Our story
Hello! Thank you for visiting our site! We are so glad you are here.
My name is Mara, myself and my partner, Gloria, are the artists, founders and owners of Artery Ink. Artery Ink was first an idea back in 2014. It started in a tiny 10x10 spare bedroom and has now turned into a global brand! We have 6 team members and work out of a 4,800 square-foot studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!
How did we get here? Lots of hard work, dedication and lots of love! The inspiration for our brand was our health. Have you ever had constant stomach pain? But thought “oh well, I have a sensitive stomach, this is normal”? Well, it’s not, and you deserve to feel GREAT! It was after the death of some close family members that we went on our own health journey and for the first time really learned about what went on inside of us. Hello, did you know how cool digestion is!? We didn’t! We became fascinated with what was happening under our skin and that changed our whole lives.
We started to cook differently, think about ourselves differently, and started to act differently. Naturally, everything else in our lives changed too. We felt like we found our purpose and we knew exactly what we were here to do.
I’m a trained illustrator and Gloria is a graphic designer. We knew we had to pair our passion for health and wellness with art, and in the blink of an eye, ARTERY INK was born! We also love puns, of course!
We started by creating greeting cards, prints and t-shirts. As the business grew, we added stickers, coloring books and more. We even have a quarterly subscription box! As we grew, our connections did too and we started to create custom apparel for healthcare professionals. We immediately loved connecting with so many different healthcare professionals and learning about the intricacies of the hard work you all do!
In 2020 when the world fell apart our hearts started to break for our healthcare friends and we thought “what can we do to help?” We created two new designs and raised money through the sale of them for a local “feed the frontline” campaign. You blew us away and, together, we raised over $12,000!
Since then the core of Artery Ink has turned to giving. In the following months and years we created a collection called the Community Collection. Filled with products that raise money for causes this community believes in and wants to support. Things like mental health, pancreatic cancer awareness, organ transplant and so much more! In 2022, together, we supported over 20 non-profit organizations and donated over $36,000 collectively!
We’re excited to share our story with you, but even MORE excited to hear yours!! Thank you for your support and love, we hope to show it right back!
Love,
Mara & Gloria
*the picture above was taken by Chelsea Matson Photography
GLORIA
Hi, I’m Gloria and I am one of the co-owners/creators/artists of Artery Ink. I started drawing at a young age and was always focused on details and patterns. I was very interested in science and the human body. I grew up in Mexico City and worked many different jobs while I was there. I then moved to Milwaukee with my family when I was 19. I worked for 17 years in the service industry and there I found my love for customer service. At Artery Ink my main focus is drawing, design, production. My tools are always a black pilot pen and blank paper, as everything I do is hand-drawn.
In my spare time I love to hike, travel, spend time with family, work with clay or my 3D pen, cook, and see Katy Perry!
MARA
Hello, I’m Mara - I am one of the co-owners/creators/artists of Artery Ink. I have always loved art as it ran in my family. At a young age I was fascinated with drawing horses, doodling and science (The Magic School Bus was my fave show!! Remember when they went inside the body! So cool).
I grew up in Chicago but moved to Milwaukee to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and graduated with an Illustration degree in 2009. Ironically my first job right out of school was to draw a liver for a local scientific magazine (foreshadowing anyone!?). I have many jobs at Artery Ink but my main focus is graphic design, illustration, sales and marketing. My favorite tools are my iPad and Apple Pencil #notanadd
In my spare time I love to read, write, travel, hike, ride my bike, and anything to do with Katy Perry! Biggest Milwaukee KatyCat right here!
EMILY
Hello, I’m Emily and I’ve been best friends with Gloria and Mara since 2010. I’ve always loved art and creating things with my hands. I grew up in Milwaukee and was a social worker for many years, where I learned the importance of human connection and giving back. I "officially" began working for Artery Ink in 2019. (Although... I did help package shirts back in 2014 when it all began). I have done pretty much every job role here at Artery - starting with order fulfillment and now... I am the customer service manager and official email liaison. I have an extra special focus on custom apparel, community collection products, and custom design! If you've set up a custom order with us, you have talked to me! If you want to see how cute my kiddo is, just be sure to follow Artery Ink on social media!
MEG
Hi, I'm Meg! I'm pretty sure I was hired because I'm "tall" and can reach things on the top shelf. I grew up in Muskego and love to hike, I love to to go antiquing and sometimes paint, but don't ask me about the paintings (I won't show you!) I was hired in 2021. I started out as order fulfillment but I am now on the customer service team. I specialize in helping you with your orders (do you need to exchange something? Are you wondering where you package went?) I can probably answer these questions! I am also the manager of our quarterly subscription box "get pumped!" and I run the secret employee Facebook group. If Artery throws a party, I'm also the planner of that said party! You can count on my for cute decor and a theme! I love to be a part of the creative process when it comes to brainstorming ideas and helping to decide on new products!
SHAWN
Hey, my name is Shawn aka friendo. I met Mara and Gloria a dozen or so years ago in the restaurant industry and stayed in touch ever since. During the pandemic I was a stay at home dad that would make occasional appearances at Artery to bring lunch and eventually help with folding shirts. This quickly turned into a full time position in the warehouse department processing and shipping pre-order (custom) apparel items.
I love spending time with my wife and kids, cooking, and going on bike rides. Once day I hope to come in third place on Jeopardy.
JAMIE
Hi, I'm Jamie! I started working at Artery Ink in 2022 as the official marketing manager. Prior to that I started my own small business called The Wild Ones. I create and sell organic clothing geared towards kids! I apparently don't like free time because I still run my small business, work at Artery, have two kids, plus a dog and a bunch of chickens and ducks! I dream to own a small farm one day, and maybe get a goat. I love supporting small businesses, spending time with my family, hiking, and antiquing.
general questions - please email info@arteryink.com
questions about an existing order or a wholesale order - please email orders@arteryink.com
questions about a custom order or a custom project - please email custom@arteryink.com