Meet Lucy Williams | Illustrator/Designer

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

Hi Lucy, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I started Boundary & Thorn in 2016 after completing several different custom cocktail illustrations with recipes for friends’ and family’s weddings. The idea snowballed into a business kind-of by accident and I have been creating artwork for my small business ever sense.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
About my work:
Boundary & Thorn started in 2016 with custom cocktail illustrations and has snowballed into a small business. Today we have an assortment of fine art prints, greeting cards, and list pads that highlight all the good things life has to offer! I focus mainly on positivity, food/drink, and anything plant/botanical related in my work,

I am most proud of:
Brining affordable artwork to people’s homes/offices/spaces to help showcase their personalities. Connecting with my customer base is the most rewarding and important part of my business. I make most of my sales in-person rather than online, so really getting to know my customers has been intricate to my success as a small business.

How I got to where I am today:
I got to where I am today with a lot of help, passion, and a “slow burn” for entrepreneurship. This did NOT happen overnight, and it’s taken a long time and lots of upward failing to get my company to where it is today. I have overcome many challenges by sticking to what I know best, which is art and illustration, and focusing on that at the forefront of my business. I’ve also made great connections along the way and met so many other talented creatives here in Cleveland who have pushed and inspired me to continue making art and showing it off at events like the Cleveland Bazaar.

Lessons I’ve Learned along the way:
• Stick to what you know and do it until you get it right
• Your best sellers aren’t always going to be the work you’re most proud of, and that’s okay. Make the work you’re proud of anyway,
• Get an accountant.
• Put your mental health first. Working is important, especially when you have your own business, but making time to do things outside of making artwork has always been important to me. It’s what inspires me, and motivation, and drives me to keep making.
• Stay humble. I am constantly learning, and growing as a person and artist, and I feel very blessed to be able to have a passion for something that brings myself and others joy. Being able to share that with my community is humbling and exciting.

What I want the World to Know:
I want the world to know I am just a person like everyone else trying to make it and stay positive and happy while doing it. I think we (artists/creatives) do a lot of comparing ourselves to other creatives, and really people are pretty much all the same. We all want love, compassion, and a good bowl of pasta.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
• Butcher & the Brewer
• the Cleveland Metro Parks
• The Cleveland Bazaar
• 78th Street Studios
• East 4th
• Playhouse Square for a musical or comedy show
• Rood Food & Pie in Lakewood
• Rising Star Coffee
• Cleveland Bagel
• the Cleveland Museum of Art
• L’albatros Cleveland
• Market Garden
• Great Lakes Brewing Company
• Mitchell’s Ice Cream

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The Cleveland Bazaar – https://www.clevelandbazaar.org/

Website: https://www.boundaryandthorn.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boundaryandthorn/