We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Suki Liu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Suki below.

Hi Suki, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am officially a full-time artist after over a decade in the hospitality industry, but when I was first starting out, I had no idea what was in store for me.

The year was 2015 and I was 5 years deep in the restaurant industry as a server and bartender. I started doing the chalkboard menus at my establishment – updating the rotating beer board options, burgers and cocktails-of-the-month on these letter-sized chalkboards. I’d finish my shift, take these boards home, hand letter each one with their necessary updates, and then I would take photos of my “so-called” work, and, just for fun, post it on whatever socials were relevant at the time. Simply a “check out my new hobby!” type of situation. Calligraphy began as a “side hustle” and as I continued serving at the restaurant, I would also take on commissions to make a little extra money – anniversary gifts, wedding signage, I even designed a few tattoos during this time. I was just starting out and experimenting with anything crafty that caught my eye.

As things were continuing to go well, I was beginning to feel like the possibility of getting out of the restaurant industry full time could actually be a reality, so in 2019, I decided to take a chance on myself and make things official by starting my own business. By “starting my own business”, I mean I decided on a name, and I created a dedicated Instagram page, which opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities beyond my wildest dreams.

I found myself finding interest in refining my own lettering style. I would dive into calligraphy to discover my growing passion for it, and somehow documented these adventures all at once. In the beginning, I tried my hand at a variety of small business services – from designing custom ornaments, and anything wedding related, to screen printing t-shirts, and I quickly realized it was too overwhelming to juggle being fine at a lot of different things, instead of being experienced and knowledgable at one, maybe two things. Plus, it was getting expensive to buy supplies for every new craft project you see while scrolling the Internet and think, “I can do that.” Things started to line up and make sense when I began saying ‘No’ to projects that didn’t quite suit me anymore, and the rest is history.

In 2021, I was contacted to start teaching calligraphy classes via an East Coast based business, and taught over 3,000 students in my 4.75 years of teaching beginner friendly calligraphy classes in the Metro Detroit area. In 2020, I picked up a dremel-like tool and started practicing rotary hand engraving. In 2022, I worked my first live event with a high end department store, and present day, I have worked with over 35 trusted brand names, department stores, and sports teams including Dior, D’usse Cognac, and the Detroit Pistons. I started from being “self taught”, to having trained under multiple chief calligraphers of the White House. What began as me doing this alone grew into finding a community of calligraphers and artists that continue to inspire and remind me that anything is possible. What was initially a feeling of uncertainty has scaled into (actually!) becoming a full time artist, and after over a decade in the restaurant industry, after juggling both hospitality and calligraphy during the uncertain in-between years, I could not be prouder to stand on the business I have built from the ground up.

Through my calligraphy and engraving journey, one of the most important things I have learned to do in my business, especially because I am a one-woman show, is to stay authentic and true to myself. In doing this, I continue to build trust within me so that no matter what life throws at me, I can count on leading myself in the right direction, no matter what.

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

Hi friends! My name is Suki Liu and I’m a Live Event Calligrapher and Engraver based in the Metro Detroit, Michigan area. I started with updating the chalkboard menus at the restaurant I worked at, and what started as a side hustle in 2019 has now proudly grown into my full time career. I am primarily a service-based business, where I am here to help people celebrate life’s biggest moments by creating connection through artistry. I’m in the business of creating meaningful, beautiful and personalized pieces through the art of calligraphy & hand engraving.

Calligraphy and engraving personalizations take your gift from ordinary, to something personal and sentimental by permanently adding a name, date, or special message directly into your items, especially if you have that person in your life that seems impossible to shop for. Popular items are perfume or cologne fragrance bottles, wine or liquor bottles, luggage tags, journals – most surfaces are personalizable, so the sky is the limit!

Beyond that, I’m also able to bring live calligraphy and engraving to your next big event, where I am able personalize guest favors on-the-spot, creating a customized keepsake your guests will want to use. Popular items are engraved glassware (pint, martini, coupe, shot glasses, coffee mugs), custom hot foil embossed luggage tags, personalized notebooks, at popular events such as weddings, conferences, festivals, expos, grand openings, and more.

Besides calligraphy being a very niche and specific field in itself – on top of that – my creativity, passion, and drive allow me to bring calligraphy to the forefront, but through a different lens.

I’m proud to say I do every customization by hand – not by a machine. One of my favorite comments I hear is, “Wait, you’re doing those by hand?!” I sure am, and every time you receive a hand customized item, you’re receiving a completely unique, one-of-a-kind keepsake. An item that is the culmination of every conference I’ve attended, every class I’ve taken, and every artist I’ve been inspired by, and that is pretty special to me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There are a lot of possibilities in the world of live event personalizations, from the favors we can customize on, to the events we customize at, even the clients we’re personalizing for. In an ideal world, I request a sample in advance, especially when it comes to hot foil embossing, as every surface is different and it takes trial and error to narrow down what needs troubleshooting. Sometimes, services are booked within one week of the event, giving little time to acquire a sample, so I always come to events prepared. After customizing as many favors at as many brand activations as I have, I know that not every event is created equal, and to be prepared for anything. I bring different types of foil, colors, tips, as well as a back up tool in case my initial tool decides to fail on me the day-of.

I was once asked to personalize leather luggage tags, however the client sourced the tags, so I wasn’t able to ensure compatibility. I was fully transparent and eluded to feeling uncertain if the tags would be compatible, but that we would make it work regardless. Unfortunately, the embossing didn’t work, but luckily I made sure to bring oil-based metallic markers to get the job done.

At the end of the day, you can have the nicest engraver in existence, but that means nothing if you don’t have the foundation to guide the engraver where it needs to go. It isn’t as much about the tool as it is about utilizing your calligraphy and live event knowledge to bring your client’s vision to life to the best of your ability.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I remember getting very ill during 2022, to the point where I ended up transferring 2 sold-out calligraphy classes to another artist. I felt defeated, knowing that I just handed 30 students to another instructor, losing out on that income. On top of feeling sick, it felt like a point of vast uncertainty in my business that I was quite unsure how to navigate. At this point, I was still balancing both hospitality and calligraphy, but considered trying a job in the corporate space. I updated my resume and everything, but deep down, I knew I had zero interest in that life.

Instead of spiraling (for too long), I chose to take advantage of my rare down time and pivot – I began the process of introducing a new service to my business – engraving. I researched, practiced, created a sample I was proud to bring and show potential brands and stores I could see utilizing this service. Considering this was a newer idea at the time, especially for the Midwest, I knew that it was up to me to show future clients what my service was, how it could solve their potential problems, and how I would be able to do that in my own, unique way.

Engraving was a service I never imagined offering when I initially started, but now it has becoming just as important as calligraphy. It has opened doors and allowed me to be in spaces I never imagined, including engraving for downtown during the NFL draft in 2024, being featured on live network TV during a stop on the PGA tour, and engraving inside of the suite during the Detroit Pistons game.

I am just as grateful for the ‘wins’ as I am for the ‘losses’, or as I would call them, ‘lessons’, or even ‘redirections’, because it led me to where I am today. I am incredibly grateful for every single opportunity I receive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.signedbysuki.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signedbysuki/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/signedbysuki
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/signedbysuki/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@signedbysuki
  Email: hello@signedbysuki.com
  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/signedbysuki/

Image Credits

Kelly Zientek
Alyssa Jarae