, starts retail and wholesale products, personalized
a load of laundry, makes coffee, showers and stationery services, and licensing agreements.
wakes up sons Dylan, 13, and Dawson, 10. Her She has already signed licensing contracts with
morning continues like most other moms — in Andrews and Blaine, Learning Express, Books
most ways.
are Fun, Checks in the Mail, Clearly Fun Soaps,
“I open the shades, water the plants, make Converting Inc., Custom Candy Concepts, DRG,
breakfast, feed the pets (whatever we happen Lady Fortunes, Leap Year, Lovett, Royal and Langto have at the moment ranges from mammals nickel, PLAID, Leanin’ Tree and Thirstystone. She
to amphibians to insects and reptiles, and we’re plans to sign a few more later in the year.
currently in the market for a new
“The first time I visited
turtle), then I get Dylan to middle “...When I looked at the shelf of Checks in the Mail, they took
school and walk Dawson to school, licensor binders and saw mine me on a tour of the facility.
make up the beds, plan dinner and between Mary Englebright and When I looked at the shelf
Southpark, I found myself fight- of licensor binders and saw
head out the door.”
ing back tears of pride...”
Around 9 a.m. Laura transitions
mine between Mary Englefrom mom and caretaker to artist and entrepreneur. Playful illustrations swirl
through her mind as she turns her focus to the
whimsical drawings of children, animals, flowers
and other everyday items that have made her
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bright and Southpark, I found
myself fighting back tears of pride,” she says. “I
took a picture of it for my scrapbook.”
Right now, Laura is exploring all of the doors
that have opened to her, which she says requires
“new organization and
structure.” She maintains a long-term goal
of creating a nationally
known brand with a
solid base of products
and media that “generate joy, happiness and
empowerment.” These
are also key ingredients
for creating an inspiring work environment
in her studio on Salem
Street, where vibrant
storefront window illustrations allude to
the colorful personalities
collaborating
inside on Laura’s latest collection. Mandy
Halker, Amy Whirlow and Marisa Shapiro assist
Laura in designing and coordinating her product
line. There’s never a dull moment.
“While at work, we socialize in an environment
that is bright, cheery and jamming with tunes,”
Laura says. “You can walk in the office at any
point and hear the girls laughing. Part of balancing the work is creating a great experience for
everyone while we do it.”
When it comes to creating art, however, Laura
prefers peaceful, organized space.“I usually listen
to music. I work best sitting on the floor pretzel
style with my light table in my lap,” she says.
This balanced, upbeat work environment is not
impenetrable to those “real life” moments she
and “her girls” occasionally experience at work.
They are best of friends and, like women will
do, air out their frustrations and concerns in a
warm, accepting environment. Hope and optimism are never far away. How could they be in
a studio filled with fanciful imagery and vibrant
TOTAL Art
colors? For Laura, hope and optimism have always been within reach.
Inspired by Youth
Laura spent her childhood reading, drawing,
coloring and daydreaming in Upper St. Clair,
Penn., a suburb of Pittsburgh. “I believed in imaginary fairies, gnomes, dragons and magical, far
away places,” she says. She earned a degree in
Elementary Education at The University of Kentucky, then followed
her dream of becoming an elementary
school teacher.
She still credits
her students as
the source of her
finest artistic creations.
“My biggest inspirations are the many
open, loving and deep
imaginations of my students when I taught elementary school. When
they told stories of make-believe, I found myself
believing the magic of my childhood was recreated,” she says. “Every time I see my students,
who are now in their 20s, and they share their
life stories, I’m proud to be a part of their childhood.”
It’s no wonder Laura’s collections consist of
school kids, books, sports props and other
school-inspired illustrations. But her imagination knows no limits. The “Me and My Peeps”
collection, which depicts playful images of family
members and are available as decals for hard
surfaces or iron-ons for fabric, have stirred
up interest from companies like PLAID. Other
popular products include bank checks, personalized stationery, coasters and Swankie Hankie
tissues.
Art imitates life, and Laura experienced her first
“big break” when she couldn’t find a suitable
birth announcement for her oldest son. So, she
created one herself, and her childhood dreams
came to life for her very own child through a
black Sharpie marker.
“The design was of a baby and his puppy in the
bathtub,” she said. “When I sent them out and
got such a great response from friends wanting
me to draw their kids and pets, the Paper People collection was birthed, too.”
Sharing her art evolved into more than a successful licensing business—it also served as a
conduit for connecting with her community.
“A community is only as strong as its weakest
member,” Laura says. “Businesses are in the eye
of the public and therefore serve as a role mod-
Licensing
el for integrity and responsibility. Businesses
need the community to survive and therefore
should give back.”
Laura stays involved with her sons’ schools, is
a V-Day Apex 2009 Producer of “The Vagina
Monologues” (part of global movement to stop
violence against women and young girls), and
has served as a Fun Festival coordinator and
on town council committees. She
has made numerous donations to
charitable projects and
fundraisers, is a member of the Apex
Downtown
Merchant Association Chamber of Commerce
and has worked
with Wake Teen,
Boys and Girls Clubs
of Raleigh, the Triangle
Down Syndrome Network, and Girl Scouts of
America.
At the End of the Day
It’s 4:00 and time to go home. Laura has put in
a full day of brainstorming, organizing, sketching, licensing, emailing, phoning and inspiring.
Now, it’s time to focus on her two favorite guys.
“Raising my children to be lifelong learners and
contributors in our wold is my top priority,” she
says. She speaks of their accomplishments with
pride and awe.
“Last summer I sent Dylan and Dawson to eat
at the Mexican restaurant alone (next door to
her studio),” she recalls. “I later found out that a
woman from our community was so impressed
by their manners and behavior that she paid for
their lunch. Both of my boys are also incred-
ible nephews to their aunt, who has Down syndrome. I get compliments daily from coaches,
teachers, and neighbors speaking highly about
the level of their compassion, kindness and generosity.”
Laura says her sons’ treatment of others offers
all the proof she needs that she is raising them
well. “When Dylan was in second grade, he was
chosen to be a peer mediator, and he’s currently a U.S. ambassador for youth soccer. Dawson
wears his heart on his sleeve and keeps an open
mind, allowing his friends to be authentic. He
really keeps true friends around him, even at a
young age. They create balance in a world full
of chaos.”
For the Kellys, soccer, basketball, board games,
bike rides, movies, video games and an occasional neighborhood scavenger hunt help build a
routine around the chaos. “Somewhere in there
we will do dinner as a family, when everyone
is there,” Laura says. “And whenever I can get
the boys into bed, I’ll take a bubble bath, journal,
read a bit while listening to my iPod, and have
some hot tea.”
Apart from raising her boys and giving back to
her community, Laura just hopes to serve as a
source of empowerment and love for others to
be all they can be. She realizes her gifts are exactly that—gifts she must share with others.
“When I go to bed, the last thing I think about
are all of the miracles around me,” she says.
“Sometimes I cry from being overwhelmed
about how many magical experiences take place
everyday. Then I say a silent prayer for the gift
of life and pass out exhausted.”
Laura Kelly Designs & Licensing
(919) 303-2101 • www.laurakellydesigns.com
Elizabeth Shugg is a writer in Apex, N.C.
Contact her at www.elizabethshugg.com
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