This episode is all about my "Why". Why do I do calligraphy year after year? I hope that the things I bring up in this podcast episode will provoke you to think about your why which will in the more challenging times in our industry will prove to be your north star!

Please enjoy episode TWELVE, thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe wherever you like to listen to podcasts!

--ct

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Resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

Thanks for listening... This episode is all about how I approach themed weddings and special events. If you are shying away from these kinds of events, I'm hoping that you will change your perspective after hearing this podcast.

Examples:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CehXyVAj4I5/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZ14B9Hv7z_/

Theme Reference:

http://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/Theme-Example.pdf

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Resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

This episode is important for all of our personal development. The more dissatisfied I am with my work and the more I seek to refine my offerings, the better I'll be at calligraphy and hand lettering.

Here is an excerpt from my ebook: "How to Letter Mirrors" and it shows the progression of some of my lettering and how visually it evolved:

http://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/page10.pdf

I share 5 best practices for self critiquing work in this episode and I go further in my paid resource Improving Your Calligraphy Signage - Tips and Best Practices: https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct/new-digital-item/bdd0c628-9fd3-492c-861f-836a3e8bfae3

I also share 99+ FREE tips (all targeted on helping you letter) on my IG highlight simply named "Tips":

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17857405615413929/

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Other resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

This episode was inspired by the sheer volume of signage that I had to drop off to an event on Sunday. Its easy to make errors and there are some ways to mitigate pitfalls and enjoy success...

My poor sign from last year:

https://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/IMG_5187.PNG

Free signage delivery checklist:

http://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/signagechecklist.pdf

Thanks for listening!

--ct

-----------------

Resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

The annual IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting) conference is in Scranton, PA this year (starts 7/17/23) and I wanted to share some of my own "not-so-obvious" hacks on how to get the most out of what can be a pretty breathtaking and wondrous experience for a calligrapher. Highly recommend you attend at least once!

Link to IAMPETH membership: https://www.iampeth.com/membership

Link to some great IAMPETH guide sheets: https://www.iampeth.com/collection/guide-sheets

Review of shared hacks:

CORRECTION: I meant to say I-94, NOT I-65 to Milwaukee!

Until next week...

--ct

Now that social calligraphers are entering one of the busiest parts of wedding and event season, its typically time for me to take on another task... 4Q planning.

In this episode I share 5 reasons why I don't wait to begin working on and planning for 4Q! I'm also sharing some documents that will help you prepare if this is something that you'd like help with. Thanks for listening and I'll see you soon!

FREE RESOURCES:

Populated Calligrapher's Calendar (to give you a framework/some ideas):

http://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/calligraphersmarketingcalendar.pdf

Blank Calligrapher's Calendar:

http://www.calligraphybyct.com/s/BLANKCALLIGRAPHERCALENDAR2.pdf

PAID RESOURCE:

Detailed how to guide on how to prep for 4Q as a social calligrapher! This is the PERFECT time to grab...

https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct/new-digital-item/ea1df139-f44f-417d-a6a5-f8e166fc9982

Have you dipped a toe into AI tech yet? This podcast episode has been recorded with the hopes that you will finally give it a try, or if you are already using it, this episode will help you use it more effectively.

There are countless ways to use AI and as calligraphers we should take advantage of the enormous databank of information that this app is sitting on. I know I talked about scaling and marketing your business, but don't forget about more practical advice you can seek out. Think workshops and mindfulness to name a couple.

Its becoming harder and harder to capture and keep the attention of audiences that are inundated with information, tips, offers, etc. I encourage you to use AI to help you with developing strategies to get more eyeballs on your work and your brand, and it will also help you provide the value that they need.

Grab my Cheat Sheet

80+ Chat GPT Prompts for the Calligrapher

Resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

***DESCRIPTION***

Happy Juneteenth! Since the podcast drops on Mondays, I thought it would be nice to share with you how I've been impacted by a few black artists who have portrayed different kinds of artists striving for greatness against large odds. It was pretty exciting uncovering these memories and I hope you enjoy the episode...

I actually found free streaming options for all of these movies if you are interested:

Mahogany

https://vimeo.com/447884706

Fame

https://archive.org/details/fame-1980

Purple Rain

⁠https://vimeo.com/393075464⁠

Love Jones

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3e3a0n

In today's episode I share EIGHT ways you can potentially monetize your calligraphy talent. Perhaps you already find some of your services nestled underneath one or more of these umbrellas/categories. Maybe some of these ideas will motivate you to add one or more of these items to your offerings. Either way, please enjoy the episode and feel free to reach out to me with anything I've missed.

Items I discussed in this episode:

Great Engraving ebook

Link to calligraphy monetization list

Dremel tool (if thinking about getting into engraving)

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Resources created for you:

👉🏽 https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct

Join my Patreon!

👉🏽 http://www.Patreon.com/calligraphybyct

Grab my FREE Calligraphy Tools manual: 

👉🏽 https://calligraphybyct.ck.page/b0ef0f1a6d

In this episode I go over 3 actionable ways for you to get up off the mat after you've experienced a catastrophic failure in your calligraphy business.

I share a story that happened a little over a decade ago where I was pretty demoralized and I want to talk about ways to bounce back!

I have a resource that will help you learn how to manage client expectations that you can find here: https://pensight.com/x/calligraphybyct/new-digital-item/6b41c852-4e96-405b-9786-105ee0d609b9

Also, I'm almost sure that this is the resource I used to learn how to do acanthus leaves for this project. "The Calligraphy Pen" blog is one of THE oldest online and is actually a wonderful resource, please take the time to go through it, very informative!

https://calligraphypen.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/calligraphy-design-acanthus-leaves/