Eleanor Tomlinson: From Christmas cards to Yorkshire Choice Awards

Introducing Eleanor

Yorkshire born Eleanor Tomlinson began her business far earlier than most. At primary school Eleanor won a local Christmas card competition and soon began selling new designs at local fairs. She never looked back.

Having decided to attend university, Eleanor transferred to York St John University at the end of her first year. During her time at York St John, she continued to develop her business with the help and support of many university staff.

In 2019, Eleanor graduated with a First Class degree in Illustration and immediately began running her business full-time. Now, as part of our International Women’s Day 2022 celebrations we contacted Eleanor to find out more about her business, her time at York St John and her future plans.

York St John University

You initially started your degree at another university. Why did you decide to swap to York St John for your second and third year?

My first year at university was a major learning curve in so many ways, both on a personal and professional level. I had chosen my university and course, and subsequently gone, planning a particular future and career path for myself. Within weeks of moving to a different city and part of the country, I quickly realised this future I had envisaged was not one best suited to me. Instantly I realised I wanted to work for myself, continue creating my own work with no ‘house-style’ or strict design style demands, and just be my own boss making my own decisions across all areas of my life. Quite simply, the course I had started didn’t seem to support this as I had hoped. But from my interviews at York St John, I knew they would.

I almost chose YSJ initially. It was a very tough final decision, so after finding myself still unhappy after the first semester the choice to transfer was obvious and easy. YSJ were great and very helpful in many ways to assist in this transfer. Their focus on community, SEN and entrepreneurship was what had drawn me initially and indeed again when deciding to explore the possibility of transferring.

What drew you to YSJ over other Yorkshire-based universities?

I feel I’ve touched on a couple of reasons why I was drawn to YSJ in my previous response. But yes, a big factor was indeed their attitude and support towards entrepreneurialism. Whether it was as a kick starter or freelancer, this outlook was something unique to elsewhere I had visited. The relatively small campus and Art school was another draw, as was the space and contact hours to enhance individuality as a creative with other practices working nearby to be inspired and enlightened by.

I also have always loved York as a city. It’s somewhere that I knew I’d feel safe and comfortable as a student, and in turn somewhere I’d feel at ease developing my work and growing my business.

What’s your favourite memory from your time studying with us?

I have many fond memories of my couple of years at YSJ. But one that stands out for me is our degree show back in June 2019. The culmination of a year’s practical coursework, plus many years of hard work prior, that had gone into reaching that point in my creative life which was on view for friends, family, creative professional contacts, staff and the general public. The opening night of our degree show I also was presented with the Arts Entrepreneur Award. It was completely unexpected. There will always be a special place in my heart for that night and arts show.

Where was your favourite place in York?

York City Walls. I regularly walked their entirety regardless of the weather. No matter where on the walls you are, you can see a different view and angle of York not visible from the pavements and roads. A secret look into the quieter goings on away from the hustle and bustle. It’s a walk with so many quirky, historical buildings and treasures. Not to mention a sneaky peak into some stunning gardens and wonderful horizon views over the higgledy-piggledy roofs and building profiles. 

How did YSJ prepare you for life after university?

I left my degree and York St John as a confident, well-rounded individual. I was able to jump straight into working for myself and running my small creative business full-time at the age of 21. YSJ enabled me to get there through the wonderful teams behind Launchpad and the Career’s department, my amazing Illustration lecturers and the general support from everyone across the university, such as the Student Services and Disability Support team in particular.

Ultimately, YSJ gave me the space and choices to develop my work and aim for those goals, whilst supporting them where necessary. I could give you many examples, but maybe one in particular is how they adapted the work experience elements of the degree to enable me to do this on a self-employed basis. I met the required number of ‘work experience days’ by attending exhibitions and events with my work. Documenting and journaling each element through my market research, invoices, communication with organisers, plans, photographs, stock inventories, sales and profit breakdowns. Recording each decision, detail and factor that goes in to running a business type like this. Not only did this allow me to learn from trial and error through analysing that journey to improve and develop from my experiences, but I was also growing the foundations of my business and future career for life as a graduate.

