Creative Business Real Talk

Calligraphy engravers are in high demand right now.  And you don’t have to have YEARS of experience to get paid for it! In this episode, I’m breaking down the fastest, simplest path to landing your first paid calligraphy engraving job—even if you’re still a beginner. I’ve seen students with just a few months of experience book real gigs… and I’m showing you exactly how they did it. This episode is...

Teaching, either in-person or online, can be an amazing way to connect with other creative souls, hone your craft, and have fun sharing your passion.  So in this episode, I’m revisiting my 2024 interview with one of my former students, Melissa, and sharing with you how she went from making $140 with her calligraphy in 2024, to over $5200 in 2026 (all while keeping her day job managing thousands of...

Brands are booking their holiday activations right now. Envelopes need addressing. Shops are planning their December events. And if you’ve been waiting to feel “ready” - this is your window. This is a short, tactical episode with three things you can actually do this week to land holiday calligraphy work. No fancy website required. No huge following. Just a skill that’s good enough and the willing...

How can my profits be booming in the worst year of my personal life like… ever?  2026 has been a lot. Dad in the hospital. A family member in crisis. A dog with terminal cancer. A sinking patio, a leaking car, and just... the world. And yet - my business is strong even though I’ve had very little creative energy to pour into it. I want to show you exactly why, based on the data. What we get into:...

A potential student asked me something recently that struck me DEEP: "What if you've already chased so many dreams and they've all failed… a voice inside says don’t even try again, it won't work." I’m so glad she asked because this is a feeling a lot of people are quietly carrying around. So I wanted to answer her out loud (and my response is a lot more nuanced than just “...

This is a story about what's possible when you just don't give up - even when life gets in the way, even when progress is slow, even when you're still figuring it out. And finding a passion that funds the kind of lifestyle you want. Jasmine learned calligraphy with us in 2020. She spent years dabbling - charging $50 for friend's weddings, putting her business on the back burner...

Pro Calligrapher Bundle open through Sept 30 → https://crookedcalligraphy.lpages.co/courses/ --- In 2024, Melissa emailed me excited... she was two months into learning calligraphy from me and had just landed her first PAID JOB:  $140 for wedding envelopes. She was loving calligraphy, but felt a little nervous about competing with other, more established calligraphers in South Florida. Two years l...

What if your breakthrough is just two simple steps away? This week on the podcast, you’ll meet Sophilia - a student who proves that you’re closer than you think. She enrolled in our Modern Calligraphy 101 Program in January 2025.  By October 2025, her calligraphy was pro-level. But she still felt stuck, unsure, and desperate for direction. So I gave her two clear action steps… and what happened ne...

I’ve watched calligraphers go from $1 place cards to $10,000+ events, all in the past decade… and in this episode I break down exactly why. This will help YOU better understand the psychology behind sophisticated, luxury pricing. We cover 3 Pricing Mindsets I’ve seen since I started my business in 2016: Per-piece pricing: The “starving artist turned grateful business owner” mindset Hourly pricing:...

LEARN CALLIGRAPHY FOR FREE: https://crookedcalligraphy.lpages.co/challenge/ -- Live events are one of the most fun and lucrative things you can do as a calligrapher.  In this tactical episode, I’ll tell you everything you need to know: who to pitch, what to charge, and how to show up so brands actually hire you again. What I cover: (2:57) What live calligraphy looks like — engraving, bottle painti...

Free Calligraphy Challenge : crookedcalligraphy.com/challenge I turn 45 today, so I'm looking back at the moments that shaped this decade of entrepreneurship: the highs that taught me the joys of business, and the lows that taught me even more. 3 FAVORITE MOMENTS Buzzfeed Listicle Feature! Just 8 months into my biz, I got featured in list of Sweary Stationery… but I learned the hard way that...

There’s been a dark divide whispered in the calligraphy community for years.  This summer, a single Instagram post brought it into the light. And I have thoughts. The post argued that calligraphy is "suffering" - that the rapid popularization of calligraphy has led to aesthetics over discipline, too much commercialization, and a dilution of standards. It got 400+ comments, divided the co...

