Creative Business Real Talk

psst... Join our FREE 5-Day Calligraphy Challenge (starts Jan 14, 2024) If you’re hoping for more creative exploration and expression in 2024, I’m here to bust some myths about what it truly means to be “creative” and explain why as a society we need to re-think creativity just like we’re re-thinking SEX. Join me in this episode as I debunk some of the most common myths of creativity like: '...

Clarity can only come from Action  “There’s just no way to over-think yourself into true understanding. That’s why I’m walking away from this year with so many lessons.” - Shinah  This year, I did NOT hit my financial goals. And I beat myself up constantly… all while creating new offers, trying new business ventures, and feeling like a failure most of the time.  AND… I’m feeling really optimistic...

I’m officially back from Korea, and settling back into my CEO role as I break down how Crooked Calligraphy has fared in the 10 months since I’ve dismantled & rebuilt it once again! As I process my feelings and look back on the last year, I’ve had quite the love/hate relationship with its performance. While my revenue was almost spot on to my prediction, it came in multiple forms this year as o...

Dani has always had a life-long love affair with fancy pens and inks. After discovering me through my sweary calligraphy greeting cards on Reddit (crazy right?!?), she began her calligraphy journey in 2018 with my Modern Calligraphy 101 course.  When her mental health started to decline due to fertility issues, she made a promise to herself to focus on the future - going all-in and joining my “Cal...

I recently hosted a “Launch Your Profitable Product” Bootcamp, and my students had SO many questions about Etsy. So much so that I added an entire unit to my “Biz Starter Course” walking you through how to sell on Etsy. There are a LOT of strong opinions when it comes to Etsy. And since I have technically sold products on it since 2015, I figured it was time to throw my hat in the ring as well. I...

There are two ways to grow revenue “The calligraphers I see thriving often have a mix of revenue streams. ” - Shinah This episode started when I got an email from someone asking, sincerely and thoughtfully, whether it’s possible to make a living as a calligrapher WITHOUT teaching calligraphy .  So I answered her honestly… I myself make the vast majority of my money from my calligraphy online cours...

GROWTH CAN BE INCREDIBLY HARD “One of the most challenging parts of running a business is that it forces you to confront the parts of you that you’ve been AVOIDING your whole life .” - Shinah This is a deeply personal episode and warning, I get a unabshedly sniffly for the entire second half.  I share REAL FINANCIAL NUMBERS from my latest course launch and overall year … and why they are scaring t...

Let's face it - the real reason most people don't start their own business is because of FEAR . Those paralyzing "what ifs" in your mind ignite your true fears - fear of the unknown, fear of the judgement from others, fear of failure.... But what if there was a way to overcome those? Last week. I held my very first "Launch Your Profitable Product" Bootcamp for all my...

“Help, Shinah!! Someone wants to pay me to write their wedding song lyrics in calligraphy… is this allowed, or am  I going to get in copyright trouble?!?” The Short Answer? You might be violating copyright law, buuuuuut you probably won’t get in trouble for this one job.  The Long Answer? It’s complicated. I’ll try and explain it in easy terms (and keep myself from putting on my former lawyer hat...

What kind of person do you picture when you hear the word “entrepreneur” ?? A lot of us (as I did for most of my life) pictured rich, powerful men full of generational wealth. They were venture capitalists, stock brokers, or heads of giant corporations who drove around one of their many sports cars when they weren’t vacationing on their yacht in the Mediterranean.   The problem with that vision??...

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “CUD”?? Probably a cow chewing their cud (at least that’s what I think of) . BUT, there is an entirely different definition of “CUD” that can help you jumpstart a profitable creative business (stick with me here! ) In today’s episode, I define how to use the “CUD Method” (clear, unique, doable) to select the best product to sell in your bu...

How many of you have ever begin an Instagram caption with “I loved creating _______!”  Yeah, we’ve all been there. As creators, making things is what we LOVE to do! YOU’RE always going to love what you’re making… but are other people?  As sellers, we have to remember that we aren’t selling ourselves on our products- you’re selling to an audience. Oftentimes we need to put ourselves in THEIR shoes...

If you have ever tried to price a good for sale that you created, or you have but feel like you can’t quite hit the sweet spot- this episode is for you! I find SO MANY of my students wondering “How the hell do I price my products??” I totally get it- thumbing through the pages of Etsy researching competitors prices can have you feeling a little, well, lost. You see those rock bottom prices and thi...