How supportive where your lecturers about your business?

As mentioned in my previous response my Illustration lecturers were incredibly supportive of my business goals. Wherever possible I felt they assisted and advised us, individually too, to ensure each one of us were maximising the degree and course to prepare us for our different future paths. I was never led to doubt my abilities or my future goals. I have them to thank for a lot of the confidence I developed in those two years. 

Eleanor Tomlinson Art Ltd

In a nutshell, what is your business?

I am a traditional artist and illustrator working predominantly in ink and watercolour. My work is inspired by my home county of Yorkshire and focuses on the UK countryside and all the wildlife found within it; both great and small. I have developed these pieces into an extensive range of stationery, limited edition prints and a growing homeware collection alongside the original pieces. These are available in a growing number of independent stockists and galleries across the UK. I also work to commission, working with a wide array of private and commercial clients; from sending private pieces across the world, to working with leading Yorkshire hotels and restaurants on menu designs, to personal bespoke wedding stationery collections. No two days are ever the same. I work under my own name as Eleanor Tomlinson Art Ltd.

When did you decide to give your business your full attention and become a full-time businesswoman?

I made the decision that I wanted to be a full-time businesswoman within weeks of starting university. Those first weeks and months of university I personally found incredibly challenging. It put a lot of things into perspective, and I learnt a lot about myself. Maybe most importantly what was going to make me the happiest, most content and fulfilled into the future.

The answer to me was obvious and didn’t require any further deliberation; work for myself, from the comfort of my home and be my own boss working (within reason) on what I wanted and when I wanted. Of course, I just begun a full-time degree, so couldn’t technically be a ‘full-time’ businesswoman. But every spare moment, evening and weekend, was dedicated from then on to the business I had started as a hobby back in 2011.

My degree obviously lent itself to my business and there was a lot of overlap; the work I was creating as part of my degree was helpful for my business and vice versa. Ultimately at the beginning of my three-year degree I told myself I have those three years to build up this business into a full-time income for myself. I hoped if I gave my everything, I could go straight from university to working for myself full-time. 

Many of the decisions surrounding this goal were as a result of having Asperger’s. I was diagnosed at 17 whilst studying for my A-levels at school. I believe it was the main reason I struggled so much with university and realised I wouldn’t be best suited to most working environments. I quickly learnt I was better working predominantly by and for myself, and preferred having that flexibility and control that comes with being your own boss. I realised I could exploit certain traits of my condition, mainly the obsessional ‘all or nothing’ nature I have towards my passions, and build a business and a life post university where I would be happy just being me. 

What were the initial challenges of working for yourself, and did your time at university help you overcome these challenges?

There have been quite a few challenges along the way, but for me, confidence has always been my biggest hurdle. However, my business has forced me out of my comfort zones again and again, enabling me to achieve things both big and small that I never thought I’d be able to. York St John really did give me the support and confidence I needed to make some of those important early steps. The Careers department especially never made me doubt that I could achieve my ambitions. Their kick-starter funding opportunity was a key turning point in this journey for me; being encouraged to apply, write a business plan, analyse my business, and pitch in front of a panel to gain a grant (that was successful) was one of them.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

I have a few highlights over the past few years. One of them is gaining a professional partnership with the nationwide brand Joules and becoming a ‘Friend of Joules’ whilst finishing the last year of my degree. This was following my work being seen by the owner, Tom Joule, and his team at a Christmas fair where I was exhibiting my work as part of the work experience element of my degree. This event was partly enabled by the kick-starter grant which helped fund the costs too. Following this, I now have a large number of my stationery and print designs featured and available on their website, alongside their own products and ranges. To be working with, and have my work noticed by such a well-recognised brand at such an early point in my career is incredible and makes me proud every single day. 

You can browse Eleanor’s collection on Joules via their website.

