We recently connected with Emily Quick and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
I got married in 2014. My mom’s best friend from college did professional calligraphy full-time in Memphis, TN. I was fascinated with her process and wanted to learn so badly. She was incredibly generous and sent me practice materials… I set to practicing. I took four years to hone my skills before I offered professional calligraphy services myself and opened Blue Hydrangeas Calligraphy in 2018. I now calligraph and paint custom artwork for the Missoula, MT area & surrounding Rocky mountain valleys. Talk about a dream come true.
From 2015-2020 I taught high school science and co-taught a preparatory class for the SAT test. In my time as a teacher, I learned so much about interpersonal skills, better ways of communicating and fostering communication. The greatest lesson I learned, though, especially pertaining to my class on SAT prep, is one that has affected all I do in my small business. Most of our students in the SAT prep class were trying to obtain a NMSQT scholarship – very elite and hard to get. I had one student who at the beginning of the class was the lowest scorer, and at the end of the class still missed the scholarship by over 20 points. But, he worked so incredibly hard, and all year refused to let the numbers define him. He experienced a growth of 37 points from first test to final test. Walking that path with him has inspired me in every custom, every wedding project, to not let the number define my output. Not let the number define my goal for excellence on that project or art piece. If I only make x one month, and make x another month; that doesn’t define me. That doesn’t define my worth in this business or this industry. It’s just the nature of the thing. I’m grateful for all the lessons my students gave me, but this one is the greatest.
Emily, 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?
Blue Hydrangeas Calligraphy is a wedding and event custom calligraphy service. I offer hand-lettered addressed envelopes in custom scripts, invitation design, and custom suite design. I offer day-of signage – think welcome signs on an antique mirror, menus on an old window… or hand painted roadside signs (“Wilson wedding this way”, etc.) I started out on Etsy, offering custom watercolor paintings, I work with realtors searching for special gifts for their clients, pup parents looking for a portrait of their pet, or family members searching for a custom painting for their family. My favorite part of doing custom art is bringing a client’s vision to life – when they send a photo and ask: “can you do this but add….” I get so excited. I’ve never been able to do art for art’s sake, it has to always be representative of something for me, so for me the real catharsis of my art comes when I get to make something that brings joy to its owner.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’m having to consistently and persistently unlearn the habit of every artist: comparison. It’s so tempting in the world of social media, too, to be discouraged by others’ success, discouraged by others’ projects or art, discouraged by the saturation of a particular market, or the success of a product. It’s tempting, always as an artist to compare yourself to others, you trick yourself into thinking “I’m just checking to make sure my prices are fair” yet you’re tearing your works apart in your head when you compare them all to another artist’s. Honestly I think the best antidote to this is to find a friend. A fellow artist friend because there’s something about another artist’s opinion versus a family member that is just a little weighty, maybe because it feels more specific. And once you find that friend, cheer them on like you’ve never cheered anyone else. If you’re extra lucky, find a few friends. I’m very thankful for my calligra-friends as we’ve termed ourselves.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I am a follower of Christ, and as such it is my sole job and goal to glorify my God in all that I do. Excellence in my work, persistence in my endeavors, grace in my interactions with others. My main goal with Blue Hydrangeas calligraphy is to bring joy to others’ lives, whether it’s the vendors in wedding venues, my clients, or the print shops I do business with. I hope to in that process, be able to provide a little for my family so we can make memories together and raise my three children up to be gracious, kind, hard working humans in the process.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ bluehydrangeascalligraphy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bluehydrangeascalligraphy?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Emily Quick