We recently had the chance to connect with Em Michelle and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Em, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Simple answer: myself. When I started pursuing art, I was at the lowest I’ve ever been at in my life. Crafting, drawing, and just creating things was an outlet for me, but my mental wasn’t in it. When I walked away from my passion on an (what I thought was at the time) indefinite hiatus, it really brought me down without me even knowing.
Fast forward years later, I’m in a much better place. My mental is back up, and the passion I once had returned in full force. I’m now making efforts I didn’t even know I could make, exploring techniques I never thought I could do, and trying everything to make my dreams come true. I am beyond proud of the person I’ve become. That’s why I always remind people who are struggling like I have to bet on themselves, and remember the passions you have just don’t go away. Things get better, they always do, and time will heal anything.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Em, and I run a small art business online called Squimp’s Werkshoppe. My store is centered around original art of some of my favorite interests, such as video games, memes, and just pop culture in general. I make a whole line up of things, stickers, art prints, hand sewn felt crafts, and even small pins!
I started my little shop back in 2020, during the pandemic. I had a lot of time on my hands, as everyone did, so to keep busy, I learned how to sew by hand. I found out that I’m not too bad at it, and just kept making the most random things. After awhile, I had friends and family urging me to sell my crafts, and it just really took off for me! Until 2021, where I was going through a lot mentally and lost motivation and drive for my passions. That was the moment I put my store on the back burner and went on a very long hiatus.
Fast forward to 2025, I have really worked on myself, and I noticed something was missing. I still had all of the material I used to work with, and all of the crafts I made before the hiatus. So, with my family’s encouragement, I started to put effort back into what I love doing. I just reopened my store under a whole new brand, starting running a monthly sticker club on Patreon, and have been working a lot to get my social media where it used to be. Just in these last few months have I realized that this is where I’m supposed to be, sharing my art with the world.
Some unique things about what I do:
I try to handcraft everything I sell and use. For example, all of the stickers are printed out at home, laminated, cut out, and packaged all by hand. Some of it’s not perfect, but I feel like it gives all my crafts really give a hand-made feel. I embrace mistakes, and make them into something special!
As of the moment, I just finished getting new graphics for my packaging, thank you cards, and business cards. One of the things I love about this is that my graphic designer is actually my fiancé (we are getting married in November, yay!!), and we get to collaborate on making my store reflect my personality. We just got done making custom packaging for my monthly sticker club, so the people who are subscribed to it feel like the club is a little more involved and official!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My most current partner is the one I have to thank for making my path in life as clear as it is. I never knew what I wanted to do with my time, constantly unsure of my self and the things I bring to the table. He made it possible to follow my heart, by showing me that what I do, even if no one sees, is worth putting into the world. That’s what I love the most about my current self, having the feeling of self-respect. I work through life at my pace now, instead of looking up to those that are already put together. I learned that everyone is at different points in life, and it’s okay to not have it all figured out. I really owe it to him for fostering a caring, loving, and most of all supportive space for me to continue to grow.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The biggest fear I have that holds me back is the fear of failure. I think everyone has that fear to some extent, it’s so scary to make mistakes. It used to be a fear that would cripple me in everyway, and would make me lose motivation to try. However, the more time that passes, the more I’m learning that it’s okay to fail, and it shouldn’t be the end of something your passionate about. I now turn most of my failures into learning moments.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that in order to run a business like mine, you had to make things that were popular. When I first started my small shop, I tried to jump from trend to trend, making things that I barely knew anything about. This is something I look back on and have to laugh at. I truly think doing this contributed to my burn out, and made my passions just feel like a really stressful second job.
Now that I rebranded and am back into the swing of things, I am committed to only make things I like. That doesn’t mean I won’t make the occasional art piece of something that is popular, but now my store is full of crafts that I’m proud of because I know the source material. My art is for those niche groups of people who like the same kind of games, or pop culture. It makes crafting a lot of fun for me, especially when it’s one of my favorite things.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I truly believe I am doing what I was put on this earth to do. Even when I was younger, I always had a strong interests in the arts. I was the kid that would doodle all over homework sheets, and draw things on the computer when I wasn’t supposed to. Growing up I never expected making things like sewing and drawing my passions, but the more I did it, the more fulfilled I got.
I never had any interest in college, or the mundane 9-5, so I really feel that art was my calling. Granted, my shop is not my full time job (yet!), but if it was, I would be just as happy as someone finding a job in their field. I’m thankful that I chose the path that was right for me, and that I’m not giving up on it. Eventually, I would like to help raise money for causes that mean a lot to me, like getting people the mental health help they need. Once I do that, there will be no stopping my drive for this kind of work!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://squimpswerkshoppe.square.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squimpswerkshoppe?igsh=NmFmaTd5anZmZ2Jv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squimpswerkshoppe
- Other: Monthly Sticker Club: https://patreon.com/squimpswerkshoppe
