Crossroads Calligraphy

Welcome to the Blog of Case Sensitive Designs!

It’s probably fitting that my first post to this blog would be immediately after my trip to California for this workshop. I returned with the knowledge and motivation to get started as soon as I got home. My mind was brimming with ideas and excitement.

Pen to Press was a 2 day creative business workshop designed by Leora and Jill of Copper Willow Paper Studio. If I had known the dangers of falling evermore in love with paper, I might have planned on staying longer! It’s a beautiful studio and the women who run it are committed to the excellence of their products and their customer service. I don’t think I could have chosen a better company to learn from. They were so easy to respect too. They’ve built a studio and business over the past 10 years together and they work very well together. They’re funny and reasonable and they have a high standard for their production. And boy do they love what they do.

The first day we were taught how to get our artwork and designs digitally ready to be printed by a studio. We also learned about the printing process, about paper and other materials, the many possibilities of paper and envelopes, and we each got to run a letterpress machine with help. The second day was devoted to the fundamentals of starting and running a small business and online presence. We also got invaluable insight into Jill and Leora’s trials, errors, and successes.

When I left, I had answers to many of my questions and I had a sense of empowerment and value because Jill and Leora were so encouraging and inspiring. It’s kind of funny that when I got home, I wanted to do everything to start the business right away, all at the same time! It was probably good that I had a long drive ahead of me to stop me from filling notebooks with pages and pages of thoughts and ideas. As the attendees grew closer and shared more, we developed a sense of community and support that I took to go beyond our work. It’s one thing to have an idea, a dream, but becomes something more when people tell you to pursue it.

And so, with all of that said, I have registered my company with the state of Arizona and am organizing my websites and other media and getting ready to take off. This workshop was a turning point for me because I knew that I actually already have a business and now the responsible thing to do is try to take good care of it and grow it. Which I have been successful at with other things in my life.

I’d like to use the space here to thank you for taking an interest in what I am doing. And to thank you for encouraging me when I get stuck and to thank you for supporting my little dream. Thank you for letting me share it with you.