Meet Stephanie Owens | Lettering Artist

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

Hi Stephanie, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
In 2020 was the biggest year we’d had in business. But we were miserable. Nightmare clients on top of personal tragedy after personal tragedy (it was 2020 after all). We stepped back and wondered why we were even in business. So we burned everything down. We got rid of all our clients and we closed up shop for six months to find ourselves in our work again. From there Gold Sheep Design as it is today was born. No longer do we chase after work we don’t want. We don’t work with clients who suck our souls dry, and we only create work we are proud to have our name associated with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d like to think that my work stands out because of the craftsmanship and care I put into my work, alongside my voice as a lettering artist. Creating work around what I love outside of business, and making that my business- music, pop culture, and true crime.

I’m most excited about what’s to come. I’m currently working on a craft cocktail book based on rock songs where I’m illustrating and creating the recipes. And I have several pieces that I’ll be selling as prints. Aside from my art, I’m most proud that I was able to carve a path for myself that includes multiple income streams that allows me to work at home with my husband, on my terms, and on my schedule. There’s a lot to be said for that amount of personal freedom when you spent the first half of your life bound to a classroom as a teacher without even getting regular bathroom breaks.

But getting here wasn’t easy. It took years of dedication, education, and long hours during lunch breaks, after work, and on weekends to make it all happen. And in terms of mastering my craft of lettering, I’m still not there, so there’s loads more learning to go. But that’s what I love about it- the never ending exploration involved.

And I’m still learning to trust myself as an artist. It’s what I went to school for, but that was a very difficult time in my life. Having grown up under the influence of a doomsday cult, and not being allowed to express my own identity (because we weren’t allowed to have an identity), I still have days where I think what I have to say doesn’t matter, or that what I want in my business isn’t possible. But that’s my past talking and I push through as best I can.

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?
First stop would definitely be the Neon Museum at night- really tells the story of our city through a historical lens that’s beautiful and iconic. Then we’d get dinner and drinks in downtown- really soak in the nostalgia.

We’d then take a bit of a break from the city and go to Red Rock Canyon and get out into nature. There’s much more to offer here than bright lights and shows.

But now that’s I’m on the subject- there will be shows. Dinner at Vanderpump Paris is a must, and hopefully Lady Gaga’s residency is back in town, because that’s where we’d go. We could spend days just at the latest shows in town.

And for something a little off the beaten path we’d spend some time at Area 15- first at the main complex (lunch at The Beast is a must), take in all the immersive experiences at Omega Mart and Dueling Axes, and then head over to Lost Spirits Distillery for some steampunk circus entertainment accompanied by the best rum in the city.

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?
My shoutout is dedicated to Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way, who’s books helped me come out of the shadows and continue to be a vital part of my creative recovery.

Website: www.goldsheepdesign.com

Instagram: instagram.com/goldsheepdesign

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-owens-lettering/

Image Credits
Brand photography by Patrick Yandoc