We were lucky to catch up with Leah Brower recently and have shared our conversation below.
Leah, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
My best piece of advice for keeping creativity alive, especially in a small business, would be to surround yourself with others who share that goal. Creativity is like a muscle, it can grow weaker when stagnant and stronger when challenged. Over the years I’ve strived to cultivate relationships with collaborators who trust my artistic license, but push my creative limits.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
When I first started my calligraphy business 8 years ago I thought I had just found a way to use my love for doodling to make a living. I began building my rental inventory, started sharing (a lot of sharing) on social media, continued networking with others in the industry, and before I knew it, I was surpassing even my wildest goals for this little lettering business. Initially, I simply wanted to work for myself, on a schedule I could choose, with goals that had personal purpose, but it’s turned into so much more than that. The greatest joy has been putting to use my love of hand lettering and contributing something meaningful for a monumental celebration of love – that’s the best part.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In hindsight the things that propelled me most were probably network, availability, and consistency. Early on I did a lot of networking within the industry and some vendors really took me under their wing, giving me opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. I said yes as much as I could when I started – I undercharged, I took last minute jobs, I took jobs out of my desired radius, etc. but these are the things that helped shaped my business and gave me necessary industry exposure. As an experienced calligrapher I now know my ideal client/job and can set those boundaries for myself.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Bible. Everything you could want to know about running a small business that provides for your family can be found in the Bible.
I Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Deuteronomy 8:18 – But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leahletters.com
- Instagram: leahletters_
