New Ventures
Firstly, hello!
Here I am taking the plunge and finally launching my new greeting card business.
I recently took an Instagram course with styledbynaomi.com and it was the best kick-up-the-ass I've had in a while (I highly recommend booking one with her). I learned so much more than just Insta tips on that weekend and gained the confidence to just begin. To put myself and my cards out there and accept that nothing is ever perfect, there's never a right time and that I can go at my own pace with this.
Note: I wrote the below blog when my daughter was six months old. I took some photos, began coding a website and then... life got busy and I never set anything live!!! Anyway, I thought I'd share it as it's still relevant, bar the paragraph below as I'm now 21 months into motherhood, but there we go...
I’ve recently become a mum to the beautiful Mila, and whilst my dreams for ample time whilst on maternity leave creating my own online business were somewhat dashed by sleep deprivation, sore nipples and poo-filled nappies, I feel six months in I am somewhat emerging from the haze. So what better way to emerge than to start my own online shop, blog and showcase some of my recent design work? Quite ambitious you may say.
The truth is this site and shop have been a long time coming. I’ve been a designer for over 12 years now, working agency side, in-house and freelance on a variety of projects, however my side hobby has always been cards, stationery and prints. I just love print. Some see it as a dying art, I however feel it’s re-emerging. In a digital age (which don’t get me wrong, I fully embrace) touching, smelling and owning something printed is somewhat more special.
Design geek alert: the smell and textures of a good quality paper with a freshly printed design is simply divine!
Cards have been a particular love of mine; giving a hand-written card is almost a gift in itself, choosing a design the receiver will love, penning something personal, placing it concealed in an envelope so it’s like unwrapping a present. Creatively this medium allows for such freedom too. My mother-in-law said if she was ever feeling down, a trip to a card shop to read the funny ones or peruse the designs always cheered her up. I guess what I love is the simplicity of a card – don’t even get me started on simplicity and minimalism…for a future post perhaps!
So here I am putting my creations out there. I hope you like them, and if you do please support my small business and make a purchase, share with friends and leave me some feedback.
Iona xx