Heirloom Creative Strategies LLC was founded by Anna Sutter in April 2024 with a vision to support small businesses, organizations, and creatives in areas ranging from social media design and strategy to website design and digital organization.

In the spring of 2025, Anna began dedicating full-time energy to Heirloom. Services expanded to include brand boards and logo development, as well as the launch of Heirloom Hours — 1:1 sessions where Anna helps clients clarify goals, build confidence, and take actionable steps toward personal and professional growth.

Currently, Anna is working to expand offerings to include digital resources and virtual workshops, bringing her education background into this chapter of her work. She hopes to create accessible spaces where people can connect, share, and grow together.

As a child, I was fascinated by my grandma’s sewing machine and loved watching her work. One image that has stayed with me is a small pin cushion — a cloth tomato stuffed with cotton, holding needles. I can’t remember if it was my grandma’s or my mom’s, but I loved it.

When it came time to create a logo for Heirloom Creative Strategies, that pin cushion immediately came to mind. It became the perfect symbol for the heart of my business: using the creative strategy, skills, and tools passed down to me to build others up, hold space, and grow together.

While the logo may evolve over time, its core will always honor my grandma’s craft and the pin cushion that inspired it. It reminds me that “you never know whether you can or you can’t unless you try.”

Formally, a creative strategist is a marketing professional who blends creative thinking with strategic planning to develop and execute campaigns. But I like to break it down into two parts:

• creative: the power to bring something new into being or evolve something original from imagination

• strategist: someone who sets goals, determines actions to achieve them, and mobilizes resources to execute those actions

So how did I become a creative strategist? I simply stopped doubting that I could be one.

I’ve brought these skills into every professional role I’ve had, and now I have the space to enhance them and use them to bring more ideas to life for others.

I am a product of rural, small-town Indiana and graduated high school with about 85 classmates. I moved to Indianapolis to attend Butler University, where I earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology (with a focus in Research) and a Master’s in School Counseling. During my time in school, I worked in retail, the service industry, and childcare before taking a job as a school counselor. I served in that role for nearly five years and led the school counseling department during my final year.

I loved my work as a school counselor — 1:1 sessions, small group counseling, classroom lessons, and more. I miss working directly with students and helping others every day; however, the role itself was challenging due to the pressures many public schools face: limited resources, funding, and support. Over time, these challenges took their toll.

After my chapter in education, I spent a few years in the nonprofit sector, participating in discovery sessions, reviewing programs, and monitoring engagement. I learned a great deal from leadership, my team, and school partners, and this experience gave me the confidence to start Heirloom Creative Strategies on my own.

I have also been featured in outlets such as The New York Times Opinion, Bloomberg Business, and others for speaking out about my experience in education online.

My vision is to create a space where small businesses, organizations, and creatives can clarify their story, strengthen their presence, and grow with confidence — all through thoughtful, accessible, and personalized creative strategy.

I believe creativity is more than a skill; it’s a tool for empowerment. By offering intentional design, strategic guidance, and educational support, I help individuals and teams show up authentically, feel capable, and bring their ideas to life.