Business Journal: a place to celebrate wins & reflect - 27th Edition

March’s highlights included launching a new lettering course, attending the grand opening of Radish Kitchen, and celebrating World Kidney Day.

The Big Wins

• Launched Learn Lettering with Chelsie Tamms. This new online course is an expanded version of the popular in-person lettering workshop I used to teach. The course contains 20 videos that will help you go from frustrated scribbles to lovely lettering. No experience is required; access is on-demand (and lasts for 90 days).

• Attended the Grand Opening of Radish Kitchen in Peoria. Jam officially opened her doors on March 1st and we were there to celebrate, surrounded by many creative Peoria friends. Radish Kitchen is located in CampusTown near Bradley University and offers vegan meals and lots of great grab-and-go options too.

• Celebrated World Kidney Day and National Kidney Month. March 10th was World Kidney Day and we celebrated by wrapping up work on a custom sticker and conference booth backdrop for a pharmaceutical company that is currently working on a drug for polycystic kidney disease.

General Updates + Accomplishments:

• Wrapped up the third cohort of Self-Made Artist Academy. With many requests for another cohort this year, I am looking at running the fourth cohort this summer. Get on the waitlist here to be notified when doors are open next.

• Collaborated with another local artist to create a Mental Health Matters sticker. Rachel of MoonPerl had an unfortunate incident at her last art opening and it sparked a collaboration and interview on the blog. Read more about Rachel’s brain cancer diagnosis and the importance of mental health for artists here.

• Enjoyed Chicago’s ease into spring. Highlights included long walks in the neighborhood and a photoshoot with our favorite photographer Chantal. We enjoyed food from favorite spots like Wyler Road, Chief O’Neill’s, Big Jones, and Gajin as well as tried new places like Mother’s Ruin (new in Avondale), Monti’s (they have the best cheesesteaks), The Kennison, and BiXi Beer.

• Hit 100 reviews on Google (and celebrated one year as a local guide). My mission a Google Review hobbyist is to promote local businesses and encourage that more people support and discover new local options.

• Selected for the Madewell Hometown Heroes Program. Select Lettering Works products are now available at the Madewell on Southport alongside three other local makers’ goods. I missed opening weekend due to being sick, so more to come soon!

• Participated as a panelist at the Women in Design Breakfast hosted by General Assembly and Ladies, Wine & Design Chicago. I was honored to be asked to share my experiences as a small business owner and female designer and really enjoyed the questions and conversations that happened. I also partnered with AMIDST Creatives to bring back the Friendly Artist Hangouts. We plan to continue to co-host them monthly.

• Introduced two new sticker sheets. You can find the new Chicago and Mental Health Matters sticker sheets on our website shop. Coming to Faire and select local stores soon!

• Joined Bulletin! Bulletin is a woman-owned wholesale marketplace. They share on their website that “The best retail experiences - the stores we all love - are powered by an invisible web of small businesses championing each other and cheering each other on.”

• Celebrated Daniel’s grandma. While it was sad to attend Grandma Goddard’s funeral, we enjoyed seeing many of Daniel’s family members we hadn’t seen for years. Lots of fond memories were shared, as well as many slices of Monical’s Pizza.

March felt like a bit of a wash with a week-long trip and then being sick for a couple weeks, but I was excited to launch the new lettering course ahead of schedule and enjoy some long walks during the warmer days.

In April, I am most looking forward to launching a really fun new collection and accomplishing a pretty big goal I set for myself upon moving to Chicago. I can’t wait to share more details soon!

BONUS: Favorite photos from our recent shoot with Chantal Pryor Photography.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my journey.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Grab your free 20-minute project consultation + ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2022. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.