Business Journal: a place to celebrate wins & reflect - 41st Edition

May’s highlights included participating in my very first trade show, spending time with my brother in Colorado, launching a new collection at the Chicago History Museum, wrapping up a contract with the WBDC, having my highest month of payments in business to date, and quietly rolling out some new copy on my website.

The Big Wins

• Participated in my very first trade show at MSA Forward where I connected with museum store buyers, fellow vendors, and learned a lot about the industry. Other highlights of the conference included visiting four museums: the Molly Brown House, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, Denver Art Museum, and Clyfford Still Museum, attending a Colorado Rockies Game, learning in numerous educational sessions and getting orders from the Milwaukee Art Museum and Atlanta Botanical Gardens, as well as having lots of great conversations about custom collections. Read my full recap of MSA Forward here.

• Officially launched the custom collection of Polish-inspired designs at the Chicago History Museum’s opening of Polish Chicago. Five designs are available in the CHM’s gift shop. Additionally, I am in the process of restocking enamel pins and stickers at the Field Museum.

General Updates + Accomplishments:

• Wrapped up my contract with the WBDC’s ScaleHigher Aurora program. Throughout May, I met virtually 1:1 with participants and attended their in-person graduation ceremony in Aurora to celebrate their completion of the ten-week program.

• Lined up new design work including a branding project for a new Peoria-based local business and a custom illustration project for a Peoria-area client I worked with five years ago who was ready for some updated designs.

• Prepared for MSA Forward by updating my wholesale catalog, restocking popular stickers, and packaging 200 swag bag items. At MSA Forward, I also debuted new products in collaboration with Katy of Narrative Material, who invited me to be her featured artist (and was the reason I attended). You can now purchase my designs on high-quality pillows and tote bags.

• Visited my brother in Colorado both before and after MSA Forward. It was great to extend my trip on both ends so I could spend some quality time with him. Highlights of my visit included stumbling upon the Second Saturdays street festival in Olde Town Arvada, meeting up with some other Colorado friends we knew from Peoria, and making some homemade beef jerky.

• Attended the Inaugural AMAC Chicago Chapter Event and reconnected with my aviation industry friends and colleagues. While I am unable to attend the Airport Minority Advisory Council’s conference in San Antonio next month, I enjoyed having an opportunity to stay involved with the organization and its expanded presence in Chicago.

• Had my highest month of payments to date. The phrase “when it rains, it pours” resonates with many freelancers and small business owners because owning your own business is often a rollercoaster and generally unpredictable. This makes the high points all the better. I took time to celebrate receiving my largest check in business by taking myself out to dinner at my favorite local restaurant and reflecting on how far I’ve come in the past seven years.

• Neglected to promote Self-Made Artist Academy as on-demand. I spent most of the month preparing for MSA Forward, attending MSA Forward, and then working through my follow ups, which left little time to focus on much else. So let this be your reminder that artists can now enroll anytime (and also take advantage of the pay-what-you-can options, too).

• Quietly rolled out some new copy on my home and about pages. I’ve been working with Julianne Ishler in a partial trade capacity and she helped me spruce up my messaging and get it aligned with where I am at in business today. She’s also been rolling out her new branding for Enneagram Empress, which you can find here.

May turned out to be Museum Month for Lettering Works! From all things MSA Forward to restocking the Field to launching a new custom collection with the Chicago History Museum, my work with museums truly dominated both my schedule and income. It feels exciting to continue to establish myself and my business in this space as museum people are truly some of the best people! If you are a museum person looking for a custom collection, be sure to reach out.

In June, I’m most looking forward to enjoying summertime in Chicago, working on my new design projects, attending the Logan Square Arts Festival, and continuing to work through all the follow ups I have with interested museums.

JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH!

There’s no better time to stock up on all your LGBTQ+ favorites from Lettering Works - stickers are fully stocked and ready for purchase via Faire and our website.

Thank you for being here, for supporting me, and for following along with my entrepreneurial journey.

PS - Have a project you’d like to chat about? Send me the details now to ensure your project gets on my calendar in 2023. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.

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