Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Cartie.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always had a creative spark inside me, but had never really acted on it until my first son was born. As a newly stay at home mom, I had the freedom and the desire to find a creative outlet, and I took my very first calligraphy class from Lizzie Smith in Dallas in 2015 and a new love was born. Since then I’ve also taught myself watercolor through online courses and old fashioned trial and error, and a creative hobby turned into a thriving side business!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road, as I have had some health setbacks and my priority is first and foremost to my family. It is not easy to build a business with two young and very dependent children at your feet, but at the same time, I am driven to show them a mom that is a hard worker, that is still learning new skills, that is pursuing a passion and thinking outside of the box, and that can be brave and vulnerable. Any creative endeavor requires you to put your heart out there, and it can be really scary to show your work to the world, especially in the beginning when you know you’re not quite up to your standards yet. However, getting over that hump helps you get over yourself and your ego, and opens you up to something bigger than yourself. We all have gifts to give the world, and not only do we deserve to, we should!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Catherine Cartie Calligraphy – what should we know?
The purpose of my business is to help people honor their life defining events and relationships in a meaningful, personal way. This comes in the form of totally custom wedding invitations and day of elements, family and newborn watercolor crests, calligraphy wedding vows or other special words, or really anything we can dream up together to commemorate and celebrate the events in your life that make you. Both the painful and the happy ones deserve to be celebrated and honored, and I’m incredibly honored when people come to me to help them do that.
I also love to spread the love of calligraphy and give others the tools to find their creativity with my Ink to Paper workshops, which I offer a couple times a year. My students gain a thorough understanding of the basics of modern pointed pen calligraphy and leave with skills and materials to bring back home, equipped to practice and improve and eventually put their own work into the world.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
What is most important to my success is that my work is personal and meaningful. My clients are looking for something original, authentic, and classic, with love and heart at the center. They are forming their legacy and hold their values and their relationships tightly, and what I create for them needs to reflect that.
Contact Info:
- Website: catherinecartiecalligraphy.com
- Email: hello@catherinecartiecalligraphy.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/catherinecartiecalligraphy
Image Credit:
Naomi Ledford Photography
Esther Frederick Photography
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