We recently connected with Carrie Schimpff and have shared our conversation below.
Carrie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
Believe in me when I wanted to be a full-time creative.
There is a lot of stigma around making art for a living. I was so fortunate, first, to have a partner & family members that supported this endeavor and assisted in making sure it was a financial risk we were all willing to take. And when I say support, I mean it BIG time. There were some days before I transitioned to Big Little Lines full-time, when I would come home from my day job, go straight to work on wedding stationery at night, and my husband would cook every meal, help with cleaning & laundry etc. I had very patient friends that still stuck with me even when I had to cancel a majority of our plans to work evenings and weekends. I am truly grateful for the patience.
Secondly, by divine intervention, I had been following a top-tier luxury wedding stationer (Knapp Design Co) and saw a story she posted about taking on a mentee. Cara Jo’s incredible patience with me was almost unbelievable. Imagine working with celebrity clients and then transitioning to teaching someone how to use a simple tool in Illustrator. She walked step-by-step alongside me from my first client to buying my first letterpress machine.
I go a bit more in-depth on this later, but the power of mentorship is incredible in so many ways to not only the individual you’re working with, but the industry as a whole. When we learn and educate together, we ensure the community around us understands our value a little better, too.
The belief from my friends, family, and a mentor turned best “friend-tor” has now transitioned to more and more industry peers & vendors, clientele, and local community believing in my talents, too. It’s infectious and I love it!
Carrie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Carrie here! Owner of Big Little Lines, a luxury letterpress, foiling and wedding invitation design company. With strong roots in both Texas and Arizona (“but it’s a dry heat!”), I aim to embrace the beauty of the southwest by taking an organic approach to the design process. Cactus? It’s. kind of my thing.
In an industry that seems a bit caught up in perfection, my motto is nothing is ever perfect, and it’s more boring when it is if I’m being honest. I choose to work with antique printing methods because it demands discipline and humility. One day I can be cranking out projects with ease, and the next it’s taking me hours to mix the right shade of green for the press. Just like any great love in life, my invitation suites take time to develop and bloom, which leads to something you’ll want to hold on to forever.
What’s my business superpower? I don’t expect my clients to know anything at all about wedding stationery and, in fact, it’s actually ok if this is your first rodeo. In a process that can cause some major decision fatigue, I aim to keep things straightforward and… dare I say it… enjoyable?! Invitations are such a special way to set the tone for an unforgettable time in my couple’s lives. I truly am so honored to take part in any way I can, and will always work to brainstorm a way to make all their paper dreams come true.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’m a big believer that collaboration happens at the top and competition happens at the bottom. Being a former student-athlete and having to constantly sharpen that competitive edge made me want to hold my cards close to my chest for awhile. I think some of it also stemmed from insecurity and not having confidence in my own work.
Gatekeeping and withholding information can happen in any industry. Of course, some of this may be warranted depending on the efforts taken to protect individual style or craft, but overall with the help of my mentor and peers I was able to view this with a different perspective. Sharing pricing standards (this is a big one!!), assembly tips, and creative collaboration in general is such a valuable way to keep integrity and high standards in the industry.
I enjoy the idea of there being enough seats at the table for everyone. What makes us each so unique is what also attracts different types of clientele. Not every client might like my style of invitations and that’s ok! I’ll happily pass them along to a peer of mine that seems better suited stylistically. Remember, not all money is good money… if you’re not a good match with the client, it might cause more headache and heartbreak than that project is worth.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Unpopular opinion here, but numbers dont mean a flip! Do I still want to grow my social media presence? Of course, but sometimes I feel like it’s a fools errand.
Before I started my own business I worked in the Non-Profit Development world for over 10 years. Being a people-person was the name of the game. The power of authentic, in-person relationships is invaluable. The way you make people feel will always be remembered. Build honest trust with your clients, cultivate a creative community around you, think of ways to collaborate and never forget what makes you unique. Some of my strongest revenue streams have stemmed from making an effort to connect with wedding planners & vendors and convey how this is so much more than a job to me. I, too, want to exceed expectations and see couple’s dream day come true. When you build that mutual trust, you have no idea how far that can reach to new audiences!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.biglittlelines.com
- Instagram: @BigllDesigns
- Facebook: Big Little Lines
Image Credits
Cassidy Brooke Photography Chelsea Davis Photography Amber Tice Photography Megan Kay Photography Peony and Pine Photography Ali Beck Photography Kristyn Miller Photography