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

Morgan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?

I’d say the best investment I ever made for my business was hiring a copywriter for my website. I really struggled with imposter syndrome and comparison throughout 2020 and 2021. I really struggled to find my own voice and style and didn’t even know what I truly liked or what my own process was since I was still mostly doing stationery has a hobby. I would see other stationers processes and what they liked and told myself this is exactly what I need to do and say to be successful like them. It was a really hard time for me, I felt so stuck and depressed, but that’s when I decided to mute all the stationers I followed on Instagram, and redo my website completely. I really wanted a fresh start but the one thing I just couldn’t get down no matter what was my website copy. While I think it’s perfectly fine learning from other vendors within your industry by seeing their stories and how they do things, I think it is important to take a step back and ask yourself, “what do I really like?”, “what do I want my business to portray?” “Who is my ideal client?”. And sometimes you won’t have an answer to those things until you go through real experiences, but hiring a copywriter was the first step I took to pivot my business. Ever since then, I feel 10x more confident in myself and in my own voice now that I have a solid foundation.

Morgan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For sure! My elevator pitch is, “I’m a fine art wedding stationer that creates artisanal invitations and calligraphy for romantic celebrations around the world.” I offer custom and semi-custom invitations, day-of stationery (menus, programs, place cards, and signs), as well as branding for fine art vendors. Something I really pride myself in is taking care of all the stationery for a couple so they don’t have to, and making it personal to their style and wedding aesthetic. There’s a lot of tasks and to-do’s when it comes to planning a wedding, and there’s a lot of things that can get overlooked or underestimated – especially when it comes to mailing 100+ invitations! All of my invitation projects include the same customizable care, assembly, direct mailing services to guests, and a keepsake and photographers suite. What I think sets me apart even more is that I treat my semi-custom collection almost like fully custom designs, where we still get to play with different print methods, paper colors, types, embellishments, and orientation while the overall structure of the design stays somewhat the same. Embellishments like envelope liners, wax seals, vellum wraps, vintage stamps, etc. are some of the main elements that can transform a semi-custom design. As an artist, I never liked the restriction when it came to the idea of just switching out a font or colors. To me, that just isn’t as fun or personable. I love to be able to hear all the details of a couples story, all the inside jokes, and the timeline of their love story. I love not only seeing their inspiration photos and color palette, but to know how they want their wedding day to feel, what the overall vibe is to be while still remaining open minded to design. It’s in those details that makes the invitations a true heirloom.

Like many other stationer stories, my journey began when one of my college friends asked me to design her wedding invitations. I had just graduated college at the time with a BA in graphic design and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I picked up every mundane graphic design job I could find until I had an epiphany: Do I really love designing logos for every type of job and brand and every kind of market? The design world is infinite and broad and I just wanted to find a niche that felt like me and fit my style. I wanted my work to have meaning on a deeper level. It was at that moment when creating my friend’s invitations that I knew I had found the magical “it” I’d been longing to discover. The combination of creating something from nothing, committing it to the page, and translating it into a digital space to be made into something that would live in a couple or families heart forever was compelling.

Cut to today, I’ve had the utmost pleasure crafting wedding stationery for couples worldwide from my Kansas City home. I love working with old-world techniques and materials like foil printing on handmade paper, wax seals, and delicate silk ribbon, to name a few. I’m inspired by laid-back romance, bustling cafes, eclectic interior design integrated with vintage finds, old books and paintings – all with a modern touch.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think social media is a marvelous tool when it comes to sharing your work and marketing. It has been the only marketing tool I’ve used really because it’s been the only one that has brought in clients. I started my Instagram back in 2017 when I started Morgan Riley Design. In the beginning, it was hard because I didn’t know anyone in the industry and I posted anything and everything I made, and they weren’t the best photos – terrible lighting, and honestly not even my best work at times because I felt I just needed to post something. I was so focused on growing my following that I lost sight of my own work, style, and story. As soon as I started taking the time to post high quality images that showcased my work, my following grew. I then started to collaborate and befriend amazing people in the industry – following grew. Then tiktok and reels became a thing so I started taking behind the scene videos to tell stories, hop on trends, and showcase my process – following grew. Finally, as soon as I forgot all about the numbers in my following, my following grew.

Through my experience, the best advice I can give to those just starting out or trying to build their social media presence is to post high quality imagery and videos, be consistent but remember quality over quantity, tell your story and be true to yourself, and lastly, don’t pay attention to the numbers.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Absolutely. Brianna Wiest is my absolute favorite writer when it comes to philosophical or self help reads. I came across one of her quotes on Instagram during a very rough time mentally in my career and I instantly needed to read everything of hers. Her books “Ceremony” and “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think”, have literally changed the way I think. They are packed full of beautiful quotes, inspirational essays, and deep, moving thoughts that have quite literally brought me to tears.

For more businessy-type or career topics, I love to listen to podcasts. In particular, I love to listen to “A Creative Life” by Cass and Sam. They somehow touch on every little detail that I go through or have felt as a creative entrepreneur and make me feel less alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://morganrileydesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganrileydesign/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/morganrileydesign
• Other: Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@morganrileydesign Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/morganrileydesign/

Image Credits
Jenny Shipley Photography