Meet Kimberly Dodge | Paper Artist, Stationery Designer, and Art Journaler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Dodge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I decided to pursue an artistic or creative career both out of passion, and out of necessity. I am someone that has dealt with life long health problems. Endometriosis, multiple rounds of tumors, multiple surgeries, as well as complications that arose both from health issues and surgeries, such as extreme fatigue, breathing issues, and high levels of pain. I also deal with allergies and asthma, as well as severe anxiety and PTSD. In other words, I’ve been fighting a battle my whole life, both on the physical and emotional fronts. Holding a “regular” job was difficult for me. There were many days where I was in too much pain from the tumors and endometriosis, and too sick to work. I knew I needed to find a different path. One that could allow me to be successful, but also work around my health issues. A career path where I could work hard when I was feeling well, but also allow myself the necessary grace to take care of my health when I needed to.

I have been creative my whole life. Since I was a child, art was my constant joy. I took art lessons and dabbled in everything from sketching, painting, sculpting, pottery, etc. In my later 20’s I started my own photography company that I ran for 11 years as it’s primary photographer. This was my first taste of having a career where I could be my own boss. I could set my own hours. And I could take time off when my body wouldn’t allow me to work. Unfortunately, after a wonderful run, my health issues became even worse, and I needed 4 surgeries within a 5 year period. It was then that I knew I needed something different than even my photography business, which was a high pressure job, and required a lot of hours. I went back to one of my first loves, paper crafting and stationery; something that if I could chose whatever I wanted to do, this is what it would be. I just never thought I could make a career out of it. But slowly I did. I started connecting with other paper artists and a community of art journalers, stationery designers, and snail mail senders. I began to design my own stationery and sell vintage paper goods. I put in a lot of hours growing social media. And slowly but surely, with a lot of hard work and many hours behind the scenes, I began to see my little business grow.

It is still a work in progress, as am I. I have many days where my health doesn’t allow me to work or craft. But on the days I can, I go at it with passion and determination. It’s easy to work so hard when you’re working for something you love so much.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a paper artist, I wear many hats. I am a creative journaler, which means I include aspects of collage, paper crafting, memory keeping, and writing, into my journals. As a stationery shop, I both design my own stationery, such as stickers and postcards, as well as sell vintage paper goods, such as antique book pages and vintage botanical art, to help others with their own crafting and decor. As a mail artist, I try to brighten others’ days by sending out actual, physical mail, that I have designed with love and intention. I am so proud to be a part of this movement that is bringing analog lifestyle back into our digital age. To me, there is nothing like pouring my heart into a physical journal, whether with art, words, or a combination of the two. I love to send and receive actual mail- few things brighten up someone’s day more I’ve noticed. It is physical contact when you’re far away, that sends love with it across the miles.

Was making a career out of my favorite hobbies easy? The answer is a definite no haha. Not only do I have many health challenges that make just getting through a day difficult, (endometriosis, tumors, asthma, chronic fatigue, allergies, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, severe pain, etc.), but they certainly don’t make running and maintaining a business by myself easy. Nor is starting a business in and of itself an easy task. When it comes to my health issues, I have to work very hard on the days where I feel well enough to work. Because there are days where I honestly am not well enough to work. It takes strength, determination, and a never quit attitude. I may not have strength one day, but the next day I might, and I will attack that day with a determined spirit.

As for the pure aspect of starting your own business, you need to realize that success is not an immediate thing. Thankfully I had years with my photography business of learning these lessons. It takes time to grow. And it takes a lot of patience while you are small, even if your dreams are big. Growing takes many, many hours of hard work behind the scenes that no one will see. But if you can keep in mind that it takes time, effort, hard work, and patience, and you can stay motivated when things don’t seem to be growing as quickly as you’d like them to, I honestly believe you will see some form of success. Similar to a plant, roots grow under the soil first, before the plant begins to sprout. It takes water, attention, and time as the root system begins to develop and become strong, so that when the plant does sprout, the roots are able to hold it. No one sees the time and effort behind growing the roots. But they do see the beautiful, strong plant that blossoms. Don’t give up during the root stage. Your time to bloom will come.

What I would want the world to know about my brand and my story is that it comes from a place of difficulty and hardship, but it also comes from a place of determination, hard work, and love. I am someone who has never given up, and even though my life’s path took a turn I wasn’t expecting, it led me to be able to do something that I love. And how many people can say that. There are silver linings, we just sometimes have to look for them. In this case, the silver lining was a really beautiful one.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have only lived in South Carolina for the past 5 years. If we were talking about my home of Long Island, New York, I could plan the best itinerary ever haha. But the truth is, we are still discovering and learning about our area. Because I have very severe food allergies, I am unable to eat out at restaurants. But there is one restaurant in Greenville, The Anchorage, that is so attentive to food allergies, I am actually able to enjoy a night out! Not only that, the meals are so wonderful, I would chose to eat there even if my allergies weren’t an issue. The chef creates true art. Because I am restricted food wise, my normal “dates” with my husband are coffee houses. It is our most favorite thing to do. And we spend quite a lot of time seeking out fun coffee houses and being very caffeinated haha. Our favorite coffee house in Greenville is Methodical Coffee, which has a few locations. I have honestly never had better coffee in my life. We even brew it at home. It is delicious. In the area we live now, we really enjoy going into the town of Greer, and going to Barista Alley. It is a coffee house in a redone historic bank, and has a really fun aesthetic. Greer has become a favorite town of ours, to me it is brimming with charm. We also really love taking the drive to Brevard, North Carolina. It is a beautiful, quirky town with a love of squirrels that could brighten anyone’s bad day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my shout out both to my husband Jake, and to the creative journaling and snail mail communities on Instagram.

My husband has been with me through all of my health issues, and the hardest days of my life. He is my constant support and biggest help. Without him, Dodges and Daisies truly couldn’t exist.

The community of paper artists that I have found on Instagram, filled with creative journalers, snail mail artists, vintage ephemera collectors, and paper crafters, has been truly the most beautiful of “places” I could have stumbled across. I have made true friends and connections through this community. I honestly have never found a group of more kind, helpful, generous, and empathetic people.

Website: www.dodgesanddaisies.com

Instagram: @dodgesanddaisies

Youtube: Dodges and Daisies

Other: Both my stationery shop and blog are on my website, dodgesanddaisies.com.