I’m taking a little break from the Podcast and here’s why… “This is the scariest thing I’ve ever done and I’m terrified.” - Shinah FIRST: Crooked Calligraphy is NOT going anywhere In fact, I’ve created a brand-new FREE CALLIGRAPHY STYLE MONTH for March 2024.  ✍️ So, if you want free lessons on how to think about style BUILDING BLOCKS, so you can level-up your CONFIDENCE and go after truly dreamy clients… SIGN UP RIGHT HERE.  SECOND: I am taking time to start something new And I don’t know...

Let’s get into part 2 of how to start a calligraphy business with arguably one of THE most important things – how to attract customers & keep them with the services you’re providing! There is a LOT that goes into starting a business – which might sound incredibly scary. But this is stuff though where you actually need to show up and courageously keep trying. Of course, you don’t need to do EVERYTHING when you’re first starting out- but you need to know the IMPORTANT things to do to...

I’m de-mystifying the legal & financial steps to officially setup your calligraphy or art business.  “I promise, by the end of this episode, this stuff will feel less overwhelming and more DOABLE.” - ShinahIf you’ve ever dreamed of making money with your art, but this scary logistical stuff is what’s stopping you, grab a notepad ‘cause we’re getting into the nitty gritty! LEGAL SETUP Choosing a Business NameDeciding on a Legal Structure: Sole Proprietorship v. LLC v. S-CorpEvaluating...

Betcha didn’t know I was a huge fantasy nerd🤓… and other (maybe) interesting facts  In today’s light-hearted episode, I share 13 things you probably didn’t know about me! Including: The 21 countries I’ve traveled toThe martial arts black belt I never use…What I do in my 40s that I would NEVER DARE to do in my 20sHopefully you feel like you know me a little better. If there’s anything that surprised you, or that you can relate to… DM me on Instagram and let me know! (Oh and here’s the...

What could you accomplish if you no longer feared failure? "I’m more open than ever to feeling it ALL… success, disappointment, shame, and extraordinary gratitude." - Shinah If you go after something brave and a little unusual… you WILL face failure and disappointment.  Here’s what I do so that those feelings make me stronger, instead of crushing me: Three PRACTICAL things I do to re-frame thoughts of failure, andThe ONE PERSPECTIVE SHIFT I keep coming back to that helps me embrace all...

"I made more money than my husband, for the very first time in my life... with calligraphy!" - Priscilla Basilio, Crooked Calligraphy Student Today, I’m interviewing someone who went from:  Not knowing anything about calligraphy... toBringing in more money with her calligraphy business last December than her husband did with his full-time job! Priscilla of Priscilla Basilio Design Studio  has SUCH an inspiring story to share. ✨ She never imagined she could own a business, let alone grow it...

If you’re afraid to follow your creative dreams, I’m going to give you some perspective today that will totally DISARM your fear (and it’s not what you might think). I’ve been encouraging people to go after their creativity in the form of calligraphy for 8 years now. I’ve sold courses that cost $500 or more – and I’ve also heard EVERY excuse under the sun why people don’t want to take that first step on their creative journey. All those objections have one common thread – they are born out...

Genell of @speciallyinked is a BRUSH PEN calligrapher (yes, not all calligraphers use pointed pen!) who started her calligraphy journey as a fun venture - unaware of her savvy marketing skills at the time. She had never really thought of herself as “creative”. But after taking my Modern Calligraphy 201 course (and showing her friends her progress along the way) Genell finally gained the confidence she needed in her abilities... just not her “business abilities”... After setting down her brush...

psst... Join our FREE 5-Day Calligraphy Challenge (starts Jan 14, 2024) If you’re hoping for more creative exploration and expression in 2024, I’m here to bust some myths about what it truly means to be “creative” and explain why as a society we need to re-think creativity just like we’re re-thinking SEX. Join me in this episode as I debunk some of the most common myths of creativity like: 'You should enjoy creativity for creativity’s sake – the art is enough to keep you happy!''You should...

Clarity can only come from Action  “There’s just no way to over-think yourself into true understanding. That’s why I’m walking away from this year with so many lessons.” - Shinah  This year, I did NOT hit my financial goals. And I beat myself up constantly… all while creating new offers, trying new business ventures, and feeling like a failure most of the time.  AND… I’m feeling really optimistic about the future. How?  Because I know this year was all about growth. So I wanted to share my...

I’m officially back from Korea, and settling back into my CEO role as I break down how Crooked Calligraphy has fared in the 10 months since I’ve dismantled & rebuilt it once again! As I process my feelings and look back on the last year, I’ve had quite the love/hate relationship with its performance. While my revenue was almost spot on to my prediction, it came in multiple forms this year as opposed to the past, including: Life coachingMy evergreen webinar funnelCollaborations with fellow...

Dani has always had a life-long love affair with fancy pens and inks. After discovering me through my sweary calligraphy greeting cards on Reddit (crazy right?!?), she began her calligraphy journey in 2018 with my Modern Calligraphy 101 course.  When her mental health started to decline due to fertility issues, she made a promise to herself to focus on the future - going all-in and joining my “Calligraphy Bosses Inner Circle” (which would become the beta version of my “Biz Starter Guide”...