Earlier this year, after a 1+ year delay due to Covid, I found out I was a finalist in the Yorkshire Choice Awards for their ‘Businesswoman of the Year 2020’ category. It was such an unexpected surprise and I feel so honoured to have been chosen as one of their four finalists, alongside three wonderfully talented businesswomen, especially after such a rollercoaster year. To have been recognised by the Yorkshire Choice Awards, and within this category, is just truly overwhelming as a small Yorkshire one-woman business.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Honestly, I really don’t know. I love setting goals, but I try and focus on short- and medium-term ones, as the last 2 years has shown us, we just don’t have a clue what the future has in store. 

How did the pandemic affect you and your business? Has it changed your business plans?

Like so many other businesses, both big and small, the global pandemic has brought about big changes to how I work. Particularly how I show my artwork and meet new and existing customers with so many events, fairs and exhibitions not being able to take place. For the most part, everything has moved online with virtual versions of these events. But I’m excited to be back in person at more events from this year, including my biggest trade event to date.

In the meantime, I’ve had so many amazing opportunities to expand my portfolio and work with lots of wonderful customers, both private and commercial, and on increasingly bigger projects. I wouldn’t say it’s changed anything. It’s only delayed certain things I have wanted to develop or trial, such as group workshops which I’m starting later this year.

What advice do you have for someone looking to start their own business?

Anything is possible. But make a start now and don’t put it off. You’ll be amazed at the amount of experience and important business-related skills you learn simply from trial and error by yourself. It’s really not as scary or as complicated as you may think. Just break things down into a step-by-step action plan and make a start on that journey today. There are so many wonderful free resources available out there too, from business plan templates on The Prince’s Trust to digital business mentoring programmes. 

What has your business given back to you? For example, ability to work own hours, financial freedom, home ownership.

There have been countless gains from running my own business, both tangible and intangible. But the confidence and the creative freedom I think must be my top two. As within reason I can make and create what I want and when I want. You can’t put a value on that. But for those things that you can, I am also so proud to have gained the level of independence, across all areas of my life, through my business. I am very fortunate to have had the financial freedom to buy my own house in early 2021, a little over a year after graduating. I never dreamt I’d be in that position.

Illustration questions:

Your business story starts at primary school when you won a Christmas card design competition. At what point did you realise that your skills could lead to something more?

I can’t ever really remember there being one definitive moment where I realised that my skills could maybe lead to something more. As I’ve previously mentioned, the Christmas card I designed for a local charity back in 2011 kickstarted a conscious choice and effort to start a creative business, but only at a hobby level. Going back even further, I won another Christmas card competition ran by my school for a local company when I was in year one and just aged six.

I find it so amusing that despite only realising that my dream was to run a creative business full-time at 18, the writing on the wall may have been there from far earlier. It’s events like this that give me a strong and reassuring belief in fate and if that we give new experiences ‘a go’, we open doors and opportunities for ourselves and end up where we need to be eventually. I think the fact that I’m from a very practical family, and one with quite a lot of entrepreneurial spirit, has meant that taking those first initial steps of thinking ‘I’m going to make something to sell’ or ‘offer a service’ didn’t seem as scary to me as it perhaps does to others.  

For you, art is more than a hobby or interest. But, for those looking to begin getting into ‘art’, what are your top tips?

Just start experimenting. Play with different mediums, different materials until you find your niche and a way of working that feels the most comfortable and natural to you. There aren’t any rules so don’t be afraid to really give something a go. It was through experimentation, particularly with ink and watercolour, that I found my way of working with those materials and ‘my style’.

Watercolour used to be my least favourite medium. I found it unruly and unpredictable, I really struggled working with it by following traditional tutorials and guides. But now it is my favourite medium, and I remember that change coming about when I just started doing my own thing and not worrying about the right or wrong way to paint with them. I hope that gives others confidence to explore their own creativity and style. 

What’s your favourite thing to illustrate?

I couldn’t name my favourite thing to create. I joke that as long as it has fur or feathers I know I will love to capture it. But, absolutely any animal brings me joy to capture. However, growing up it was a different story. My lifelong obsession, alongside art, has always been horses. Up until my early teens, these were just about the only thing I would draw and paint. They would be squeezed into any subject at school I could. Whether it was plotting grid coordinates to create an outline of a horse’s head in maths, or ensuring they featured in a creative writing piece alongside an illustration in my schoolbooks.

