We were lucky to catch up with Katie Morone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

My past job had a huge impact on my business – it’s one of the reasons I started it! I danced with a regional ballet company in San Diego, CA for about 10 years while also freelance designing. In both dance and design, you’re bringing someone else’s vision to life. While that is rewarding, and you do get some creative liberties, at the end of the day it’s not entirely yours; which in some cases is a benefit but not always! I needed a project that was just for me so I started illustrating. It started with a series of flowers, then ocean-related elements, and somehow – I truly don’t remember how – those drawings got turned into greeting cards and I was hooked. Almost 5 years later I have a stationery business with over 150+ designs!

Katie, 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?

Line & Kind Paper Co. is an indie stationery & gift brand with a simple, colorful, and thoughtful feel. In a world full of overwhelming color and pattern, when I started this project I wanted something cleaner and like so many stories that’s exactly what I made! While the designs may be simple the sentiments on them are not. I try to create cards (and other products) that allow us to connect even over the most niche & hardest times, because we need to connect over those too ya know?

Through this small business journey, I’ve met the most wonderful people – both other small business owners and customers. Both groups share my love for stationery, connecting with others, and taking time to find that perfect gift for that someone.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I can’t stress this enough – community! So many of us run our businesses by ourselves and truly, you can’t do it alone. Finding like-minded people, whether that’s through a mastermind group, local meet-ups, or even just people you already know – having a group of people that you can turn to for advice or a quick opinion is invaluable. They’re bound to be in a different place in their business than you which means they’ve learned & experienced different things that you can learn from. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to someone asking for help and they changed the trajectory of my idea for the better. Community over competition always!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Hearing people’s paper/stationery-related stories. One of the main reasons I love doing in-person events & markets is getting to hear everyone’s stories. How they planned to use what they bought, family traditions surrounding cards and the like, helping them pick the perfect card for that special someone, etc. It warms my heart and really reinforces just how special a hand-written note can be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lineandkind.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lineandkind/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lineandkind/posts/?ref=page_internal
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lineandkind/boards/