May 22nd marked 1 whole year since I added calligraphy design into my little company... aka please stop time because it's moving way too quickly. In celebration of this milestone, I ate a Sweet Petite cookie (thank you, Jenna!) and wrote this blog post about 8 things I've learned since making it official with calligraphy:
1. Two Words: Time. Management. My life was crazy enough with just the wedding planning aspect of things (in case you didn't know, wedding planning was my first love and then calligraphy came into the picture as the purest form of serendipity), so add in career path #2 and suddenly workaholism gets VERY real. I'm the first to admit that I easily get swept up in working late into the night... mostly because my work often doesn't feel like work! But, I am human, and working 24/7 does wear on me, just like with anyone else. Creating daily schedules to stay organized and treating weekdays as 9-5's keeps me from working at midnight and also allows me to maintain a personal life outside of KE.
2. Trust Timing. (Apparently time is a major theme here). There are months when I can barely keep my head above water (I see you, peak wedding season!) and then there are months when the lulls are so long that I question if I'm supposed to be doing this, have a panic attack (or 5), and swear I'm going to give up. But then I don't, because as it turns out, it always works out. Every time. Without fail. If you're doing what you're meant to be doing, everything always falls back into place.
3. Community is Everything. I've never been much of a "competitor", so this whole movement to encourage community is right up my alley! And my industry community/tribe/squad is AMAZING. Without the incredible, ever-encouraging people in the Seattle wedding industry (and beyond! Shout-out to my international IG community), I can honestly say that I'd be 10000000% lost. Thank you to every single one of you who have helped me/inspired me/given me opportunities to create things for you (or your client)/made me want to spend hours learning how to write that "s" the way you did. I'm forever grateful.
4. Know Your Limit. My biggest struggle. I am horrible at saying "no", but I'm slowly learning that I am, in fact, NOT superwoman and I do need down time to de-stress, revamp, and reflect, so that I can be at my absolute best for my clients and couples (hence #1). I'll letcha know if I ever find the perfect balance.
5. Passion > Coffee. But seriously. Nothing energizes me more than working on a project that uses every ounce of my creative energy. Or connecting with a couple who are excited to be in love and excited to celebrate that love and excited to include me in that celebration. I don't think I"ll ever lose that distinct giddy feeling I get when a couple decides they want me to be any part - big or small - of their wedding day.
6. Get a Second Opinion. Sometimes, no matter how many hours I spend, or how many times I write it out, there's just something missing. I tend to want to figure it out on my own, but I'm learning that asking someone else to take a fresh look at a project can be the absolute best decision. BIG thanks to my mama for spending countless hours looking at calligraphy spacing/sizing and for giving me ideas that are often better than I ever would've thought of. I'm sorry if you hate letters because of me... ;)
7. Practice, Practice, Practice. Oh, and Practice. With a Heaping Spoonful of Patience. People always ask "how did you learn to do that!?" Guys. Hours upon hours upon hours of time spent writing out words is how. My patience has been tested multiple times - probably the most difficult aspect of calligraphy for me. There is no quick fix here. There's no such thing as rushing when it comes to calligraphy and nibs can be freaking difficult sometimes (typically when you need them to cooperate the most).I love learning and feel like there's always something to learn in every aspect of life, but this is especially true with calligraphy. I feel like I'm just now recognizing my own unique lettering style... but then that style can be so fluid, depending on the nib I'm using, or the day of the week, or my current mood. It's a never-ending series of creative question marks and that's part of what makes it so challenging & so much fun.
8. Step Forward. (Take the Leap) Even when it's terrifying. If your intuition is screaming "go for it!!!", then do it. I've found that the scariest opportunities are often the ones that force you to learn things you never would've learned otherwise and open your eyes to brand new ideas and strategies for future endeavors. Cliche or not, life is much too short to play it safe.
Here's to Year #2!! If you're even half as good as Year #1, I'm a happy girl.