Do you prefer commissions or creating your own designs?

I adore both for different reasons and it really depends on my mood, and sometimes what I feel like doing that day if deadlines allow. Commissions give me a better focus if I am procrastinating or deliberating. I have a set brief with most of the creative decisions made for me by the client and/or due to the subject or nature of the piece. My own work can be absolutely anything I want. Other days I like the control and ability to make every design decision on a piece. All I want is all the freedom in the world and that’s what my own work gives me. Even a single day in the studio can include both these creative extremes.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to illustrate and is there anything you avoid illustrating? For example, hands, dragons etc

Everything the first time you attempt it has its own unique challenges. But one of the first commission pieces I created was of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who had recently passed away. The owner didn’t have any digital photographs, and all the existing photographs either had a leg cut out of shot or were a bit blurry. So, I had to piece together and work from multiple photographs, checking in with the customer that I had caught ‘him’ at every stage in case tweaks needed to be made. Even until this day, it’s probably the hardest piece due to the circumstances that I’ve ever created.

However, despite my anxieties she was utterly delighted with the finished piece and the process of having my clients involved in this way is something I have maintained since, and my customers love being part of the journey.

Since then, I have learnt to not avoid anything creatively and give it a go. However I do know where my strengths lie and that is within animals and wildlife portraiture… along with the odd tractor or vintage car too! Whilst I will experiment (time permitting) with my own work and force myself out of my comfort zones, I will only ever accept a commission if I’m confident the finished piece or design will result in an extremely satisfied and happy customer.

For example, something that I have had the experience of recently turning down after having clients approach me is human portraiture. It’s still something that I am developing, both with technical skill and confidence and wouldn’t feel I was able to do a loved one full justice artistically. Human figures however I feel differently towards. I enjoy capturing movement so you will often see a figure featured within a lot of my work… however nearly always they have their back to you. It must be human faces I avoid the most!

What does a typical day look like for you at work?

There isn’t ever really a ‘typical’ day. I’ve tried planning my days or weeks out, creating schedules etc., but can never seem to stick to them. I am a lists sort of person and like to give myself deadlines, so as long as something is done by the required deadline everything is good. The main reason for that is situations change. I don’t know which days I’m going to get more orders to pack than others, and there are always last-minute commission enquiries. So, I’ve just learnt to be very good at prioritising and moving things around to suit these unexpected elements of my business, either day to day or week to week.

Having said this my days can usually look like one of two. One of admin; order packing, emails, ordering products and supplies along with a post office run. The other in the studio most of the day working on commissions and personal projects for my ranges. I don’t like to give myself short amounts of time in the studio as I never fully get into the flow of working as I feel I am clock watching. I usually like to be working non-stop with my pencils, pens, or paintbrushes for at least half a day. 

A businesswoman

As a woman in business, have you encountered any sexism within your industry, when you set up your business or during meetings? If so, what did you do?

I’m very glad to say that I personally have never encountered any sexism within my industry. The only memory that I can recall that could possibly come close to a direct experience with sexism was a few years ago at a large regional event, where I was exhibiting my work prior to Christmas. I was discussing my work with a middle-aged gentleman and explaining what I do whilst at university. Despite this conversation, he followed on to vocally express his assumption that everything I did (including this event) was financed by ‘bank of dad’. I was very taken aback that he would make this assumption, let alone ask aloud and so directly. I must admit I took great delight in calmly and assertively explaining how I’ve worked for many years and kept reinvesting any profits back into my business.

The first print run of cards when I was 13 was indeed kindly paid for by my parents (not just dad) due to my age and the initial upfront cost. But this was paid back in full weeks later out of the sales of that Christmas. Since then, I have never had to ask or borrow a penny from anyone, my business has grown organically into what it is today. I just remember his expression of surprise and raised eyebrows following my response. Having said this, this assumption may have not been anything to with my gender and more my age and/or student status as that (in some cases) has been my barrier, the odd client assuming you haven’t got enough experience upon first meeting.

