Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Spillard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Though I’ve had the wonderful honor of participating in many meaningful projects, the most near and dear to my heart was for my own wedding in 2019. When I took my first calligraphy workshop, I remember doing so with an abstract, far-out thought of potentially addressing my own wedding invitations someday. 3 years later, just beginning my business, I did just that and so much more. My wedding invitations were the first I ever fully designed. As such, the process was a little bumpy, and 5 years later there are, of course, so many things I now know I could have done differently. But overall they turned out so beautiful, and more than anything, the sense of pride I felt sending them out was just incredible. I still feel that pride when I look at them today. It’s kind of wild to me that I had the small idea that it might be fun to use my calligraphy skills for my wedding (at the time I wasn’t even engaged!). Then I turned that into a realistic drive to practice, get better, and jump into the industry. And finally, I am left with such a meaningful first project, photos of which even got published! I designed and addressed my wedding invitations, as well as designing and producing all of the signage for my wedding, including the seating chart on a 120 year-old mirror that once belonged to my great-grandmother. The wedding was held at an old sugar mill-turned-winery in my hometown, where my grandfather and great-grandfather once worked. And seeing my work with that as a backdrop was truly such an emotional moment. Not a bad way to start a business!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a stationer and calligrapher, based in Orange County, CA, focusing the majority of my work in the wedding industry. On a smaller scale, I design and produce wedding stationery, which could include anything from Save the Dates to invitation suites to menus, programs, and other day-other paperie. And my bread and butter is bespoke calligraphy pieces, all done by hand, including signage (seating charts are a personal favorite of mine), place cards, and favors. Outside of the wedding sphere, I also do some work in digital design, as well as custom projects and gifts. I love being in the business of custom work, because the sky is truly the limit! If a client has a direction they’d like to go, I love being a part of helping that vision be realized.

I initially began my experience with calligraphy while living abroad in 2015. I was looking for a hobby that would get me out and about, help me learn something new, and maybe introduce me to some local friends, and someone at work recommended the particular class I took (shoutout to Kalo MakeArt in Hong Kong!). I began writing letters to friends back home so that I could practice. And when I returned home, I maintained it as a hobby. In 2020, after losing my job due to the pandemic, I officially jumped into my business, and have been steadily growing ever since. My brand is very feminine, and my calligraphy is fairly bouncy. I want my work to be classic, but still lighthearted and fun. I’m a hopeless romantic, and love incorporating vintage elements in any way I can. I love helping add an element of beauty to all occasions!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Like SO many of us, I think 2020 really threw us for a loop. As the year was beginning, I was excited about the prospect of officially launching my business and really getting into collecting clients, getting some experience under my belt, and growing my business. And then in March everything stopped…for a long time. It threw such a wrench in my plans and in my momentum, and I wasn’t sure if I would recover (or frankly, if I wanted to). Weddings had all but halted, I had no connections, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I discovered the world of styled shoots, and really ended up putting my focus on those for the first year of my business. While real weddings weren’t happening, styled shoots involved a MUCH smaller group of people on site, provided gorgeous end products and content, networking opportunities, and a chance to stretch my legs creatively. I feel very lucky to have made some invaluable connections in those early days, and really have found my place among the local styled shoots to keep me busy, keep me working, and feel like I wasn’t completely standing still. And then once things began to open back up, and events began to be rescheduled, I was very lucky to have made those connections, had that experience, and be able to jump in. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being in a creative business is being able to bring a client’s vision, however abstract, to reality. For some clients, that means taking their thoughts and simply executing them. But a truly exciting piece for me is when someone comes to me with too many jumbled ideas, or simply “vibes”, and then being able to creatively piece those together into a cohesive and beautiful product that they love. It can be challenging at times, but it is SO rewarding to hear that the product I designed and provided resonated with them. I’ve had clients say I’ve read their mind, or that it came out perfect, and that is the best feeling. I remember planning my own wedding and feeling all of the stresses of the process. You want it to be perfect, you’re spending tons of money, you have a vision, and you have so many balls in the air at once. I felt so lucky to have some amazing people supporting me through it, and I like to think that as a stationer/calligrapher, I can maybe be that for my clients: someone to support them, bring their vision to life, and take one stressor off of their plate. I’m really in this to bring joy and beauty to the client, and I feel so honored to get to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://spilledinkcalligraphy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/spilledinkcalligraphy
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/spilledinkcalligraphy
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@spilledinkcalligraphy

Image Credits

Katie Jackson Photography
Mallory Dawn Photography
XO and Fetti Photography
Ariel Min Photography
Sun & Sparrow Photography
Sloane Photo
KLV Photography
Elle Venture Photography