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

Kathryn, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

This is a small thing I know, but I’ll give this example anyway. I was selling Blackbird Letterpress goods in a booth at an arts market one Fall. And these two young women (I’m guessing tween age) came in to browse the booth. I saw one of the girls sneak a piece of paper very discreetly under something that was displayed. We got busy so it took some time before I looked to see what it was. It was a small sheet of lined paper and handwritten in the middle read “love it”. That note made my day. It didn’t matter if I sold anything. I knew I had connected to someone with our goods and that meant the world to me. Tell folks when you connect to what they are making, even if it’s with a small note.

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

I started Blackbird Letterpress in 2003 after finishing an MFA in printmaking at Louisiana State University. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after graduate school but I knew I wanted to do something creative. And though I really just wanted to make art, I had to do something to pay the bills. I soon found a Chandler & Price 8×12 letterpress (circa 1904) for sale in a town close by. I bought it for $400 (all the money I had in savings). I had a little letterpress training in school but I mostly had to teach myself by reading books & manuals. Around that time, a newly formed group, Ladies of Letterpress, began and that resource sped things up with lots of printers willing to share their printing knowledge.

Blackbird began by printing custom products like business cards and custom wedding invitations. Over the years, the business has become mainly a product business. We design and print greeting cards, handmade notebooks, calendars, and other movable novelty paper goods on antique printing presses. Our biggest sellers are items in the Inspiring Women series, where we highlight women in history that worked tirelessly as catalysts for positive change. We create quirky animal shaped cards that can hold things like a gift card, money, love notes, tickets, etc. Our custom printing side of the business now focuses on custom notebook jobs for individuals and businesses, and we take a few other custom jobs if our schedule allows. Blackbird started as a one woman, one press show and now we are four women and five presses strong. (I still make fine art, see more at kathrynhunterfineart.com)

We have worked to stay true to our vision by creating what we love. I’ve done most of the design through the years but also have worked with other designers/artists whose aesthetic complemented what I was making. There’s a great quote by A.J. Liebling, “freedom of the press is only guaranteed to those who own one.” At Blackbird, we try to make things that inspire. And we try to make enough so that we can give back to causes we love and want to support. Some organizations we have given to over the years are: Dialogue on Race Louisiana- dor.la, survivedandpunishedny.org, findmeatherapist.org, and support for Yhane Washington’s awesome audio drama series, “1972- The Chisholm Campaign Trail and the Davis Trial”, to name a few.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had more business training in school. In art school there was very little discussion or dialogue about starting a business. I would have benefitted from a professional development class where we met with career artists or folks with creative type businesses. It took much longer to grow Blackbird Letterpress because I didn’t have the skill set to make the best decisions in the beginning. It was slow and steady making the business viable with time, experience, and by finding a supportive, trustful, and sharing group of small business owners to learn from. But I can’t complain, I am ok with slow and steady and taking the time to learn from mistakes and finding the right people to brainstorm and talk numbers with.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I started exhibiting and selling Blackbird Letterpress products at wholesale trade shows, everyone around me that was exhibiting was all about “go big or go home”. Grow grow grow. Bigger was better. After 20+ shows I realized as the business had grown, my staff had increased, and we were constantly feeling the hustle. At some point, I really looked at the numbers with a couple amazing friends (who also run letterpress printshops). And I discovered that even with a growing gross profit, my net income wasn’t growing. And I was managing people more than designing and printing. Our products are handmade. We design and letterpress print products on printing presses over a hundred years old. That’s why I love the business, creating and printing, not managing people and feeling the grind of the hustle all the time. So, like many folks, during the Covid shutdown I had to regroup and think about how Blackbird was going to move ahead, what I wanted from it and what I wanted Blackbird to be able to give back. I decided to stop listening to the “go big” mentality, to stay small and to make the things we want to make. To get lean in-house and to keep getting my hands dirty with ink. To become more efficient and to continue being flexible. And so far it has “paid” off.

Contact Info:

• Website: blackbirdletterpress.com kathrynhunterfineart.com
• Instagram: @blackbirdletterpress @kathrynhunterartist

Image Credits
Carmen Nichols Photography, Raegan Labat