FARGO — Hannah Stelter was not always the confident artist she is today.
Like many creatives, she struggled with self-doubt and finding her voice as an artist. She recalls getting an easel and set of water colors for her 12th birthday that she never touched until enrolling at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
“For most of my life I didn’t make a lot of art because it was really stressful,” she says. “I didn’t use it until college because I didn’t feel like I was a real artist. I didn’t feel like I could do that.”
A number of experiences have helped build up her confidence, including a TikTok video of her drawing that went viral in 2020.
Since then she’s gained nearly
800,000 followers on TikTok
, plus an additional
60,000 on YouTube
and
20,000 on Instagram
. Art sales are strong on her website,
itsdesignedbyhannah.com
, and now she’s ready to try a brick-and-mortar store. She recently opened
Scribble Lady
, an art supply and gift-based pop-up store at 214 Roberts Alley through the end of the year.
Contributed / Chase Evert
The TikTok that started it all
Once enrolled at MSUM, Stelter began posting photos of her art to Instagram. She sold a few pieces here and there, but she still didn’t feel as though she’d found her style or voice.
When COVID-19 hit in March of 2020, she pledged to use the time to focus on her art. She tried a few different mediums and shared her efforts online.
Some pieces were a bit provocative, which prompted a call from her mom.
“My mom actually called and told me I shouldn’t be sharing art with swear words or naked people on Facebook because people may see,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Well, that’s stupid. It’s art.'”
It drove her to do something she’d never done before. She set up a makeshift tripod and began to film herself drawing.
She found herself sketching a hand giving the middle finger. And as she drew, she gave advice to other artists who might be watching: Don’t care what some people think about your artwork. If you like it, you should make it and share it. Those who like it will find you.
The video went viral on TikTok, and she was soon was fielding requests from fans who wanted to buy prints of her sketch.
She set up an online store and partnered with a business to make and mail out prints of her work.
Stelter continued to sketch live online every Tuesday, which quickly led to another business opportunity.
Contributed / Chase Evert
Stelter mainly draws with a glass tip pen, which she says intrigues many followers.
“A lot of people were trying to follow along with what I was doing. They’d buy glass pens, but they didn’t work the same way,” she says. “They were coming to me and asking so many questions, so I developed my own (glass tip pen) kit that comes with instructions and a YouTube video from me explaining how to use it and how to draw the same way I do.”
Contributed / Chase Evert
Stelter eventually started selling water color palettes, brushes, sketch books and other art supplies as well. One day she realized she was essentially running two businesses: one to sell her fine art and another for art supplies, so she decided to split them into two.
She now sells her fine art through Designed by Hannah, and prints, art supplies, patches, greeting cards and more via Scribble Lady.
‘Embrace any imperfections’
Looking back, Stelter says something changed the day she made that TikTok video. In spite of the criticism, she decided to just draw, not caring if it was “perfect.” She says it was one of the first times she really enjoyed drawing.
“So moving forward it became my goal to embrace any imperfections and just scribble it out. Just be messy and have fun with it,” she says.
One of her frequent subjects is what she calls Scribble Ladies, which are artistic nudes modeled after real people.
“When I first started sharing them I got a lot of really good feedback from people saying, ‘I’ve never seen my body represented in a piece of artwork before,'” Stelter recalls. “I thought, ‘I can do more of this. I want to do more of this.’ That became the mission of the Scribble Ladies going forward. … There’s something about seeing yourself represented in a piece of artwork that helps you love your body a little more.”
Contributed / Chase Evert
Stelter continues to sketch live online Tuesday evenings, and now she’s helping others embrace imperfection.
“I help break down that perfectionist mindset when it comes to art and help people enjoy art again and focus more on what is as a whole rather than what it should be,” she says.
Sami Harwood, a marketing manager for the Kilbourne Group, has taken a class from Stelter and says she loves having Scribble Lady downtown.
“Scribble Lady is a brilliant and creative addition to downtown Fargo,” she said. “I’ve personally had the chance to take Hannah’s classes in the community and am so excited she now has a store to stop in and pick up art supplies, cards for the holidays, and fun stocking stuffers for everyone on my list! Downtown is full of gifted artists and it’s great to see them getting a chance to share their passion for their original creations in the form of pop-up shops!”
Stelter says she’s loved having the pop-up store and hopes to make it permanent.
“I love having a retail store because everything is already set up. Previously I’d go to events like the Fargo Street Fair. I’d go there, set up, sit there for two days, and then tear down. It was a lot of set up and tear down,” she says. “It’s fun. It’s great energy, but it’s really nice to have a physical space and people can come in and take their time looking around.”
What: Scribble Lady
Where: 214 Roberts Alley, Fargo
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Online:
itsdesignedbyhannah.com
and
www.scribblelady.com
TikTok:
hannahstelter2
Instagram:
@designed.by.hannah