What NOT to do when launching a course. “Looking back, there are some definite reasons why this launch under-performed.” - Shinah Today, I’m getting both STRATEGIC and quite VULNERABLE.  I’m looking at my latest launch of my Intermediate Calligraphy Course and analyzing why: A pre-launch runway is so important Too much content during a launch can be a BAD thing, and The #1 thing I’ve been neglecti...

Getting & Keeping High-Paying Corporate clients “Working with big brands is a different beast - they have certain standards and expectations when hiring a professional.” - Shinah This BONUS EPISODE is a snippet from a live training I did recently called “Confident Calligraphy Style (Stop Copying & Start Attracting High-Paying Clients” ….psst… I’m teaching it again live this Saturday, Sept...

Building a business in your hometown “ You don’t need a huge instagram audience or email list…you can grow a thriving business rooted in the physical PLACE and community you’re in.” - Shinah I have three stories for you today - all students of mine - all building calligraphy businesses very much based in their physical home towns. And those communities aren’t huge. In fact, two of them are in pret...

I’m back with the LAST episode in my “Business 101” Series! So far, I have guided you from the “explore” phase, through the “refining” phase, and now onto the “mastering” phase of building a well-established creative business.  Very few people get to the “mastering” phase- because it doesn’t just require working on your business, but rather yourself. This phase is not for the faint of heart ❤️(you...

We’re onto phase 2 this week of Business 101- Refining ! So you’ve explored and gotten your business off the ground- bravo!! You’ve found some customers, created a few product offerings, and have the framework established to build your business… now what?? In this week’s episode, we dive into phase 2 of my 3-part Business 101 series- refining! We’ll discuss what it looks and feels like to start ho...

Have you ever tried to start a business, but became paralyzed at the OVERHWHELMING list of to-do’s?? Trust me, I’ve been there. In the 8 years I’ve spent building Crooked Calligraphy, I’ve realized there are 3 distinct stages of building a business- exploring, refining, and mastering . Join me in this episode as I guide you through the 1st stage-  EXPLORING!  In stage 1 (where most of you probably...

Instagram is NOT what it was in 2015- YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THINKING THAT!  In the 8 years I’ve been using the platform to grow my business, IG has gone from static photo-only posts, to high-quality reels using trending audio, lightning fast transitions, and catchy hooks. When it comes to growth on Instagram, I’ve experienced it ALL. Stepping back, I have realized that finding a solid, specific goa...

I s my business feeling more joyful these days? “If you look at the numbers, I’m FAILING hard. But, there are so many ways in which I’m wildly succeeding…” - Shinah It’s time for a deeply personal and vulnerable evaluation of how I’m doing on my year-long RADICAL BUSINESS EXPERIMENT .  You know, the one where I declared that I would be running my business differently this year? (Less shoulds, more...

EVER DREAM OF DOING CALLIGRAPHY FOR A LIVING? “A calligraphy business was not something that crossed my mind at all when I started… I have terrible handwriting. Little did I know, two months later, I would leave my job to pursue calligraphy full-time.” - Shaochen Wu, Monstera Gold These four women show it’s totally POSSIBLE to do calligraphy as your main profession💪 Laura of @gertiescalligraphy M...

H ow do you end up running a nationwide calligraphy workshop biz with your  bestie? “We just put this first class together, winging it the whole time… and 60 students showed up.” - Meg Chaloner, Sip & Script Founder Today I’m talking to the co-founders of Sip & Script! Meg Chaloner and Julie Mancini - who met in 2015 when they were the only calligraphers at a wedding vendor fair in Boston....

I f you struggle with practicing calligraphy (or anything else!) consistently… “You’re not lacking in discipline. What’s stopping you is perfectionism.” - Shinah I hear from so many people that they WANT to get good at calligraphy… and they know that it takes PRACTICE…. but they just never get around to actually doing it.  Well, spoiler alert: MORE DISCIPLINE IS NOT THE ANSWER! Today, I’m helping...

THE LEGAL STUFF IN BUSINESS CAN SEEM REALLY SCARY. “There’s a big difference between law in THEORY and law in PRACTICE. Dealing with legal stuff on a human relationship level makes it much less intimidating.” - Shinah Today, I’m giving you a casual legal education =)  Some of you may know that I used to a corporate lawyer. So I want to break down all the scary “law” stuff in plain terms that you c...