I asked over 5,000 calligraphers: “What's ONE QUESTION you would ask your favorite calligraphy business owner?” The result surprised me because one theme kept coming up again and again. And it wasn’t permits or portfolios or pricing or websites… The question that kept getting asked is:  “When did you know you were READY to go from hobby to business?” “What was the a-ha moment when you realize...

I took 2 allergy pills, passed out for most of the day... and it was still good for my business. This episode is my honest, unfiltered check-in on where I'm at after a hectic year and a wildly successful Summit - and why I'm choosing rest over hustle right now, even with a Challenge coming up in September. In this episode: The unglamorous truth about my "day off" - mosquito bit...

I've never told my whole story in one episode. Until now. This is the one where I go all the way back - the Korean American kid who peed her seat in third grade rather than raise her hand, the Harvard grad who didn't know what to do once she got there, the corporate lawyer who hit a health scare at 31 and finally started asking the question she'd been avoiding for years. And then: c...

How I went from WORST YEAR EVER…. to a bulging business bank account. It’s time for our 2026 Mid-Year Recap: an honest behind-the-scenes of a true rollercoaster of a year. And I'm doing after getting back from vacation literally last night. I’m jet-lagged, I’m teaching a live training tonight — and honestly? Not mad about any of it. Because I chose it. And that feels like the whole point of t...

Belle thought in 2019 she had her dream job as a nurse helping take care of terminally ill patients on a daily basis… until the real burnout hit her. Between COVID taking over in her job, and needing a creative outlet, Belle started dreaming about calligraphy as a source of relaxation at a time when she needed an escape the most. Join me as I chat with Belle about how she went from an overworked n...

"How do people actually generate a living as a calligrapher? I thought it was all $3 place cards and making a few dollars for painstakingly writing envelopes...” If you've ever thought that, this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m sharing excerpts from 3 different speaker presentations from my “Art & Business of Modern Calligraphy Summit”: (2:38) Shaochen of Monstera Gold share...

Forget the 40-page business plan. Here's what actually works when you're just starting out. In this episode, I'm walking you through my Calligraphy Starter Business Plan: 3 categories, 9 questions, and zero room for overthinking yourself into paralysis. 1. 🖊️Your Product/Service - What to offer first (choose one for now!) - What related upgrades you could add for the same clients -...

What if I told you I sat on something for years that I REALLY wanted to do - but the fear overwhelmed me?  Sounds QUITE the opposite of the, “go for it” and, “YOU can do it” mentality I put out to the world, right?? As comfortable as I look online with a camera in front of me, you should see me at a party… Stuck to my husband. Biding my time in a corner till we leave. Worried no one wants to be my...

Sharing a personal update on what has been the busiest time in my business since my Million-Dollar-Revenue years.  In this episode, I share: A big, exciting project I’ve been working on that has been pushing on the most vulnerable parts of myself My new approach to Facebook Ads and what it’s teaching me The hard personal stuff that has been forcing me to re-prioritize  You never really “arrive” at...

If you've ever caught yourself saying "I'll start getting clients when my calligraphy is good enough" — this episode is going to mess with your head a little. In a good way. In addition to being a former corporate lawyer and now a calligrapher, you might be surprised to hear I also have a Harvard degree in psychology!. And after years of watching my students get hired, I can te...

Mian was a burned-out, unhappy tax lawyer who had quit calligraphy — twice. She had dabbled in it as a kid after her dad bought her a calligraphy set, and again as an adult, but her confidence got the best of her.  After adding the titles of lawyer, wife, and mother, calligrapher got pushed to the backburner. But with one brave, “I’m a calligrapher!” proclamation to a fellow creative years after h...

If feeling “behind” leads to you disappearing... your perfectionism might be quietly sabotaging your life.  In this episode, I’m unpacking the hidden reason so many high achievers quit, disappear, or stay stuck in cycles of burnout and perfectionism (all from personal experience!).  Because the truth is that perfectionism doesn’t create success. It creates shame, overwhelm, and emotional freeze. A...

Think you need to be an expert before teaching calligraphy? You don’t. In this episode of Creative Biz Real Talk , I break down exactly how I taught a fully booked calligraphy workshop (with a waitlist!) —and how you can confidently teach your first class, even if you’re still growing your skills. The secret? You don’t teach everything—you teach what matters (and even if you don’t think teaching i...