2019 was such a big year for Lettering Works that I really felt the pressure to start 2020 off right and continue to hit the ground running. Maybe that’s exactly why I felt so much disappointment in the slow start of this year. As much as I was ready for lots of new projects to kick off, I found myself with a pretty large amount of downtime. I used this extra time to plan, strategize, and organize - which I think will pay off very soon.

I’m making a point to reflect weekly and monthly this year on the big and small wins, as well as lessons learned. As a business owner, I often feel pulled in 100 different directions and forget to take time to celebrate and enjoy the little things. This new monthly business journal blog post is my little space to reflect and share my business journey with you all.

The Big Wins

• Lettering Works is officially an LLC. I began the process of filing back in December when I met with an advisor from the Small Business Development Center. Some nervousness and phone calls to the Secretary of State office later, Lettering Works, LLC was established January 24, 2020.

• Enamel pins are in production. The Field Museum placed an order for 4,000 enamel pins at the end of last year and they’ve been in production all of January. I’m admittedly most excited for the deep dish pizza slice pin, but all four designs are looking so good.

• Featured Artist spread in Design Calendar’s Failure Edition. I shared my feelings about failure and its role in the creative process. It’s publication couldn’t have come at a better time - feelings of failure are inevitable and truly essential to growth.

General Updates:

• I helped business owners get “On Brand in 2020” with individualized consulting calls. A major theme for me this year is working smarter, not harder. I translated this concept directly to the offerings I provided by hopping on video calls with business owners who wanted to distill down their marketing efforts to what moved their business forward most and focus on that more in 2020.

• I spent LOTS of time networking and meeting other passionate creatives this month. I attended Sunnyside Chats, Tuesday’s Together, Roundtable at 2112, a Logan Squarist meetup, a Chicago Department of Aviation Expo, Handmade Happy Hours, the & Rise Vision Board Party, and a Northwest Side Networking Reception. In addition to these events, I met up with several creatives one-on-one to learn more about them and their work. I even have some new collaborations in the work as a result.

• I delivered products to two new retail locations. Lettering Works merchandise is now stocked at both Foursided Card + Gift in Lakeview and Women & Children First, a bookstore in Andersonville.

• I hired an accountant. As much as I love to know the numbers of my business, it’s time to hand it back over to a professional again. I’m already feeling way less stressed about tax season.

• I recorded an episode on the People of Peoria podcast and interviewed as part of the #WorkforceWednesday campaign with District 155. It was fun to talk about some of my favorite Peoria spots and the community as a whole with Austin and Alex for their newly launched podcast. I also enjoyed diving deeper into my creative journey from high school to now with D155’s communications specialists. I am hopeful that my episode in the series will inspire young creatives to consider a career path in the arts.

• I worked on couple small illustration projects. Client work was less than usual, but I had a couple fun projects to work on between all my goal-setting and planning.

• I designed a new collection of stickers centered around plants. It will be launched sometime in late February. I am working on getting all the pieces in place for a successful launch, including a professional photo session with Sarah Waldo of Violet and Ivy Photography, which is scheduled for early February when I’m visiting Peoria for the Business of Art Conference.

• I shared my second artist collaboration. Hustle Chicago participant Connie Bickford, approached me late last year with an interest in creating a unique sticker to aid in her fundraising efforts for the Respiratory Health Association. 

• I worked on a new passion project that I plan to launch in March. More details to come on this soon. Also in the passion project category, I made some fun designs for Portland that I plan to hand out to new connections when I’m visiting.

Three things I am looking forward to in February are speaking at the Business of Art Conference in Peoria, traveling to Portland for First Round, a one-day branding conference, and sharing my new plant designs with you all.

As always, I am looking for new and exciting opportunities in the Peoria and Chicago areas and beyond. If you or someone you know would like to work on a project with me, send me a message via the website contact form.