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

Elaina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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’ve been lucky to earn a full-time living from my creative work for almost two years now. Before that, I was working full-time doing corporate marketing work and my creative work was a side hustle for about six years. At the time, I was just happy to have a little extra money every month for bills and student loan payments.

One of the major catalysts of my transition was the pandemic. I distinctly remember at the height of the pandemic, working from home for my full-time job and thinking, “I wish I could be doing calligraphy right now.” And I thought to myself, why am I not trying to make that happen? I made a conscious effort from that point on to take my creative business seriously. I had always taken it seriously, but I wanted to truly try and see if I could earn a full-time living from calligraphy and engraving and be able to leave my full-time job.

I spent a lot of time revamping my website, my Etsy listings, studying SEO, posting consistently on social media, improving my calligraphy and engraving skills, and approaching all of my customer interactions and commissions as if I were already a full-time creative business owner. My mindset change really helped me focus and channel my energy into improving my skills as well as how I presented myself to potential customers.

Although my sales had been slightly increasing year over year since 2016, the year and a half after my mindset change my sales increased significantly. It reached a point where I was working 80+ hours a week between my full-time job and my creative business. After several months of that (and an incredibly supportive husband encouraging me), I decided it was finally time to make the leap and leave my job to pursue my calligraphy and engraving business full-time. Thankfully, taking the leap has paid off.

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

I came to calligraphy and engraving in a roundabout way after going to college for English and getting a master’s in Publishing. When I moved back home to Rochester, NY after grad school, I was working several jobs, all without many creative opportunities. I was spending so much time working on the computer day after day, I was craving a creative outlet that I could enjoy away from the screen. As someone who has always loved words and their beauty, I decided to look into calligraphy online to see what resources were out there.

I became enamored by a style of calligraphy called Ornamental Penmanship; a style that was popular in America in the late 1800’s and is known for its delicate fine lines and bold strokes. When I began searching for ways to teach myself, my then-boyfriend (now husband) remembered his family had some old penmanship books in the attic. Lo and behold, those books were vintage Ornamental Penmanship lesson books that I then used to teach myself calligraphy.

From that point on I was hooked and I practiced calligraphy regularly. After a few years, I started taking on paid work. Six years into my calligraphy journey, I learned calligraphy engraving. I loved the idea of being able to add calligraphy to more surfaces (glass, metal, porcelain, etc). Adding engraving services to my offerings really opened my business up to more opportunities.

Calligraphy can apply to many products and services, but I have a few offerings that I’ve specialized in over the years. For handwritten calligraphy, I tend to focus on longer custom commissions like love letters; family trees; and larger pieces intended to be framed like wedding vows. For calligraphy engraving, my most popular service is perfume and cologne engraving (often commissioned for wedding gifts). These engravings range from a short phrase engraved in calligraphy to intricate engraved floral illustrations.

Calligraphy and engraving skills also allow for unique opportunities for live events as an on-site artist. As an on-site artist, I’ve done live calligraphy for brands and agencies at festivals and employee appreciation events. I’ve done live engraving on money jars for bank openings and perfume bottles for holiday parties. The possibilities for live event calligraphy are endless!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My creative journey has been motivated by following my curiosity. If something intrigues me, if I can’t stop thinking about a certain art form or skill, I think that’s a sign that it should be pursued. The pursuit of creative curiosity has been vital to my happiness, not just my creative journey. I wish everyone had the opportunity, time, and resources to do so. Carving out time in my day for something creative, even at my busiest, has made a tremendous impact on my life.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Knowing that my services will help bring a smile to someone’s face or happy tears to their eyes. One of my favorite parts of being a creative is getting messages from customers about how much their loved one truly appreciated the gift commissioned for them. When I hear things like, “I can’t wait to give this!”; “They cried when they opened it”; “This will be loved for a very long time”, I feel fulfilled. It never gets old.

Something I truly love about the services I offer is that the end result is a long-lasting, thoughtful gift that can last for generations. The idea of someone pausing to look at a handwritten piece hanging up in a living room years later, or picking up an engraved glass bottle from a countertop and reliving fond memories, is very touching and motivating to me. I am honored to have a small part in helping people express their love to each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flowercityletters.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowercityletters/
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• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@flowercityletters
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/FlowerCityLetters/