I recently hosted a “Launch Your Profitable Product” Bootcamp, and my students had SO many questions about Etsy. So much so that I added an entire unit to my “Biz Starter Course” walking you through how to sell on Etsy. There are a LOT of strong opinions when it comes to Etsy. And since I have technically sold products on it since 2015, I figured it was time to throw my hat in the ring as well. I know the commerce platform can have its strengths for sellers in ease of setup & not having...

There are two ways to grow revenue“The calligraphers I see thriving often have a mix of revenue streams.” - Shinah This episode started when I got an email from someone asking, sincerely and thoughtfully, whether it’s possible to make a living as a calligrapher WITHOUT teaching calligraphy.  So I answered her honestly… I myself make the vast majority of my money from my calligraphy online courses. But I also wanted to give you some SPECIFIC NUMBERS and clear insight on how to grow revenue in...

GROWTH CAN BE INCREDIBLY HARD“One of the most challenging parts of running a business is that it forces you to confront the parts of you that you’ve been AVOIDING your whole life.” - ShinahThis is a deeply personal episode and warning, I get a unabshedly sniffly for the entire second half.  I share REAL FINANCIAL NUMBERS from my latest course launch and overall year… and why they are scaring the shit out of me right now. And also, why this year is probably the BIGGEST GROWTH year, emotionally...

Let's face it - the real reason most people don't start their own business is because of FEAR. Those paralyzing "what ifs" in your mind ignite your true fears - fear of the unknown, fear of the judgement from others, fear of failure.... But what if there was a way to overcome those? Last week. I held my very first "Launch Your Profitable Product" Bootcamp for all my students enrolled in my Biz Starter Guide course. I challenged them to do some HARD things - not just tangibly, but...

“Help, Shinah!! Someone wants to pay me to write their wedding song lyrics in calligraphy… is this allowed, or am  I going to get in copyright trouble?!?” The Short Answer? You might be violating copyright law, buuuuuut you probably won’t get in trouble for this one job.  The Long Answer? It’s complicated. I’ll try and explain it in easy terms (and keep myself from putting on my former lawyer hat too much 🤓) In this week's episode, I’m nerding out on all things copyright & trademark....

What kind of person do you picture when you hear the word “entrepreneur”?? A lot of us (as I did for most of my life) pictured rich, powerful men full of generational wealth. They were venture capitalists, stock brokers, or heads of giant corporations who drove around one of their many sports cars when they weren’t vacationing on their yacht in the Mediterranean.   The problem with that vision?? It’s COMPLETELY untrue. Entrepreneurs these days come in SO many shapes and forms: Moms holding...

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “CUD”?? Probably a cow chewing their cud (at least that’s what I think of). BUT, there is an entirely different definition of “CUD” that can help you jumpstart a profitable creative business (stick with me here!) In today’s episode, I define how to use the “CUD Method” (clear, unique, doable) to select the best product to sell in your business.  To be successful, your product needs to be ALL 3 of these things: C – CLEAR: Easy for...

How many of you have ever begin an Instagram caption with “I loved creating _______!”  Yeah, we’ve all been there. As creators, making things is what we LOVE to do! YOU’RE always going to love what you’re making… but are other people?  As sellers, we have to remember that we aren’t selling ourselves on our products- you’re selling to an audience. Oftentimes we need to put ourselves in THEIR shoes and say, “What would someone buying my product want to hear?”.  In this episode, I’m breaking...

If you have ever tried to price a good for sale that you created, or you have but feel like you can’t quite hit the sweet spot- this episode is for you! I find SO MANY of my students wondering “How the hell do I price my products??” I totally get it- thumbing through the pages of Etsy researching competitors prices can have you feeling a little, well, lost. You see those rock bottom prices and think to yourself “How are these people making ANY money off their products?” OR you find yourself...

What NOT to do when launching a course.“Looking back, there are some definite reasons why this launch under-performed.” - ShinahToday, I’m getting both STRATEGIC and quite VULNERABLE.  I’m looking at my latest launch of my Intermediate Calligraphy Course and analyzing why: A pre-launch runway is so importantToo much content during a launch can be a BAD thing, andThe #1 thing I’ve been neglecting that would have given me different resultsSometimes, business is just hard. So I’m also sharing a...

Getting & Keeping High-Paying Corporate clients“Working with big brands is a different beast - they have certain standards and expectations when hiring a professional.” - ShinahThis BONUS EPISODE is a snippet from a live training I did recently called “Confident Calligraphy Style (Stop Copying & Start Attracting High-Paying Clients” ….psst… I’m teaching it again live this Saturday, Sept 16, 2023. Register for free here! I’m sharing the juiciest part of the training, where I talk about...

Building a business in your hometown“You don’t need a huge instagram audience or email list…you can grow a thriving business rooted in the physical PLACE and community you’re in.”- Shinah I have three stories for you today - all students of mine - all building calligraphy businesses very much based in their physical home towns. And those communities aren’t huge. In fact, two of them are in pretty RURAL areas. Listen in to find out how they’re doing it.  (I also give you the lowdown on the...