Meet Emily Stahl, a local graphic designer and lettering artist who is a St. Louis native. Her story is nothing short of amazing. Her work is a true labor of love, which is frequently seen around town. Her creations are beautiful and all stemmed from her passion to help others in the midst of her own life challenges. During a season when love is so celebrated, artists such as Emily, are tremendously inspiring, reminding everyone to pursue what we love and enjoy doing. With so much passion for her craft, Lifestyle inquired about how she started, and how she manages to juggle her job and her side hustle.
After being diagnosed in 2016 with a rare neuromuscular disorder called Late Onset Tay Sachs, Emily says she wanted to find ways to get involved. She recalls reaching out to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and they were looking for artists for a fundraiser. With freelance projects under her belt, she says she decided to sell prints for the fundraiser. She carefully designed a few items and sold them at the art show with a percentage going back to the MDA.
Since then, she has expanded to cards, stickers, apparel, magnets, mugs, pins, ornaments and more.
Emily not only works full time as a senior designer at Williamson Home, but she also runs her design business with custom items available across St. Louis. It doesn’t end there! She also has designs for the St. Louis Blues clothing line at the STL Authentics shop at Enterprise Center.
“It gets challenging at times to balance the two. It’s important for me to have health insurance and a steady paycheck as I grow," Emily explains. Since being diagnosed with her disorder, she has put her heart and soul into her business. It’s a passionate outlet for her to focus on, and she says her hard work led to so many collaborations that all of the long hours and hard work have paid off -- which is something from which others can draw motivation.