At 28, this law graduate paid off more than $75,000 in student loans by selling stickers and coloring books
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
In 2019, Elyse Burns entered Duke University’s law school, financing her $63,000 tuition and living costs with federal loans. Law was a practical path, or so it seemed—until she realized her future might lie far from courtrooms and closer to a paintbrush.
“I feel like everybody knows you can make a good living as a lawyer, and you can’t as an artist, and that’s sort of like the stereotype,” says Burns, now 28. But her journey was about to defy those expectations.
From Etsy Canvas to a Growing Brand
Burns began selling hand-painted canvases on Etsy in 2015. She marked her 18th birthday by opening a bank account and launching her Etsy shop. Within a week, she sold her first two pieces and uncovered a market for her talents.
By 2020, as the world shifted and online sales soared, her company, Elyse Breanne Design, brought in $360,000 in sales. What started as a simple art side hustle was quickly snowballing into a full-fledged business, even as she balanced the demands of law school.
Two Paths, One Decision
During law school, her summer job at Duke’s First Amendment clinic offered a taste of legal work. Yet, as days wore on, her mind drifted to her unfinished paintings. “I was doing exactly what I wanted to do legally, and I was still kind of like, ‘man, I just want to get this done for the day so I can paint,’” she admits.
In 2020, Burns joined TikTok, posting her artwork and sharing stories about balancing a business and law studies. Audiences took notice, fueling the growth of her brand. She expanded distribution on wholesale platform Faire, connecting directly with retailers.
This momentum forced a crucial choice: pursue a potentially high-paying legal career to pay off student loans, or chase the passion that had become more profitable than she imagined. Neither the rapid payoff of corporate law nor the long game of public service loan forgiveness appealed to her.
After talking it through with her now-husband, the decision became clear. He supported her switch, trusting that her drive and business acumen would cover her debts. Still, Burns felt compelled to see her law degree through to the end. “Even though I knew this wasn’t going to be necessary—the degree wasn’t going to do much for me—I think it was something that I was so convinced I needed to do.”
Turning Art into Opportunity
When she graduated in 2022, her federal loans were still in the pandemic-era interest-free forbearance period, motivating her to pay them off before interest resumed. By September 2023, she’d cleared more than $75,000 in student loans, all without ever practicing law.
Burns estimates her total costs at $63,000 per year for law school, plus $20,000 in living expenses, offset in part by a $25,000 annual scholarship and paying for her third year out of pocket. She continued to share documentation of her debt-free milestone with CNBC Make It.
Building a Multimillion-Dollar Creative Enterprise
The company’s growth didn’t slow down. In 2025, Elyse Breanne Design reached $4.6 million in sales, spanning online channels and her stationery store, Mill and Meadow, which she opened in Durham, North Carolina in 2022. Burns remains the sole owner, with 18 full-time employees on her team, continually reinvesting profits to expand the brand.
With growth came new challenges. “A growing business comes with constantly expanding needs, which is a great problem to have,” she reflects. Every commercial space she’s rented since 2021 has eventually been outgrown. Major retailers like Blick Art Materials and dozens of Hallmark stores now carry her products, and her next big aim is to land in more big box stores.
Navigating the unpredictable journey of entrepreneurship, she sometimes considers the allure of selling her business—but only briefly. “I don’t know what else I would do,” she says. “It has my name on it. I would just want to start another business just like this, if I were to sell.” For now, the plan is to keep going, wherever the path leads.
In Burns’ story, the lines between practical career and personal dream blur. Her experience serves as a reminder that careers can be built on unexpected foundations—and following your creative instincts can change the shape of success itself.
