We recently connected with Elizabeth Walden and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.
One of the biggest trends I am seeing in my industry is Live Event Personalization. When I first started out, the bulk of my work was done in studio with projects such as wedding envelope addressing, place cards, commissioned pieces on paper, etc. While there is still somewhat of a demand for that sort of thing, it has died down quite a bit with the emergence of advanced computerized fonts and printing possibilities. These days, about 95% of my company’s revenue comes from live events. Companies are seeing the benefit of having a live artist on site as an added incentive to their purchases, and the possibilities are endless! I always tell my clients: whatever your product, I will find the right material to personalize it. Rather than strictly working on paper, I now work on any number of surfaces, from leather to glass to paper to metal to things as crazy as oyster shells. Clients love to see their item customized in person! Having a live event artist on-site creates an experience for the customer that is exciting and meaningful. I think this is why so many brands love the idea. An on site artist allows brands to make a connection with their clients that they will carry with them and cherish. These deeper connections pay off in several ways-not only do customers feel a deeper connection to the brand, but I have even been told that when I am on site, sales are often doubled or even tripled!
I truly love live personalization and hope that it continues to flourish. There is always such a great energy at these events-customers are excited and touched by the added service that elevates gift-giving and entices patrons to return to the brand.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have always had a love and interest in Art. In college, I studied Art History and even lived in Italy for a short period of time to study and witness the art of some of the greatest artists and architects of all time. I went on to work in the art world in New York city for companies including The Guggenheim Museum and Christie’s Auction House. A career change to the field of education brought me to Orlando, Florida. While working with children was such a meaningful and special experience, the art world was still calling my name. During this time, I married and had the pleasure of having a very talented calligrapher (Sarah Hanna) work on our wedding invitation envelopes and place cards for us. I was amazed at her talent and asked her how she got started in such a unique profession. She told me that her mother taught her, and that she still offered calligraphy lessons. It wasn’t until I had my first son in 2014, and made the decision to stay home with him, that I started dabbling in art again. I started drawing and painting in the evenings as a creative outlet, and decided to reach out to Kaye, Sarah’s Mother , to inquire about lessons. Ironically, she was hosting a workshop that very weekend-I signed up, attended the full weekend workshop, and fell in love! I spent the next year diligently practicing as often as I could. In the beginning, I only regarded calligraphy as a hobby, but was determined to get as good at it as possible. The following year, my sister in law was getting married. I was shocked when she asked me to work on the place cards for her wedding. Taking on an actual professional job unnerved me, but I decided to take the plunge. This was the start of my business, as the requests started to increase after that and I began to see that this could be more than just a hobby-it could potentially become a business.
For the first few years, I worked pretty sporadically on in-studio items such as wedding envelopes, place cards, and commissioned pieces such as poems and bible quotes. As the requests rolled in, I decided to give my business a name-“Larksong Press” was established in 2017. My first request for live event calligraphy came that year from Burberry and Louis Vuitton. I was completely intimidated by these requests as I had never written live in front of people. While the task seemed extremely daunting, I decided to accept. I quickly fell in love with live event personalization and began to prefer it over in studio work. Event spaces provided an exciting and vibrant atmosphere which starkly contrasted the quiet solitude of in-studio work. In addition to this, it was becoming harder and harder to maintain the quiet atmosphere required for in studio work as my family had now expanded to 3 boys!
The year of 2020 brought a time of great uncertainty and quiet to the world of event calligraphy. In some ways, this proved to be to my benefit, as I used this time to acquire a new skill: engraving. I had seen that engraving was becoming a popular event request prior to the lull of 2020, but had not had the opportunity to learn it yet. I used this time to take a few classes and hone this skill. When events began to return in 2021, I was proud to offer this new service, which proved to be a very important part of my offering going forward. Today, I would say that engraving events make up about 65% of my business. Engraving is an amazing skill to have as it can be offered on a variety of surfaces such as glass, leather, wood and metal. Fragrance engraving is a huge hit at events and a service that many companies love to offer. Foil engraving for leather goods has also become extremely popular.
I would say what separates my business from others in my field, is carrying what I have studied and learned from Art History into my work. I have an immense respect and adoration for artists of the past, and I try to emulate a style that pays homage to the past and will stand the test of time. I tend to stay away from modern trends and try to maintain a style that I hope is elegant and classic.
When I look back on my business, from where I started to where I am today, I feel extremely blessed. This business allows me to continue pursuing my love for the arts, while also affording me the opportunity to travel, attend exciting events, make meaningful connections and, most importantly, have a flexible schedule that allows me to be there for my family. Throughout the years, I have been lucky enough to partner with companies including: Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sol de Janeiro, The Orlando Magic, Brugal, MacAllan Whisky, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Creed, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Rifle Paper Company, and so many more. I would never have imagined this is where I would be today, but I am so grateful to the companies who have trusted me time and time again, and for all of my past experiences which have led me to where I am today.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In my business, I am often asked to do something that I’ve never done before. These days, companies hiring a “calligrapher” often make requests outside of the typical role of the profession-the days of simply writing on paper have evolved tremendously. A potential client may ask me if I can personalize on a surface that I’ve never worked on, and truthfully, some of the time, I doubt that I even can! However, I always say yes-because I know, with some trial and error, I will find a way. I have found that any expressions of hesitancy or doubt can cause a potential client to contact someone else. These uncertain situations always push me to learn more, and I’ve realized that I can do pretty much anything-as long as I am willing to put in the time and effort to figure it out. I remember the first time I was asked to paint on leather live at an event, and I was terrified. I had painted many times for commissions in my studio-but painting live, and on leather, was unfamiliar territory. However, I said yes, of course I could do that-because I knew I would figure it out someway, somehow. The client hired me, and I spent the next 2 weeks prior to the event testing out new tools and experimenting. When the date of the event rolled around, I was no longer nervous. I worked the event, and the fear I had going in was never evident to the clients I painted for. I also now was able to list “event painter” on my list of services. This attitude of “if they can request it, I can do it” has expended my skillset and served my business very well!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Early in my creative journey, I wish I knew that it was ok to reach out to fellow artists for advice and assistance. The longer I am in this field, the more I rely on other artists, rather than see them as competition. There is so much we can teach each other, and I’ve found that most other calligraphers and engravers are happy to share their tips and best practices-something that could have helped me when I was first starting out. Now that I’ve gained more experience-I try to always help other artists, and if I can’t fulfill a request for a client-I have a good network of other artists that I now pass that business along to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.larksongpress.com
- Instagram: larksong_press
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-walden-5b5614239/
