Lettering Works Business Journal - September in Review

~ NOW BOOKING PROJECTS FOR OCTOBER & BEYOND ~ If you’d like your brand to be expressed in a creative, real way to get the attention of your customers, let’s chat.

BUSINESS JOURNAL: A PLACE TO CELEBRATE WINS & REFLECT - 69TH EDITION

September’s highlights included vacationing in Spain, getting invited to Adobe MAX, attending an art retreat with friends, restocking some favorite shops, adding new stickers, seeing the Logan Square Community Guide in person for the first time, and attending a watch party for a type conference.

The Big Wins

  1. Spent a week in Madrid and Valencia, Spain. Highlights included enjoying lots of Spanish food and drinks, exploring Valencia while visiting friends who recently moved from Chicago, eating paella on the beach, catching the first day of Apertura Gallery Weekend Madrid, browsing small boutiques and vintage shops, eating a sandwich in the park, and getting lots of steps in.

  2. Adobe invited me to a VIP Community Summit and Adobe MAX. I’ll be traveling to Los Angeles (for the first time) in late October to soak up all of the creative inspiration and build community with fellow creatives.

Art making in Princeton, Illinois with friends

Enjoying time with art friends in Princeton, Illinois

The Kernference Watch Party in Chicago

Logan Square Chamber of Commerce Community Guide

Celebrating Emily & Adam at their wedding

New Blue Line train wooden sign now available at Paperish Mess

General Updates + Accomplishments:

  • Attended an art retreat with some of my Peoria artist friends in Princeton, Illinois. We worked on a calendar project together, which will involve a print exchange of our original works as the calendar pages. I also created a new Princeton sticker to commemorate the occasion. 

  • Presented to the Founding Females group on Passion Projects. I enjoyed sharing a case study on Cool Beans and inspiring other small business owners to think out-of-the-box with their marketing and community impact. At the end of the month I was also featured on the Founding Females blog

  • Restocked the Chicago History Museum. This is a big win as they’ve gone through a lot of transition since their last purchase from me for the gift shop over a year ago. I also restocked Neighborly, Souvenir City Chicago, Garfield Park Conservatory, and a couple shops at O’Hare.  

  • Added new stickers including Empathy is Cool, Art Making is Not Linear, Everyone Can Make Art, and a new 66 Chicago Bus.

  • Attended The Kernference and a special in-person watch party thanks to Adobe. It was fun to get inspired, nerd out about type design and lettering, and connect with 20 fellow creatives. 

  • Celebrated our friends at their wedding in the Chicago suburbs. It was also nice to host one of my friends who came in from Florida. 

  • Saw the Logan Square Community Guide in print for the first time! It’s been especially fun to work hyper locally this year and see the impact of my design work on the neighborhood. 

  • Identified some dental issues and started chiropractic care to work on relieving jaw and other chronic-illness-related pain. I  made some plans for scheduling other necessary medical appointments and procedures and paid my quarterly estimated tax payments…not everything is fun! 

  • Added six wooden signs to Paperish Mess. If you haven’t been to their shop, consider checking them out during the upcoming West Town Art Walk!

  • Collaborated with Brooke on a special “Feel it on the First” graphic. More to come tomorrow, October 1st, in honor of breast cancer awareness month. 

September was filled with some wonderful moments with friends, fun travel in Spain with Daniel, and some really exciting business progress. 

In October, I’m looking forward to celebrating my birthday, visiting a friend in Portland, speaking at a virtual Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Program event, attending Adobe MAX, and preparing for a resident artist opportunity in my neighborhood that is set to start in November.

I am currently open to more branding, creative marketing, custom merchandise projects, as well as 1:1 consulting sessions focused on how to strategically bring art into your business. Reach out if you’d like help breaking through the noise with a hand-crafted design that allows you to express yourself and your message more creatively.


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 2025. Bring on all the logos, branded merchandise, + brand identity projects… let’s make some beautiful + impactful things together.

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Lettering Works Business Journal - August in Review