Pauline A. Ibarra is the calligrapher and letterer behind Happy Hands Project. She was first introduced to the art of dipping pens in ink when she was completing her Fine Arts degree. She was re-introduced to calligraphy while preparing for her wedding in 2010, and never looked back. She taught herself modern calligraphy and spent two years honing her style.
We recently interviewed Pauline about starting a calligraphy business. Here is what she had to say…
What is the name of your business? And what does it do?
Happy Hands Project is my little corner on the web. I provide custom calligraphy and lettering pieces for weddings — from stationery, day-of details, envelope addressing, framed custom quotes — practically anything that can be written with ink, I’m in! HHP also provides calligraphy logos and in-person modern calligraphy classes.
When did you get started with calligraphy?
I was planning for my wedding in 2010 where I was re-introduced to pointed pen calligraphy. I was only able to teach myself the craft in 2012 when I received a kit from my husband, though it has always been at the back of my mind. To be honest, it was tough! I taught myself some more, and was able to nail a style a couple of years after. Yep — it took me that long!
What inspired you to learn calligraphy?
I’ve always liked to write. My handwriting has always been neat, and I have a thing for writing instruments. Since I was a kid I’ve been messing around with markers, creating lettering for my classmates and writing letters to my friends. I guess me falling in love with calligraphy was bound to happen at some point. If there was one thing that I can say ‘inspired’ me to pursue calligraphy, it was seeing all these beautifully-written wedding stationery. I thought learning this for my wedding would be tough, how about if I make brides’ dreams come true and help make their weddings beautiful in my own little way?
When did you realize this could become a business?
All I wanted at the start was to document my calligraphy journey through my blog. When I started getting custom orders for hand-lettering and calligraphy quotes, that’s when I realized that I can actually monetize this skill.
How long was it before you designed your first product?
When I started Happy Hands Project, it was meant to be a blog to share my learning journey in calligraphy. Little did I know that I will be taking custom orders a few months afterwards. I started out with writing custom quotes and wedding logos.
How did you find your first customers?
My first customers found me through Etsy. I started posting digital printables of my lettering pieces, and I even remember my first sale (two chalkboard style printables ordered from the Hamptons)! I’ve found a steady stream of customers from Etsy during the first few months.
When did you start teaching other calligraphy?
I sweet-talked by friends to start teaching, and I bit the bullet and opened my first class in 2014.
What made you decide to start teaching?
There was an absence of pointed pen calligraphy workshops here in Singapore during the time I was learning it. All I could do was watch online videos and scour Pinterest for lessons, which were hardly abundant at the time. I thought, if I wanted to keep this traditional art form going, lessons should be readily available. An in-person workshop is definitely the way to go, so that was when I started planning my first workshop.
What is your best advice for people just getting started with calligraphy?
Pointed pen calligraphy is a beautiful art form, but it’s not easy. I struggled when I was starting out but I’m glad I carried on. My best advice? Don’t give up! Have tools and materials that would work in harmony together, and practice, practice, practice. The good thing about modern calligraphy is that one is able to let her personality shine through, so go for it.
Are you interested in learning how to build your own calligraphy business? Pauline will be teaching a session during our online workshop calligraphy workshop next month. This three-day live online workshop will show you how to build a calligraphy business from scratch. You can see the full schedule and get signed up here.
The post Starting Your Calligraphy Business appeared first on Maker Mentors.