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In this mini solo episode, Alex shares their point of view of attending retail events... well, solo! Whether you're engraving fragrances at a retailer, or lettering on champagne bottles at a liquor store - communication and adaptability are key when you're by yourself! She shares her insights on what questions to ask beforehand, what to do when you're at your event, and what to follow up with afterwards to build on client relationships. 

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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Cat and Alex are two tired girlies trying to figure out what’s next in their businesses. After spending a summer working hard to continue elevating guest experience for clients while still showing up authentically (and chaotically) as themselves, they put down their engravers and picked up their mics to debrief together. 
 
Join them as they reflect on things they’d like to stop doing, start doing, and continue doing in life and in their calligraphy businesses. Will Cat stay part time? Are networking events still a thing we need to be doing? What is a boundary? Has anyone seen her?
 
All these questions answered and more, while sprinkling in some laughs, as always.

Highlights/Keywords: networking successes, charging your value, boundaries as a business owner, hourly rate vs package rate, clients that value you, morning routines, silly joys, outsourcing and automating, client feedback

Start/Stop/Continue Reflection Freebie
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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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We're back from summer break and kicking off the fall season with a special collaboration episode with Shaochen and Alane from the Calligraphy Biz Corner podcast, where we chat about the diverse, in-demand live event calligraphy industry.

Join us for this exciting conversation where Cat Brown of Cat Lauren Calligraphy and Alex Hirsch of Signs of Our Lives share their experiences of growing their calligraphy businesses, niching down within the live event space, and the importance of staying authentic in business. We chat about essential marketing and pricing strategies for live events, the value of community connections, and the necessity of having a contract in place, whether it's your first or your hundredth job. 

From corporate events to private parties, Cat and Alex have a wealth of knowledge when in comes to standing out as live event artists. After getting their start by creating signs and paper goods for weddings, they expanded their services to provide live calligraphy at corporate events and activations for brands like Prada, Makers Mark, LA Magazine, Netflix, and more.

Whether you're looking to partner with luxury and corporate clients, provide on-site activations for local businesses, or even break into the world of flash tattoos, this episode has all the tips you need to create personalized, Insta-worthy experiences for guests of all kinds. Tune in for an insightful conversation packed with actionable tips as we head into busy season for live events!

Please note, if you're listening around littles, you might want to put headphones in for this one!

🔗 Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

• Check out Nibtique for a directory of calligraphers
• Shop Calligraphy contracts at the Legal Paige (use code CATLAUREN10 for 10% off!)
  • Live Calligraphy Contract
  • Subcontract Agreement
  • Calligraphy & Stationery Contract

Listen to more of Calligraphy Biz Corner: https://calligraphybizcorner.buzzsprout.com/follow

Follow Calligraphy Biz Corner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calligraphybizcorner/

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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Having an efficient workflow cultivates a better experience for you, for your client, and for event attendees — so let’s do something about it! In this episode, Cat of Cat Lauren Calligraphy + Alex of Signs of our Lives discuss:

-strategies for figuring out how to determine your production rate
-some differences between in studio work versus on site work
-setting up your event space
-how and what to educate your clients and event attendees about
-different types of order forms, and how they can help you manage your event
-setting and communicating boundaries on site
-and so much more!

Listen in for all the tips on managing (and mastering) event workflow for live events as an artist.

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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In this mini episode, Cat of Cat Lauren Calligraphy shares her experience of going to her first networking event. Join us as Alex and Cat answer: How do you know what networking events to go to? WTF is an elevator pitch? How does an introvert get themselves through a networking event? Do you bring business cards? And some of the other intricacies of attending a networking event solo. 

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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Cat of Cat Lauren Calligraphy and Alex of Signs of Our Lives share how they price their services as event artists, and some other pricing structures that you can utilize in your art businesses.

They share the considerations to take into account when pricing, and how pricing for events can be different than in-studio commissions or product-based business models.

They also touch on how being transparent with your pricing benefits everyone, and how having a pricing structure helps you understand the value you provide and communicate it to potential clients.

Links:
Nibtique
Jodi Tellier Art

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Follow us in all the places!

Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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Feeling the burnout of balancing your personal life, entrepreneurship, and being an artist? This episode has exactly what you need.

Alex of Signs of our Lives and Cat of Cat Lauren calligraphy interview Amanda Reid of Amanda Reid Designs. She teaches us about the realities of burnout and reminds us that our bodies are our most precious tools—and it's about time we started treating them as such!

Reignite your creativity with practical tips about avoiding burnout,  addressing it when it happens, and prioritizing self-care as a non-negotiable for personal and professional success.

Join us on this thought-provoking journey as we empower you to prioritize your well-being, set healthy boundaries, and find inspiration in the everyday. Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative, or someone seeking a holistic approach to life, this episode offers a roadmap to thrive in a world that often demands more than it gives. Tune in and take the first step towards a healthier, more balanced you!

Episode Links

Amanda Reid Designs - Instagram

Amanda Reid Designs - website

Calligraphers of Color - Instagram

The Luxury Calligraphy Retreat - Instagram

The Luxury Calligraphy Retreat - Link

Jodi Tellier Art - Instagram

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The Artist Way

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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In this episode, we discuss Alex’s journey going from full time business owner to part time, and then back to full time, and Cat’s journey managing being a full time career-girlie, mom, and part-time business owner. While their journeys and their days are vastly different from each other, both of their businesses are successful in their own way. Let this episode serve as a reminder that success doesn’t need to be measured by someone else’s metrics, and most business journeys aren’t linear.

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Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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Clickbait, oo ha ha! Cat of Cat Lauren Calligraphy and Alex of Signs of Our Lives chat about their experiences working for “exposure” in the events industry: when they’ve said “f%k no,” when they’ve said “h#LL yes” and negotiated terms, and when they were down for a trade. 

Support the show

Follow us in all the places!

Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/

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So you’ve decided that event artistry is for you – now what? Alex of Signs of Our Lives and Cat of Cat Lauren Calligraphy give you a mini masterclass outlining exactly what they do to help you market yourself to potential clients in order to book events as an artist. 

Whether you’re just starting out or have been doing events for a while, this episode is packed with helpful insights to help you build your book of business. As always, not one size fits all, so listen in to figure out what works best for you.

Affiliate Links:
Dubsado

Support the show

Follow us in all the places!

Podcast, Keeping Up with the Calligraphers
IG: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwiththecalligs/

Alex Hirsch, Signs of Our Lives
IG: https://www.instagram.com/signsofourlives/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hirsch-engraves/
Website: https://www.signsofourlives.com/

Cat Brown, Cat Lauren Calligraphy
IG: https://www.instagram.com/catlaurencalligraphy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catlaurencalligraphy/
Website: http://www.catlaurencalligraphy.com/