We were lucky to catch up with LaKisha Jews recently and have shared our conversation below.

LaKisha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects that I have worked on and currently still do is creating and donating handmade cards to various organizations such as Cards for Kindness, Cards for Cubs and a few other non-profit agencies. The cards get distributed to hospitals, foster cares, nursing homes and cancer centers.

To know that my handmade cards will brighten and put a smile on someone’s face is priceless. Card making was never about gaining a profit it was to touch lives. The way creating has touched and brings joy into my life, I want the same for whomever receives a Sweetest Handz card to feel. I leave each card blank on the inside so that a personalized note can be written.

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

My name is LaKisha Jews, proud owner and creative specialist of Sweetest Handz. Sweetest Handz was born from a personal journey to relieve stress and anxiety. Scrapbooking helped me escape from the stress and anxiety of working full time/part-time, being a mother, wife, attending school along with the hustle of everyday life. Scrapbooking turned into card making which allowed me to express my creativity even more and share it with others. I was becoming more intrigued with this form of creativity. I began to look at the cards in various retail stores. I focused on who were the card maker, the textures, designs, and wording they were using. I realized after various trips to different retailers, there was a lack of representation of me. Since I saw little to no African-American card makers, I begin to give my full attention to card making and Sweetest Handz was ready to bloom.

My focus and objective with Sweetest Handz is to reinvent the way you think of greeting cards. It is important for greeting cards to be visually appealing to the customers, which means that my handmade cards are done with an unmatched quality and originality. With Sweetest Handz you will get a card that is unique, one of a kind, and blank on the inside so you can express your own thoughts. You can give a Sweetest Handz card and know that no one else will have the same card.

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

When I started out on my creative journey, I didn’t have a lot of resources available to me or that I knew about. I wish I knew about creative support groups, creative business mentors and funding. Now that I have been on this journey for awhile all of these resources are readily available. I am even now a creative mentor. It feels amazing to help other creatives with resources and try to keep them from making some of the mistakes I made when starting out.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the feeling I get when I am making handmade cards. I know that these cards will bring a smile to someone’s day. Also, to have a handwritten personalized message on the inside adds the final touch.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sweetesthandz