Lettering Works Business Journal - January in Review
~ NOW BOOKING PROJECTS FOR FEBRUARY & BEYOND ~ If you are interested in working together, I’d be happy to start the conversation and share more about how I can help you with your branding, design, and custom merchandise needs.
BUSINESS JOURNAL: A PLACE TO CELEBRATE WINS & REFLECT - 61ST EDITION
January’s highlights included reflecting on 2024 artist trades, working on two branding projects, spending a week in Tampa with friends, sketching new ideas for potential stickers and collaborations, and participating in the Faire Winter Market.
Artist Trade Program Highlight: Abstract painting by artist Elizabeth Shen
Chicago Pride Heart LED Neon Sign being installed in Pixie & The Boy’s storefront window
Chicago Pizza wooden sign
Mental Health Matters Wooden Sign
The Big Wins
Reflected on 7 Artist Trades from 2024. I provided 1:1 consulting, access to my online courses and custom designs in exchange for everything from an abstract painting to gifs to wedding-related services.
Experimented with new wooden signs and LED neon signs. I have two wooden signs made and got a new Chicago Pride Heart neon made that is up at Pixie & The Boy (and available for purchase).
Branding projects often start on paper but make their way to my iPad and computer
Photo with friends, Nicole and Emily, at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, FL
I packaged 8 wholesale orders during the Faire Winter Market
Lots of sketching happened this month
Collaborative Instagram Post with Sticker Giant for National Sticker Day
General Updates + Accomplishments:
Worked on two branding projects. One for a local food popup and another for a consultant. I also created a special custom illustration for a milestone birthday.
Spent a week in Tampa to enjoy time with friends. A big highlight was getting inspired at both the Dali Museum and USF’s Contemporary Art Museum. While it wasn’t quite as warm as I hoped, it was nice to get some extra steps in and see my friend’s new home!
Participated in the Faire Winter Market and got Top Shop status again. If you are interested in ordering wholesale from me, reach out for more information. If you haven’t ordered from Faire before, I am currently able to offer an exclusive special for 50% off your first order (up to $150).
Sketched new ideas for potential sticker collections and collaborations. I am excited to dedicate more time to passion projects this year and started brainstorming some fun ideas.
Collaborated with StickerGiant on an Instagram post for National Sticker Day. Check out the blog post that inspired them inviting me to collaborate. I also collaborated with Penny Lane on a local community-centric event.
Contributed to my Health Savings Account, IRAs as well as paid my annual sales tax and January’s estimated tax payment.
Continued painting on a near-daily basis. It’s been a fun practice to make time for art-making for the sake of creativity (and not business), especially as social media continues to get more stressful for small businesses and creators.
Spent a weekend in Milwaukee to celebrate my dad’s birthday. My dad has supported Lettering Works since before I established my business - he helped me develop my business plan and executive summary for the pitch competition I won in college. It’s always nice to get to spend some quality time with him and my other family in Milwaukee.
Met with my two mentors as part of Nest’s mentorship program with the Soucie Horner team. Angie and Ilana provided helpful feedback and ideas for my business development and growth over lunch. We will be meeting again in February, as the program consists of two, one-hour mentoring sessions.
January flew by and was filled with lots of hopeful project conversations. I enjoyed trading the negative temperatures in Chicago for the mild 40s to 60s of Tampa for a week and continuing to make time for creativity and art-making.
In February, I’m most excited to continue to work on all of the new things I’ve been starting as well as travel to Mexico City and Oaxaca for a little vacation with Daniel. Reach out if you’d like to work together, I am continuing to prioritize new branding and logo projects as well as custom merchandise and wholesale. I also have a few spots open as part of my Artist Trade Program.
Photo from Design Museum of Chicago community t-shirt design launch party
Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my entrepreneurial journey.
PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Send me the details now to ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2025. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.
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