We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gilbert Frogozo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gilbert below.
Gilbert, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
From FAILURE. As cliche as it sounds, we do learn from our mistakes. I think it is safe to say that almost all of us are afraid of rejection, mistakes, and failure. We all thrive to be successful in all aspects of life, however, life does not come with a conclusive “manual” on how to be successful on our first try. With success comes failure, and with failure comes resilience. In life, we will stumble upon obstacles and hurdles that will set us back but will also make us wiser next time around.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a man with “fancy writing” most commonly known as a calligrapher based in Los Angeles. An old-fashioned skill that is practiced by not so many in this today’s world. I personalize mostly on all surfaces such as glass, wood, leather, and metal incorporating traditional and modern calligraphy. I personalize through different mediums like engraving glass surfaces using a micromotor, embossing/foiling leather using a heat pen, and writing on wood with an appropriate marker/pen.
What I love about calligraphy is the versatility of its essence. Being a calligrapher, the opportunities are endless. I have worked with authors for book covers, movie producers for script scenes, celebrities for their holiday cards, musicians for their framed written lyrics, luxury brands for promotional/brand activation live events, restaurant owners for their menus, and event planners for custom signages, you name it.
In my many experiences doing live onsite events, the reaction of many people who are greatly astonished by this art is what I find the most exciting part of being a calligrapher. The appreciation of this “lost” art in today’s world is what makes me thrive and continue to gain passion in what I do.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Adaptation, Value, and Relationships.
Adaptation – As a self-taught calligrapher and calligraphy being versatile, I had to learn to adapt to many uncharted ways how to personalize many different surfaces. This involved many trials and errors – finding out which pens/markers works best on various type of wood, how much rotation per minute to set your micromotor to engrave various thickness of glass, which ink to use on various type of paper to make sure the paper does not absorb the ink too fast that causes the ink to bleed out. With that said, I did a lot of adaptation throughout my calligraphy journey and it took a lot of errors and trials to get to where I am today.
Value – In the beginning of my calligraphy journey, I undervalued my work a lot and for that reason, I undercharged despite knowing the amount of time and effort I put into my work to ensure I provide quality service. Not putting value into your work can lead to discouragement and others will also not give value to your work.
Relationships – Building relationship with your clients is very important. Having a strong connection based on trust and communication helps both parties feel more secure and connected and it can also lead to growing client retention. Networking is another component into building relationships and expanding your horizon that leads into more opportunities.
My advice to folks who are early in their journey – take risks. Do not be afraid to fail and overcome the fear of rejection when seeking out new opportunities. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Absorb all the learning opportunities and seek out a mentor who are in the same field as you to guide you through. I have met a lot of what I refer to as “calligrafriends”, who are my fellow calligrapher all over the world who shares the experience and give advices.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is someone who I can build a long term relationship with. A client that knows the value and effort of my services and appreciates the art of calligraphy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gilbertslettering.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gilbertslettering
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gilbertslettering