But there was just something about the exchange and tone that I remember well that led me to believe his sightly offensive presumptions had more to do with the fact I was a young businesswoman rather than if I had been a young businessman. But who knows?!

Do you have any advice for women specifically about setting up their own business? If possible, specifically for younger women?

Do not let anybody tell you that you cannot reach your goals. I think it can be very easy in our society for anyone, but arguably perhaps especially women, to be influenced by authoritative figures in our lives when making decisions that will ultimately influence our future careers. Sometimes these are positive influences, sometimes not. I know if I’d listened to some of those more negative opinions and advice at the time, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do anything; let alone start a business, and a creative one at that.

I think it’s so important to listen to everything that’s being said to you. But then even more important to be able to analyse and be confident enough in your abilities to make decisions of what advice to take with you, and what to leave behind you. Don’t be scared by other people’s anxieties and negative ‘what if’ moments.

Also surround yourself with business positivity, other individuals, and businesspeople in similar fields to exchange advice, tips and contacts with. There is such a beautiful community of small businesses out there wanting to celebrate, support and raise each other up; regardless of whether it’s through the good or bad times. Such communities and groups can be found on and offline or a hybrid of both. They are such an important factor when you are running a small business at any point of the journey as it can often be a daunting and lonely place.

How do other people react when you tell them you’re a small business owner and a homeowner at your age?

Nearly always very surprised. Whenever I get talking to someone about what I do they nearly always end up asking my age. Their face usually forms an increasingly confused expression whilst mid discussion as they try to mentally estimate my age. I’m always amused when I reply and reveal my true age, which usually knocks at least 5 years off the age they thought I must be.

Looking ahead

What does 2022 hold for you?

I honestly don’t know what 2022 has lined up for me. After the last two years I’m not even attempting to try and make any solid plans. I will just continue to work as I have done, assessing each day, week, and month to prioritise where my focus is needed most. Hopefully more events in person, hopefully more opportunity to grow the trade side of my business and hopefully a holiday where there is some sun…

What’s the business dream?

I dream about the idea of having a premises large enough to not only have studio, storage and packing workspaces, but also to have a gallery and shop space, along with somewhere to host group workshops. Somewhere ideally idyllic and in the countryside where I can work from home and be inspired everyday. But separate from my living space so, when needed, I can close the door on work and fully relax. That’s the problem running a business, you can never switch off and ‘leave’ work for the evening or weekend. It’s always there in the back of your mind.

Do you have a personal dream you’d like to share?

Not sure if this constitutes a dream or not. But I’d love to see two things in particular feature more in our education system.

Firstly, our creative subjects, such as art and design, to feature more across the curriculum and be better celebrated like certain other subject areas. It’s such an important outlet, physically and emotionally, for so many children and young adults of all ages and one I feel should be seen as more fundamental within all stages of education.

Secondly, I’d like to see more resources and a better wider education focused to SEN within schools, particularly in those earlier years. This enabling and helping to assist children and their families get those diagnoses for a range of conditions at an earlier age, from Autistic Spectrum Disorders to conditions like ADHD and dyslexia. Through my own personal experiences, the sooner a child who may be struggling with a condition such as these has a diagnosis, it eases their future path by helping their self-understanding and awareness as they grow older.

For any child, being able to access any support needed alongside a better understanding of themselves and others around them, helps them tremendously to navigate the world of further education, careers and maybe business. It helps each child, regardless of their unique personal difficulties or not, determine what lifestyle and career best caters to their needs and strengths as individuals. And for some that might be starting their own business based on their passion or special skill set, and it would be nice to know the support and guidance is there at an early enough age to access it if desired.

I was fortunate that not only I had this support in other areas of my life when being diagnosed, but also, I stumbled across the path of creating a business at the best point (for me) in my life which made my business goals and journey possible. I would simply like that equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of any disability or not.

Find out more

You can browse (and buy) Eleanor’s collection on her website. You can also follow her business on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see her latest designs and work as it happens. You can also follow her LinkedIn.