Life & Work with Emily Stumpff of Traveling Artist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Stumpff.

Hi Emily, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. Before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story, and how did you get to where you are today?
From the day I could pick up a crayon, art has been my safe place – I felt at home, maybe the only place I felt at home. The lack of structure in my home life forged me into a free spirit and a rebel but also gave me a compassionate perspective that those who haven’t struggled don’t understand. From an early age, I was a fighter with a purpose – someone who didn’t take crap from anyone but treated everyone with kindness and love because I didn’t want someone else to feel the pain I had felt. In high school, I was the kid in the hallway during art class working on a drawing, dreaming about being an artist who creates with a purpose. I had a vision and a dream, but I didn’t have the direction, money, or support to pursue it. At 17, I left home with no money, no goals, just a girl with a dream. Working waitressing, call centers, retail, casino dealer, office jobs, and every side hustle I could get, I fought to keep my head above water. By 35, I was a single mom of a 14-year-old amazing girl, stuck in a dead-end customer service job, doing nothing with art. Outside of raising my daughter, my purpose went unrecognized, and my art lived in the rearview mirror. Fast forward to April of 2022: my father passed, and I was fortunate to receive a small amount of money. This money represented freedom to pursue my dream; Cosmic Cowgirls transformed from a vision to reality, and I hit the ground running, literally. A hat is like a tattoo. It can tell someone who you are without having to speak. You feel different when you walk into a room with a custom hat made specifically for you. It can transform your energy. So there I was, hats ordered, on a mission to create custom hats that made people feel like individuals, to create a feeling of being alive and vibrant for my customers.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In choosing the road less traveled, I face unique challenges and obstacles. Unconventional paths are always challenging to follow, and there needs to be a roadmap for what I’m doing. Living outside the gridlines makes it sometimes hard to know what the next step should be or how to move forward. Mistakes and bad market shows will always be present, and as a one-woman band charting the course by myself, I only sometimes have the resources and infrastructure that a typical business would have. As a proactive person, I have a hands-on approach to problem-solving. As my boss, I can plan and adapt as needed and answer only to myself. I’m creating credibility while living my dream. Despite setbacks, I’m not one to back down from a challenge.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create custom hats and live freehand brands. Each hat is made on the spot to the customer’s preference.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Did you live if you didn’t risk everything you have in you for the chance to do what your soul’s purpose is for? Or did you exist? So many people will only exist in this world, afraid of what others will say about them for being their authentic selves. Take the risk. It’s better than regret. Instead of fearing failure, challenge, embrace, and overcome it. That road less traveled can be lonely, but it is also fulfilling in a way that only those who travel it can understand. The risk is worth the personal and professional reward for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: cosmic-cowgirls.myshopify.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cosmic.cowgirls