Meet Sterling Freeman | Author, Illustrator, and Entrepreneur

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

Hi Sterling, why did you pursue a creative career?
Ever since a kid, I have always been involved in visual/creative arts and entrepreneurship — partially because I naturally gravitated to both. In the arts, I did theatre, dance, songwriting, poetry, and graphic design. As an entrepreneur, my parents had my brother and I helping run our own vending machines at single digit ages. I started doing custom art for classmates’ binders around 8 years old and after 8th grade I started my own clothing business and then store by 15. The other driving force behind this was that I had parents (especially my mother) who instilled a belief in me that I was not only capable of doing anything I put my mind to but was encouraged to discover my full potential without fear or doubt, even when I struggled. As a kid I took that gift of instilled belief in myself for granted simply because I wasn’t mature enough to understand the gravity of it. It wasn’t until college (a slightly more mature age) that I was able to really grasp the importance that a strong belief in yourself plays in people’s lives but also how uncommon it is. As an artist, I believe it is our job to create conversations and be a part of the solutions to challenges in our generation. So, what it came down to was me wanting to figure out how to combine my art and talents into something that could energize, enlighten, and empower others to live to their full potential as well. I wanted to begin that journey by starting with youth.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am currently finishing my 2nd book called “Wake Up Little Dreamer” and plan to release it in November. However, my brand “Little Light Series”, is more than just books! When we say series we mean it as (“a sequence of expressions”) and we plan to express our mission to energize enlighten and empower in more products than one. In addition to the books and Little Dreamers Character art classes, we will have other products such as puzzles, t-shirts, animations, school programs and more.

Due to the pandemic effecting so many aspects of our lives in the past year, (including education), we were delayed on some of the development. Now that things are clearing up, I’m excited about being able to get back into speaking at schools and book tours. Also I’d say I’m excited because we wanted to start this journey with a focus on youth but this is only one step. I have bigger things in other mediums that are intended to reach older audiences that continue the mission of energizing, enlightening and empowering others.

As far as how I got to where I am business wise, I’d say it has been a mixture of time, consistency, patience and faith, I first had the idea for my brand back in 2017 but I had to take the time to really solidify my message and educate myself on different aspects of business. Even with experience in entrepreneurship I wasn’t naturally a super business savvy person so I had to seek guidance on that as well to make sure I could present my brand to the best of my ability. Along the way I’ve had plenty of challenges but having patience with myself and the process has helped me handle them with some more grace.

Little Light Series is about creating inspirational products and solutions for young creatives and emerging leaders. Aiming to keep their minds inspired and their “little lights” shining.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first person that comes to mind, would have to be my mother. She has always been a huge part of that foundation that helped me become the man that I am today. I have always been an artist and had imagination, but my mother (being an author, and self-publishing coach herself), taught me a level of work ethic that has helped me so much along the way.

Website: www.littlelightseries.com

Instagram: @littlelightseries

Facebook: Sterling B. Freeman