Propaganda I’m Not Falling For
5 myths from a stationer and calligrapher
After running my calligraphy and stationery for a few years, there are some important lessons learned along the way. At times, I do find myself second guessing some of my decisions. And well, with experience and growth, there is some propaganda that I will not be falling for… check out the list below.
Wedding invitations end up in the trash
I hear this one often… well, yes and no. First, invitations are the items that guests will see for the longest time because they arrive about 2–3 before the wedding. That means your beautiful invitations get to live on your guest’s refrigerators for about 2-3 months—or maybe even stay there after your wedding if they deem your invitation is too gorgeous to take down. Invitations really help to set the tone for your wedding. It gives your guests the first glimpse of your wedding and what to expect.
But to argue this is silly. A lot of your wedding details get tossed away: flowers, leftover food, uneaten cake slices, the napkins, bottles and cans. If you’re really concerned about trash, let’s chat about composting. It’s my jam. Seriously, I love chatting about composting, recycling, and worms. We can even print your wedding invitations on seed paper!
Party favors are a waste
At a time, party favors meant little trinkets with the married couples names and wedding date. It was cute and all but didn’t serve much use after the wedding. But personalized party favors is THE THING.
Let me explain, have a live calligrapher or engraver at your event to personalize gifts! Your guests get a party favor they’ll love and entertainment. The best part is your guests get to choose what they want engraved on their item. It’s a win win.
Intentional party favors is the way to go and we can work together to come up with unique ideas that make sense for your wedding vision. Disney wedding? I’ll calligraphy your guest names on a pair of Mickey ears. Winery wedding? Engrave wine glasses for your guests–and have them neatly packed up and securely cushions for guests to bring home. A couple who loves to travel? Personalized luggage tags with hot foil calligraphy is a simple, yet impactful, gift idea.
Live calligraphy, engraving, and art services needs to be budget friendly
Look, I used to think that live calligraphy and engraving services needed to be accessible for everyone and every type of event. But the truth is, having any form of live art is a luxury as it requires such a skill set and not everyone can offer this service. Just because everyone can write, doesn’t mean they can be a calligrapher or engraver without taking the time and effort to learn and practice. Think of this like a professional make up artist. Just because you can do your own make up, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a professional make up artist.
Needing to compete with Etsy and Minted
Yes I’m on Etsy. But my pricing isn’t based on other Etsy shop’s pricing. Why? Well, first, I don’t consider myself to be a “budget” calligrapher or invitation designer. Each custom invitation client I book goes through an extensive process to design the perfect invitation for their wedding. With over a decade worth of design experience, I strive to provide unique wedding invitations for my couples and that takes a lot of time. I’m not into presenting cookie cutter invitations for my custom clients—and trust me, I have designed at least 6 invitations for the same venue with the same themes. But with each of those unique couples, I present different concepts that best reflect their wedding vision.
For big wedding invitation vendors, such as Minted, they are getting hundreds if not thousands of orders daily. Their business model can sustain low costs as they have a high volume of orders. I’m just a one Asian American woman design team and my business model is on the high cost with low volume orders. And that is okay! Both business models work. Most Etsy shops and Minted serve a different clientele than me. There’s enough space for all of us.
AI will replace art
AI “art” is a different type of “art” and I have a lot of mixed feelings. Put aside the environmental impact, yes AI steals from artists and writers. It is unethical in so many ways. But part of me wonders if this is the same as music remixes and mash ups? I just don’t know. But it is worth noting that when Photoshop and Illustrator were introduced, people said digital art isn’t “real art.” So no, I don’t think AI will replace “traditional” artists just like how digital art didn’t replace painters.
All’s this to say, I once believed the opposite of all of these points. I used to think that invitations had little value because they were “trashed,” that party favors were a thing of the past, that I had to adjust my live calligraphy and engraving pricing to accommodate everyone, that I needed my pricing on Etsy to be lower to match others, and that AI would be the end for artists. I challenge you to reflect on things you were conditioned to believe and take a step back to reevaluate it. Do you agree or disagree?
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