We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophie Taylor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophie below.
Sophie, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I was born to create. As a kid, I used to cut magazine clippings to make custom birthday cards for my family, and as I grew, my skills and creativity grew too. But when I entered the wedding industry as a calligrapher branching out into invitation design, I was plagued by self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Am I good enough? Can I do this? Will clients want to hire me? What if I fail?
Then, a couple of years ago while reading my bible, I cam across what is now my life verse: “[God] has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer…those who do every work and make designs” Exodus 35:35. It was a lightbulb moment for me.
When I came to realize that my gifts and talents come from God, and that He made me to do this work, it freed me from self-doubt and instilled an enduring confidence in both my creativity and also in the journey that lies ahead for my business. In realizing that the fundamental talents I have for making art and designing beautiful pieces was gifted to me by God, I also came to realize that I can’t lose those things.
My confidence is rooted in something much bigger than myself and I know that if I work hard, pursue excellence, and rely on God, there’s nothing I can’t achieve!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Taylor Design Studio is more than just a business or a brand to me. It really is an extension of who I am. TDS started out with an emphasis in calligraphy after I took my first lettering course and immediately fell in love. I worked hard to hone my skills and eventually people started asking if they could pay me to letter for them. It became apparent fairly quickly that I needed to figure out how to run a small business. From there, I pursued learning how to letter on anything and everything, which lead to a progression from wedding industry offerings to engraving, on-site engagements, production industry details, and even a spot on network television (it’s true! My lettering is featured on all of the letters in NCIS’ Ephemera; S17, E16).
Then, a few years ago, a wonderful planner friend of mine invited me to collaborate as the calligrapher for a styled shoot. I’d wanted to branch out to invitation design and this was the perfect opportunity. That project was the one that changed everything for me. I’d started out in calligraphy, but after that styled shoot, I knew invitation design was where I wanted to end up. I spent the better part of a year quietly honing my design skills and working out how to transition TDS from a calligraphy business to a custom wedding invitation design and day-of details studio. It took a little time for me to feel confident offering my new services, but when I finally did, I knew it had been the right choice and we’ve been offering custom stationery design services ever since!
But, of course, as an eternal dreamer, I couldn’t just stop there. I recently hired a wonderful assistant, Kate (she’s such a gift!), and we are diligently working on a new line of offerings that we hope to release later this year. We’re still in the research and development stage, so I can’t say too much, but if you’re getting married next year and want the gorgeous, luxury feel of a TDS custom invitation suite but don’t have room in your budget for custom invitation design, we are working on a way to make that happen. So stay tuned because some really exciting things are coming to TDS later this year!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In looking back on my journey with TDS, I would say the most important aspect of growth is figuring out where you belong as an artist and as a business owner. As a creative with a keen sense of curiosity and a deep love of learning new things, I was a bit like a crow chasing down every shiny thing I saw, but that hurt me in the long run. I hated the idea of “niching down” because I have so, so many interests and I didn’t want to be “nailed down” to just one thing for the rest of my life. But the reason we are encouraged to niche down is because it makes good business sense. It’s much harder and more time consuming to develop the systems necessary to sell 50 things than it is to develop a handful of fundamental, solid products or services and then strategically expand the peripheral offerings for them. If I’m being completely honest, I’ll admit that in the past I took pride in being able to “do it all,” and the name of my business was actually Taylor of all Trades for the first few years. But that wasn’t a recipe for growth because my messaging was all over the place, my audience was confused about my business’ identity, and it was impossible for me to enter the luxury wedding space without clear, well-developed, and niched down offerings. I hate to sound like an annoying school mistress, but it really is true, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Speaking of failing, the second most important thing I’ve learned is that failure is part of the process. As a recovering perfectionist, I know all too well how tempting it can be to hold ourselves to impossible standards and then kick ourselves when we can’t reach them. It’s important to remember that you learn so much more through failure than you do through success. When you make a mistake, the work you do to fix it produces wisdom. And wisdom is what helps you know how not to make that (or similar) mistake again. Over time, you’ll find you make fewer mistakes but the lessons you leaned from them are evergreen, as fresh as the day you learned them. On a side note, it’s also important to remember that what you see posted on social media is, for the most part, a catalogue of victories, not a an admission of shortcomings. Ask anyone who owns a small business and they’ll tell you this is a HARD path to walk and many (sometimes very costly) mistakes are made along the way. Failing isn’t my favorite, but I’ve learned to be thankful for the lessons I’ve learned as a result of them and not to compare my journey to the one someone else is on. I’m not seeing the hard work, hard days, and hardships, I’m just seeing the results. It may look effortless, but the exact opposite is true. Be ok with failing. And when you do fail, don’t implode. Take a breath, be calm, and approach the issue with a clear head. It may not seem like it at the time, but you will survive it!
Finally, the third most important thing I’ve learned on my TDS journey is to be flexible. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. If we hold rigidly to some version of ourselves or our business that we can’t grow past, we will be miserable when changes need to be made, and we’ll make everyone around us miserable too. Being flexible doesn’t mean carelessly approaching how your business is run, it means making solid plans but being willing to adapt them if the need arises. This is true in relationships as well. It takes concerted effort and a lot of humility to be able to let go of demands and exceptions in life, especially when it comes to things we care a lot about like our businesses and the people we love. Being flexible means you are honest about the things that aren’t working so you can make space for things that do. Don’t be so rigid in your business that you aren’t willing to take advice, change course, or step out of your comfort zone when necessary. Just because something doesn’t go “according to plan” doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Approach both the good and the bad things about your business with flexibility and you’ll find you (and your business) can withstand just about anything!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My dad is my hero. He raised me very purposefully and one of the most impactful things about him is his resilience. He has a number of serious health issues, but with the excellent care my mom gives him (she serves him selflessly in spite of her own trials), he is still a source of wisdom and encouragement for me. He raised me to be a determined, hopeful, hard working person who faces challenges head on, regardless of how hard they are or how impossible they seem to overcome. He’s also one of the most eloquent, charismatic people I’ve ever met and definitely passed “the gift of gab” down to me. We both love people, naturally excel at client-facing tasks, and approach relational dynamics with enjoyment and intentionality. I am so blessed to have been raised by a man who thinks deeply, loves sacrificially, and gave me the outlook I need to face life’s difficulties with hope, dedication, and determination.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.taylordesignstudio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/taylor_design_studio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taylordesignstudio
- Other: Email: info@taylordesignstudio.com
Image Credits
Sarah Katie Photography
