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

Alright, Gizelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

Calligraphy was historically important as a means of sending handwritten messages all around the world. Calligraphy has made a comeback, and is now known as a way of writing using different forms of lettering and flourishes, with various types of writing instruments.

Some of the biggest trends we are seeing today are personalized and custom made gifts, both of which come easy to the calligraphy industry. Customers enjoy gifting, and being gifted something unique thus beautiful. Many of those gifts are ordered with a note to personalize the item, whether it be with a beautifully written name, date, or symbol.

One of the most recent orders I had was a groom-to-be, looking to gift his groomsmen something special and unique. After a little brainstorming session on what these gentlemen enjoyed, we came to the idea of picking up some bottles where we not only wrote their names and the question of “Will you be my groomsman.” We also added in a sweet little message drafted by the groom himself which was handwritten, using a white paint pent, and beautifully written in cursive writing. The gift was perfect! Not only was the groom happy, but the individuals he was gifting these to were honoured to have received something so personalized.

Customized gifts are huge in the calligraphy world, and we are seeing more and more people demanding these type of gifts more so than the general ones.

Gizelle, 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?

Working out of the Greater Toronto Area, “Yours Truly Gizelle” believes in the beauty of a timeless, handwritten script. It got that name because I started off designing and creating greeting cards which were always personalized for each customer and/or event. I got into this business because I have a love for arts and crafts and everything handmade. As my follower base grew, I started to get bigger projects in the wedding and events department, where I created items such as escort/place cards, seating charts, welcome signs, etc. This allowed me to practice my handwritten calligraphy on other surfaces (e.g., mirrors, specialty paper, wood). I’m all about personalized and unique creations, so I specialize in event stationary and calligraphy, and I also design specialty decor and provide art services.

What sets me apart from others is my creativity. I look for inspiration, but will always put my own twist on it. I find customers love this aspect about my small business and always come back to see my latest creation. There are a couple of things I am most proud of. For one, in all these years, I have practiced my calligraphy and have begun to perfect it, allowing me to feel much more confident to take on bigger projects such as giant menu signs for local restaurants. But I am also proud of how far my business has come. I have moved on from creating greeting cards to fulfilling important details for peoples’ important days and milestones. It makes me happy to think that they trust me with these details in their lives. I want people to know that all of my work is done with the care and consideration they would expect, and rest assured, their special projects are safe in my professional hands.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

For me it has been word of mouth and social media. I began very small, only creating greeting cards for friends and family for birthdays or other monumental events. As people started receiving these cards, they would get redirected to me. Eventually I noticed I had many people asking for these handmade cards. This pushed me to create social media accounts for my products. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have been huge in getting my “face/brand” out there, allowing me to be discovered by other like minded individuals, or those looking for handcrafted, personalized items. When it comes to social media, I have noticed that hashtags have been huge! Using those product specific ones have allowed new clients to find me, sending me messages, visiting my website, or to simply become a new follower of mine.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As previously mentioned, I began this small business with nothing but friends and family, so they were my first “audience” on social media. I began to reach out to them, asking if they were willing to share my account on their stories so others could learn about what I do. I was very fortunate in that way. I’ve been part of a couple of markets where the creators really market your services and products. This brought many new faces to my account along with many new sales. I have also collaborated with other artists. Some with big followings, and some with smaller followings. To me is was more about making connections and products that were super unique, and something people would gravitate to. Not only did this allow me to make friends with other professionals, a lot of their followers soon became my followers too because they loved what we brought to the table. Finally, I have done many giveaways in the past. This boosts engagement and definitely brings new followers. With that being said, my biggest piece of advice is when you begin, think of your niche, and then find some accounts that would compliment yours. For instance, when I was making cards, I found someone who made sugar cookies. For Father’s Day, we offered a cookie and card combo. People loved it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yourstrulygizelle.com/
• Instagram: @yourstrulygizelle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yt.gizelle/

Image Credits
For picture number 5 (“pic5” name on the actual photo), Isabella Natale Photography