Sara Boyer & The Louisville Letter Company
There are few things more satisfying that spending hours on end watching calligraphy videos on TikTok. I mean really, it’s amazing, and I’m not the only one that thinks that. My friend Sara Boyer, who I’ve known since high school, agrees and thats actually how she got the inspiration to start her own company — by watching calligraphy videos.
As my company name proudly reflects, I am based out of Louisville, Kentucky. For about two years I was so envious of different calligraphy accounts and would always think “I would be so good at this” without ever putting a plan into action to actually start doing it. TWO YEARS (do not recommend waiting this long to get up and chase your dreams). Fast forward to 2019 when my therapist and I are casually discussing this small thought in my head of posting videos of me doing calligraphy on social media. And she simply said your homework tonight is to go home and post something online doing some calligraphy. At that point in time my anxiety and I would honestly have rather jumped out of a window. But I did it and here we are (:
Sara and I recently reconnected because she made a custom piece for me and it was a gift for my boss. The process of ordering, designing, paying and shipping were all seamless and I had a great experience overall. I started seeing her work more and more on social media and with each post I became more and more impressed. This is why I’m very excited to share her work and company with you today. So how does someone even learn how to do calligraphy?
I took some online beginner classes that really helped me learn the correct basic strokes for more traditional types of calligraphy and once I had practiced those enough I started also learning about modern calligraphy and hand lettering techniques. I study pretty much daily just as a way to find inspiration and expand my knowledge on all things calligraphy. I have always been someone who takes arts and crafts too seriously. In middle school my birthday parties used to always be about making some type of craft. Ever since I can remember my family (sorry fam) has always received handmade gifts from me for Christmas whether they’re sewn gifts, handmade ornaments, painted wood pieces, if it’s on Pinterest I’ve probably attempted to make it lol.
I feel like with creative things you either have it or you don’t and it’s very tough to learn. Also, running your own business in the creative space can be tough, as you never know how people will react to it and more importantly, if people are going to buy it. Thankfully, Sara’s pieces are being received really well and that’s why she’s growing. Her company offers the following services:
Hand Lettering
Modern and Traditional Calligraphy
Handmade, customized/personalized products
Louisville Letter Company particularly specializes in the third offering — handmade, customized and personalized products. You can really draw on anything and that’s what Sara is doing. There is really no limit. One of her most recent pieces was actually a customized jacket.
My favorite pieces currently are my hand painted leather and jean jackets. I think they are so fun and unique! Specifically one I did for a customer recently. She asked for a guitar on the jacket so I did a little research to find a picture of her personal guitar, and drew it on the leather jacket. I love the added personal touch and think little steps like that make handmade products that much more special.
What makes working with Sara so great is that she is always open to try anything, even if she has never done it before. At first she was just doing lettering on flat surfaces and now she has migrated over to clothing. Like I said, there are endless possibilities for her and her business and she can really help make your vision come to life.
Whenever I interview friends that started their own business, I’m always really curious about the thought process and how they felt leading up to the “launch” and what were the hardest parts about just actually starting!
Just believing in myself enough to put my work out there. I’m sure many creatives would agree it’s nerve wracking because you never know if your work is going to be well received. On top of that I’m so hard on myself and love to plant seeds of doubt in my own head. I’ve really just had to learn to get out of my own damn way.
This is going to sound so cheesy but the feeling of people paying for something that is 100% handmade by me, is indescribable. No matter what happens, starting this business has given me so much confidence, purpose, and taught me how to be gracious (and a lil touch of disciplined) with myself.
I think it takes tremendous courage and discipline to start your own business and I have so much respect for those that have done it. If you like any of the pieces that Sara has done, you can support her in so many ways.
