Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber LeBlanc.
Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Creating has always been second nature to me. As a child, I was constantly drawing, painting, and making something with my hands, so pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design felt like the natural next step.
In 2015, I stepped into a boutique wedding stationery studio in New Orleans for my very first job after college, and it completely changed the direction of my career. I quickly fell in love with the craftsmanship behind wedding stationery and the idea that something as simple as paper could become a lasting keepsake. Helping couples bring one of the most memorable days of their lives to life through art felt incredibly meaningful. Looking back, I truly believe my love for both fine art and stationery is what shapes my work today. Painting fuels my creativity, while stationery gives me the opportunity to turn that creativity into something deeply personal and lasting.
Outside of stationery, I also create original artwork. Lately I’ve been exploring abstracts, landscapes, and collage. It’s my creative outlet, the place where I can make something simply because it brings me joy.
Since opening my studio in 2018 and going full time with AL Studio in 2020, I’ve worked with more than 300 couples and clients throughout the United States and world. It’s crazy to see this dream become a reality and am so thankful that I am trusted by so many to create something so special to them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
After working full time design jobs since I graduated college in 2015, I couldn’t resist the calling to go full time with my art and stationery business at the end of November in 2019. I actually told myself I’d give it until May 2020, to “pay off some bills”, but God had other plans for me. I felt it that beginning of 2020 sounded to be just the right timing to push through to my goal I’ve been yearning for for years. So, I took the leap of faith and put in my two weeks at the end of the December of 2019 with a little bit of savings built up.
Then, BAM. COVID-19 pandemic.
The curveball I never saw coming. How will my new full-time small business ever survive?? I thought, okay, I still have my old employer under me now, so I’ll be fine. Nope. I was terminated only a few months after the start of the year since they were now starting to do lay-offs due to COVID. Which, in hindsight, I am thankful it was only terminating a contract and not a “laid off” situation where my going “full-time” business announcement wouldn’t have been filled with as much hope as I went into the year with. I knew I had the fire still under me and I was going to make it work. I had to make it work.
It was a rough year. I turned to painting a lot to cope and escape from the stressors. I had a lot of life changes and at the end of the year found myself more than I ever have before. It was like the year of shedding away of the things that held me back. It shaped me to take on whatever was thrown at me to help me with my business moving forward and know that I can get through anything if I can get through this.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist and full-service design studio specializing in heirloom wedding stationery and event branding.
My business started out as a love for art – having a curious mind of experimenting and challenging myself to find balance amongst colors, shapes and movement of brushstrokes on canvas, both large and small scale. From the colors to the subjects I paint, my art is inspired by personal experiences, emotions, and moments of reflection. I hope for each piece I create to evoke a sense of joy, connection, and positivity. Collectors often share that my paintings bring “a feeling of peace” into their spaces and I think that is my biggest compliment.
After studying graphic design in college, my love for design, typography, and visual storytelling continued to grow, leading me to where my work thrives today, wedding stationery and event branding. Designing the paper pieces from invitations to signage and all the details in between is so rewarding to me. I love seeing my designs transform from ideas on a screen into tangible pieces that guests and couples can hold, experience, and have to remember. What makes this line of work even more meaningful is being part of such a joyful and exciting season in so many couples’ lives. I’m honored to collaborate with couples from all over, learning what inspires them and transforming those ideas into thoughtfully crafted pieces that become part of their wedding story and one of their most cherished moments in their lifetime.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to trust and embrace the process. When I first started, I felt pressure to have everything figured out perfectly, but I’ve learned that growth comes from every experience, challenge, and opportunity to create something new.
I’ve learned that the details matter, but so does the intention behind them. The most meaningful and best work comes from creating with purpose and staying true to yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amberleblancstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberleblancstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amberleblancstudio
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-leblanc-aa6291100/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/amberleblancstudio/
