We recently connected with Carissa Flores and have shared our conversation below.
Carissa, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I have watched my mom give generously to others throughout my life. She comes alive when she has the opportunity to serve someone tangibly and when she has something that she can give away to others to perfectly meet their needs. In my business, I work hard to maintain that same spirit of generosity. I look for ways to include extra things in an order at no cost, and I know my business profits are secondary to caring for people and bringing them joy.
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?
My business has two parts: teaching calligraphy and providing calligraphy for others.
When I am teaching calligraphy with the Sip & Script side of my business, I am introducing brand-new beginners to modern pointed pen calligraphy. My students love seeing the ink flow from the pen for the first time and finding the confidence to write on cards, gift tags, and more. I am proud to create an environment where students can relax with friends and enjoy creating beautiful words.
In the wedding and events side of my business, I create all the personalized items that make a party special: the place cards, signs, seating charts, and more. One of my favorite things is writing someone’s name in calligraphy, knowing they will see it and feel loved by the event’s host because so much time was taken just for them. I love helping enhance others’ thoughtfulness.
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?
1. Hard work is at the top of this list for me. Of course it goes without saying, but… in order to start your own small business or begin anything new, you have to be willing to put in a little more work than normal up front. It is easy to coast along on someone else’s vision, but when you’re ready to implement your own ideas, it’s hard work. You might not be able to accurately estimate how long something will take or how many steps will be involved at first, but you grow those muscles as you keep moving forward.
2. Like I was saying earlier, my mom has always been very generous; she’s been able to give so much away because she is so resourceful. I have learned to do this too. For example, instead of buying brand-new supplies or materials, I look for things I can creatively repurpose from thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, or my home. This is important to reduce waste on our planet as well!
3. In addition to being resourceful with my material belongings, I have learned to use the resources available to me — asking questions in online forums of fellow calligraphers, looking in the right places for answers, and soaking up the wisdom of others in my field.
How would you describe your ideal client?
For my calligraphy business, my ideal client is a bride/groom or a small business owner who loves the idea of something personal at their event — whether that’s a hand-lettered wedding welcome sign or live engraving services at a special store event. They care deeply about their guests or clients, and they are putting genuine thought into their plans. They’ve scrolled through Etsy and felt that the templates and fonts don’t feel authentic enough for the custom signs and details at their event, or their vision is on a larger scale. They want the event to feel completely personal, like it was designed with each guest in mind.
And for my calligraphy workshops, my ideal student is open to trying new things (and willing to push through the discomfort of being bad at something new!). They might not think of themselves as “creative” in a traditional sense, but they are kind and thoughtful, so they find meaning in the beauty of writing slowly in calligraphy. They recognize that this new skill might add a layer of depth to their meditation practice or help them create even better birthday cards for their friends. They also love to meet new people and relax in a social setting, but if they’re a little anxious about new people and situations, that’s okay because they’ll meet the kindest people at a Sip & Script class.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dosfloresdesigns.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dosfloresdesigns
- Other: Sip & Script class schedule: https://sipandscript.com/organizer/carissa-flores/
