the view from here

Like a Freight Train

If my posting seems infrequent of late, it's because of this behemoth event called the National Stationery Show that is bearing down on me and the rest of the greeting card industry like a freight train. If it was only about exhibiting (selling) new products it wouldn't be so bad. But there's a ton of things that need to get done to get ready for the show. It's practically a full-time job.

In addition to creating new product offerings, there's pre-show marketing, booth design, website design -- all of that on top of the day to day running of my card and calligraphy business. Yeah, it's a little crazy here in the studio these days. Oh, did I mention that the SoWa Art Walk is overlapping with the Show? My studio space will be open for the SoWa Art Walk and my assistant will be manning headquarters while I try to write up more business in New York. So instead of leaving a trail of papers and beads behind me in Boston, I actually have to leave my studio in an exhibit-able condition.

This week I started sending out invitations for reps, retailers and press to come and visit my booth. I wanted an invitation that was a preview to the work I'll be exhibiting and I also wanted to capitalize on the core strength of my designs which is elegance combined with a sense of fun. In addition to an intriguing invitation, I also decided to hand address all the envelopes. It's time-consuming but I'm hoping all the extra labor will result in a much higher "open rate" (as opposed to going directly from the mailbox to the recycling bin), which I'm hoping will translate into a visit and finally a sale. I think getting people to open their unsolicited mail is probably one of the toughest things to do in direct mail. I'm hoping that my audience will get a kick out of getting such an invitation in the mail that it will pre-dispose them into thinking this is something they should get for their customers.

As a final touch I also purchased postage to match the envelope and invitation. I'm really pleased with these flower stamps -- the images are simple and stunning. They are just the right accent on my apple green envelope. The postal clerk was trying to sell me "Forever" stamps since the price of stamps is going up shortly (May 12). I held fast to my stamp selection because all my invitations have to go out next week anyway. However, I might buy even more of these flower stamps because they are so beautiful and even with a one cent stamp (which has a nice illustration of an American kestrel) they still make a nice envelope presentation.

I hope I haven't over-thought this mailer. I just wanted to send something out that wasn't just information with a dash of hype. I wanted to send something out that was personal and meaningful, something that is a part of me.

Illustration Friday: Wrinkles

Oliver's wrinkles make him look perpetually a.) perplexed, b.) forlorn, c.) guilty or d.) all of the above.

This drawing is one a series of dog portraits I've been working on this year. This winter I started drawing dogs in pen and ink and found a way of drawing that makes the finished product look like an etching. On lighter colored dogs the effect looks almost like dry-point etching. I'll be using the drawings in a calendar that will be one of my many new product offerings at the National Stationery Show in May -- just a few weeks away.

I take my inspiration from the dogs in the my neighborhood -- any stroll in the dog parks looks like a Westminster Dog Show parade. I want to thank the dogs and their owners in Boston's South End and Jamaica Plain for their patience and forbearance.

Addressing by Hand

Besides getting a refund check from the IRS, there are few mailbox moments as exciting as receiving a hand addressed letter or note. There's something about seeing your name in an actual peron's handwriting that let's you know that this piece of mail is uniquely meant for you. Direct mail companies know this -- some computer fonts are made to look like handwriting in an effort to trick the recipient into thinking they are receiving personal mail. It doesn't take an expert to figure out a machine spat out your name and address along with tens of thousands of others. Some companies even employ actual humans to physically write out names and addresses in an effort to increase their "open rate." They know that anything that doesn't look like a bill, check or letter hits the trash before it is ever opened.

Calligraphy can get pretty expensive. It's extremely time-consuming to do. And there aren't a lot of people who can sit down for hours on end copying addresses onto envelopes without losing their minds. Think Bartleby the Scrivener without the psychological disorder. But if you have a special occasion that requires multiple mailings like a wedding or anniversary party, you should really consider hand-addressing your envelopes. If you're watching your expenses, consider writing the addresses yourself. Is you handwriting really that bad? Could it be improved with a little concentration and effort? If your handwriting is truly hopeless, say, if you're a doctor, you might consider plan B which is to get somebody else to do it. I've suggested hiring a high school student with decent penmanship but I'm rethinking that advice. High school is the time people are trying on their adult personalities and consequently high school age penmanship has a somewhat affected, juvenile quality to it. Maybe you can talk an older relative into helping you out. A lot of older men and women (over 60) have beautiful penmanship as a result of years practicing the Palmer Method. If their handwriting is a little unsteady, think of it as adding a little personality to the writing.

A professional calligrapher is a great choice for most people. A lot of calligraphers will have a variety of styles to fit the occasions, styles, and budgets of their prospective clients.

Celebrating the special occasions in your life deserve extra attention. Hand-addressing envelopes is only partially about making an aesthetic statement. It is really about the personal touch. It says to the recipient, "You are special to me and I want you to share in my happiness." What could make a better impression?

Illustration Friday: Multiple

One way to understand an object you're drawing is to draw it from multiple points of view. From a purely analytic standpoint, you come to realize that complex objects can be broken down into simple components that come together in a fairly logical way. The class started with a really simple object -- a cube. Over the next 12 weeks we progressed from the cube to a cylinder, a wine bottle, a funnel, etc. Each time we drew the objects from different points of view, at the same time designing a pleasing composition. The class was a little dry for my liking but it's the equivalent of eating spinach and broccoli -- maybe it's not your favorite thing but it's certainly good for you.

Fifteen years later I was working with a photographer on a product shoot for one of my clients. I drew an open medicine cabinet full of toiletries and medication. It was a quick sketch just to show the photographer a general idea of the point of view and what my layout was going to look like. When the photographer and I spoke to finalize the details of the shoot, he mentioned how much he appreciated my drawing -- especially the attention to the single-point perspective I used to delineate the shelves. I have my drawing class to thank -- it was great to be able to draw a complex picture using a multiplicity of elements that I was able to put together in a logical fashion. More importantly, because of the intensity of the class, I was able to, years later, be able to capitalize on what I learned intuitively, like it was second nature.

Illustration Friday: Theory

My freshman year drawing instructor said to draw the model in a structural way -- showing the contours of an imagined armature. My biggest concern was to avoid a robotic look. Somehow I wound up with a drawing resembling a depiction of acupuncture theory (of which I knew almost next to nothing). I don't know much about traditional Chinese medicine but 1 billion Chinese can't be wrong, right?