Luck By Design & 3 Years of Abby Leighton Studio

It's officially March, and I can't help but think about luck this month- and not just the find-a-four-leaf-clover kind. This month marks three whole years since I set off on the Abby Leighton Studio adventure, and wow, what a ride it's been. It has been an incredible three years, that’s for sure!

Reflecting on this journey, I realized something: luck in entrepreneurship isn't just about pure coincidence. It's Luck by Design.

Let me break down what that means and how you, too, can create your own 'luck' in this world of creativity and business.

Strategic Planning in Business

Imagine setting off on a hike without a map or compass (personally, I use AllTrails). Sure, you might stumble upon some beautiful spots (hello, happy accidents!), but you might get lost and miss out on the views you set out to see, which has definitely happened to me before.

The same goes for business. Strategic planning has been my compass, helping me navigate through the thickets and clearings. I know what I'm trying to achieve, because I've laid it out clearly and reverse-engineered my way to get there.

It's about setting goals, yes, but also being agile enough to take a detour when an unexpected path looks promising!

Resilience: Weathering the Storms 

Not every day in the last three years of entrepreneurship has been sunny. There were storms, and let me tell you, a few times I thought about packing up my tent and heading home. But resilience kept me going. 

Every inquiry ghost, every stressful project, every critique was a lesson in disguise, teaching me to adapt and grow. I consciously decided to be dedicated to myself, my business, and see it through because I was confident in my abilities to succeed. I knew I could.

Sometimes, creating your own luck means standing strong, even when the winds are trying to knock you down. Really think about your mindset when it comes to biz- it can really make it or break it. 

A Bit of 'Luck': Seizing the Moment

Now, I won't say sheer luck plays no part. There have literally been moments of pure, true luck. Landing that perfect project at the perfect time, stumbling upon amazing design inspiration in the least expected place, or even a chance encounter that opened doors I didn't know existed. 

But here's the thing: you have to be out there for luck to find you. You've got to be actively engaged, and keeping your doors open, for those serendipitous moments to occur. Be open to the universe and its offerings, and you can attract what you're looking for. 

Personal Anecdotes: Finding My Four-Leaf Clovers

One of my favorite "lucky" moments was early in my career, when I was creating my National Parks Maps book. I had worked so hard creating this as a completely personal project, spending hundreds of hours researching, illustrating, lettering, you name it putting it together.

I had such a clear vision for this project which was to be sold in national park book stores across the nation. This vision is one I had from the moment I started. 

When it came time to wrap the project up, I needed a publisher.

And it just so happens I knew of the perfect one, a local Utah publisher called Gibbs Smith, who specialized in art and nature books. (I had found them by seeing another cute nature book they had published, Wilderness Essays.)

I just knew they were the perfect fit. I had been open to the universe in guiding me towards the perfect publisher, and they were it. 

I pitched my book to them, and they very swiftly got back to me saying they wanted to do it. They had all the connections needed to get it into National Park bookstores. 

And they were the only publisher I pitched to.

It really felt like pure luck, but if you think about it, I had utilized all the methods to create luck, by design. With strategic planning, resilience, and a bit of “perfect place at the perfect time”, it came together. 

That moment felt like finding a four-leaf clover in a field of three-leaf ones.

The lesson: show up, put your work out there, be confident, know that you can achieve your goals, and sometimes, luck will come strolling by.

As we celebrate three years of Abby Leighton Studio , I'm reminded that luck isn't only about chance. It's about creating your own opportunities through planning, resilience, and being open to the unexpected. 

So here's to creating our own luck, to the adventures that lie ahead, and to all the four-leaf clovers we’ll find along the way.

Me with my book on sale in the Saguaro National Park Gift Shop (AZ), and Yellowstone National Park gift shop (WY)!