Gemma: Hi Christina! Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a leading calligrapher in Scotland?
Christina: What blows my mind with this question is that, if you had told me I would be asked this a few years ago, I’d have rejected the whole concept! My journey started when my husband proposed to me. I had my heart set on hand-written wedding invitations but when I saw the price of them I decided to teach myself instead.
I spent my nights practising calligraphy, watching YouTube videos, researching, until I felt confident to make the place names and other details too. After that, I did calligraphy for a friend’s wedding, then a friend of a friend and things started to pick up pace.
A big business boost for me came when I got to create the lettering for Mud Urban Flowers’ tote boxes. It really catapulted my business in the Glasgow business scene!
G: How did you teach yourself the art of calligraphy and what resources did you use to improve your skills?
C: I’ll stay humble and tell you that I actually bought all the wrong stuff to begin with – the wrong pen, the wrong paper and the wrong ink! I quickly learned from my mistakes and did the proper research.
That said, I didn’t really like a lot of the books that I bought and that actually inspired a business decision to write my own. So I made my own workbook, one that was like a book I would have wanted to learn from. The workbook is now embedded in the workshops I lead. I’m so proud of how it turned out!
G: What has been the biggest challenge you faced when establishing your brand and how did you overcome it?
C: Imposter syndrome. I think it’s something a lot of people suffer from. It made me doubt my ability and my talent. I could get myself so stressed finishing a job, thinking it looked terrible or that the client wouldn’t like it. When I really started to believe in myself, that’s what turned things around for me.
Forcing myself out of my comfort zone, both personally and in work, helped build my self-confidence. I realised that I didn’t need to do things for free in order to land collaborations or jobs I really wanted. I think that actually helped me gain more business, because I was respecting my skills and my time. When you respect yourself, other people respect you more.
G: How has your work with celebrities and global brands impacted your business and career as a calligrapher?
C: I’m so grateful for the people and brands that have worked with me and continue to do so. When you land a job with reputable brands it really does help put you on the map with other similar companies.
My advice is to consider collaborations and don’t be afraid to approach the big brands. Brands are much more open and supportive of small businesses these days, particularly if they’re female-founded.
These early partnerships were key for me. I was then picked up by the MTV European Music Awards and asked to customise their artist goodie bags two years in a row. I even got to attend the event in Seville, rubbing shoulders with Nicole Scherzinger and Ronaldo! Since then I’ve worked with brands like Chanel, Vieve, Van Cleef and Arpels and Ferrari.
G: Can you tell us more about your new calligraphy and wellness workshops? Why do you feel it’s important to promote calligraphy as a form of relaxation?
C: Teaching is my absolute passion. The feedback I receive after hosting workshops is mostly about how relaxed people felt during and after them. They said they stopped thinking about anything else because they were so focused on what they were doing.
With our lives so full of technology now, taking time out is important. I began to realise more and more that these classes were providing people with so much more than just learning to do calligraphy. They were an immersive experience and I was teaching people how to simply slow down and take their time.
This feedback actually prompted me to stop and take a break for three months to brand and realign my business. Everything is minimalist and clean-looking now, from the logo to the workshop venues to the decor and the lighting. I changed everything to make sure it was conveying the relaxing tone I wanted to set.
I now also use breathing techniques as part of the classes to add an extra wellness element. I was lucky enough to team up with Andrew at Performance Breathworks, who helped me tie in the breathing exercises with the writing in a more fluid way.
I’m also planning to collaborate with other small Scottish wellness businesses to offer customers the ultimate wellness experience of calligraphy with yoga, facial massage and more.
G: You mentioned that you plan to offer workshops for both adults and children. How will these workshops differ and what benefits do you hope to bring to participants?
C: I am so excited to be launching these classes soon! These workshops will provide the same benefits for both children and adults and there will be classes where parents and children can come and learn together. I have some new creative and fun ideas for children to include in the workbooks and I’ve been working with teachers to develop these. Thanks to their knowledge and expertise I’m confident these classes will be enjoyable for both children and their parents!
G: Tell us about your partnership with Push Print Agency and what you hope to achieve through this collaboration?
C: Coming together with Push has been so exciting. They are an independent printer based in Glasgow and Vikki and Bradley from Push have been a vital part of my wedding business for years. By officially collaborating, we will be able to offer a range of beautiful stationery for weddings and events.
Our main focus is to give our clients a one-stop shop that’s transparent on price. Customers will be able to build their wedding suite while seeing immediately what it will cost, saving time wasted going back and forth over email to get an initial quote. We also aim to provide on-the-day stationery to match, as well as ready-made items like table numbers, favour tags, thank you cards and more!
What advice do you have for individuals looking to start their own creative business, particularly in a niche area like calligraphy?
C: Embrace the fear and do it anyway! It’s a real gift to be able to do something you love, whatever that is for you. Life is short, do the thing. Just make sure to focus on you and not compare yourself to others.
Looking ahead to the future, what are your goals for Laila Lettering? How do you plan to continue growing and evolving your brand?
C: I hope that I can continue to teach more people calligraphy, to give them an escape and some precious quiet time to relax and unwind. My hope for the future is to teach in schools, whether that be handwriting or calligraphy. I want to encourage schools to get children to put down their iPads and get back to old-fashioned pen and paper, even just for a short time, because they need time to switch off too.
You can find out more about Christina’s services and workshops at https://lailalettering.com/ and on Instagram at @lailalettering.
