Morning my pretty neo-trads! Today’s Plucky Pioneer is the ridiculously young and fabulous Hanna Brooks Nation of Gadabout stationery. Her designs first stole my heart over a year ago on The Peak of Chic (Hanna was still an undergrad at the time!) and her business has grown rapidly ever since. Gadabout’s charming correspondence cards feature interior vignettes, fashionistas and the occasional chic mammal that can be customized with one’s name and/or monogram. She’s headquartered in Atlanta, and based on our recent delightful correspondence, is absolutely, positively sweet as pie! Hanna also just recently launched what may be the coolest iPhone app ever by the name of POST. The app (see below) allows you to design and send custom invitations and notes on your phone using one of Hanna’s 60+ designs. I purchased it yesterday and am already obsessed. Seriously, the best 99 cents a girl’s ever spent! Enough of my babbling though, here’s the plucky Hanna in her own words:
Five words used to describe yourself?
Host, planner, curious, careful, gadabout.
What inspires you creatively?
Really, anything that inspires a tangent thought. I love being interrupted. I am just as easily caught up in the eclectic as the everyday, and most of my designs start off as a “hey, those colors look great together.. what if I put that with that picture I found 3 days ago? It kinda reminds me of that fabric pattern…” It can be as simple a thing as flipping through a new magazine, or learning a new word but if it is visually or mentally interesting, whatever I was doing before that moment is out the window and GADABOUT begins. I am also more than happy to bring interruption on myself. Looking things up is one of my favorite past times and I get so lost in the effort that you could truly call it inspiration. I just love realizing there is so much that I have yet to stumble upon!
How would you describe your personal design aesthetic?
Organized clutter or casually put together. I have always been quite torn in the decision between traditional and trendy. Though it can be hard to do sometimes, I usually try to combine the two, especially in the home. I have great appreciation for what has come and gone, but I am most interested in seeing them re-done in new ways.
Who were/are your design mentors?
While it is quite the cliche, it is always important to thank the right people. My design mentors would be mother, for being able to draw the true likeness of things I only interpret and for giving me a thimble full of her gift. Magazine editors, for making me love what I have and showing me what looks pretty beside it. And fashion designers, for making it more fun to get out of bed in the morning.
What propelled you to found your own company?
Wanting to create a place to look at the things I love.
Most glamourous part of owning your own company?
Being able to do it from anywhere.
Least glamourous part of owning your own company?
Knowing there are only 24 hours in a day.
Best business advice you’ve been given?
Be considerate.
Creative businesswoman you admire?
Deborah Lloyd and Tory Burch.
What keeps your organized and on task?
A well written to-do list, my iphone and a great pen.
Moment you knew you’d “made it”?
I hope I never have it. What would I do when I got there?
Describe your typical work day…
Sleep till 10, eagerly open my computer, check email and nearly 20 blogs, select music, print, ship, find a friend for lunch, sketch, gym, dinner, try to meet deadlines, check blogs I thought I missed but didnt, make a list for tomorrow, think till 3 am.
Your dream project?
Being a creative director for a company that has a large appreciation for design.
What goals do you have for your business in the future?
I would love to get the opportunity to take my new Iphone application somewhere. It’s called POST and it allows you to design and send invitations or personalized notes to friends! I have created over 60+ designs and I would love to get more stationery vendors involved. While I cherish a proper invitation and stand for the generosity of time that create them, this application helps bring something extra to those events where there just isn’t enough time to get it all together! I am also working on a proper invitation line with hopes that it will be ready for the summer! I do alot of custom work already and invitations are one of my favorite requests!
Advice to other budding creative entrepreneurs?
Find the time, it will be well worth it. [Below, the gorgeous Hanna…]
Be sure to stop in tomorrow for Hanna’s Plucky Pioneer Cheat Sheet, her top picks for film, fashion, and more! Until later loves… xo Katie
