Baby Daro 2020 and Seniman Calligraphy 5th Birthday

Didn’t ended up sending any of these out. But isn’t Czar Press does an amazing job with my letterpress invite?

So, yeah…. What an impeccable timing, huh? Baby Daro is due May 30th. Or as my OB put it excitedly, “any day now!”. BabyQ/Housewarming was planned for April 19th, but that ain’t happening due to Safer at Home for LA County. April was also the birthday of Seniman Calligraphy. I’m regularly reminded with Squarespace billing for this milestone, but this year is extra special because I also received the renewal notice for my DBA. That means my tiny business is turning 5 and in a normal timeline, this should be another reason to celebrate! Unfortunately, 2020 is nothing but normal and “as planned”.

Hopeful was probably the best word to describe how everything was before the whole Covid-19 shenanigans. Last year, I was pretty happy with where Seniman Calligraphy was. I had regular referrals for events and custom stationery that kept me busy, I finished two additional classes in addition to beginner calligraphy class, and I’m working more on my non-wedding products for retail and wholesale orders. I also took my very first business course with Proof to Product to prepare myself for the National Stationery Show in my future. With all that hopefulness in mind, we felt like we’re ready to add a new family member.

Personally, we moved from our DTLA Loft to a 3-bedrooms house with a garage in Pasadena in January 2020. It’s a detached townhome my parents purchased when all their kids went to school in the USA. Alex and I got the honor to pay for the mortgage and all the bills after my youngest sibling went back home for good. We spent our 2019 cash reserve on small upgrades of the house, new furniture, and all the moving-related expenses. We’ve excitedly planned and timed any additional house works for April’s BabyQ/Housewarming. Alex already decided which new local favorite to cater for the celebration, I’ve sent the invite design to Czar Press, we’ve agreed on the desserts, and I’ve had all the decors/napkins/paper plates on my Amazon’s Cart and ready to purchase. I know I didn’t publicly announce our upcoming bundle of joy, but we’re pretty damn excited! I’ve even booked Tanya from Tenth and Grace for maternity shoot since December last year.

And as always, things never go according to plan. First, our new tile for fireplace wall and kitchen backsplash were back-ordered and the construction crew cannot get them done before our move-in date. A week or so after I’ve sent my files to print, all the major sports events are canceling their season. Not long after I received our beautifully printed invite, LA County gives shelter in place order until April 19th which happens to be the printed date for our tiny celebration. It’s been since extended until May 15th and revised to an undetermined date, so we don’t even bother sending them out. They look very pretty tho! So I hope you guys enjoy the pretty picture of this invite.

Business-wise, the impact starts small. Delay for my pin restocks due to the Coronavirus impact in China in February 2020. I had to cancel my beginner calligraphy class on March 14 due to a lack of attendees when I just had a full class a month prior. Next, come cancellation for marketing events and mirror gig. Invitation Suite clients asking to hold off on printing or mailing the invites out. But I still had a couple of projects to look forward to, people are still placing orders on my retail and wholesale shop, and I received regular inquiries for my services. I was still clinging to a “glass half full” mentality in March and think it’s a mere 2-3 weeks “vacation”. I used the downtime on taking photos of last year's invites, working on more semi-custom designs and budget, do new watercolor painting (I called them “quarantine series”), and even managed to complete 9 new state pin designs.

But by the end of April however, the financial damage is more than obvious. There’s barely any wholesale order since most have to close their brick and mortar stores. My Etsy sales in April are down 67% from the same 30 days period last year. My regular referrals are almost non-existent, for both events and weddings. I mostly received random cold sales on my work email. Top the month off with chargeback request for the full amount of invitation invoice for a canceled wedding because everyone always thinks my time spent designing never count when you no longer need to print the invite. I went from grossing $13,000 in April 2019 to $2,500.

Currently, everything feels the opposite of hopeful and it’s not how I thought everything would turn out just months ago. Not exactly how I imagined my financial situation right before I’ll be taking my maternity leave or the 5th year of my tiny business would be. Sorry for being the doom and gloom instead of a cheery and wholesome “influencer”. Now that I’ve vent all my anxiety-inducing thoughts, I’ll try to note the positives and plan for the future? Huuuuuufff… Deep breath. Here goes nothing.

Let’s start with future plans. I’m pretty much taking this day by day. I want to print new semi-customs designs and new pins, keychains, art prints, and greeting cards. But I’m not comfortable adding more expenses on my credit card or taking business loans for them. Last year, I spent a lot of my credit card limit and cash on both of my custom vow books in preparation for 2020. Unfortunately, social distancing means plenty of weddings are either cancel or postpone and my inventories don’t move as fast as they usually do. I’ll just slowly and cautiously put my extra cash away and do the new products slowly.

And looking at the bright side, I’m looking forward to the mandatory family bonding time. Going from a party of 2 to a party of 3 will be a huge adjustment for me and Alex, and I’m glad we’ll be able to get accustomed to our new life with just the three of us. I wish my parents could be physically here to help me navigate this new stage, provide some helping hands, and bond with their very first grandbaby. I’m a bit bummed that we won’t have any of the usual first-time-parents celebrations, from the shower to maternity shoot. But, this little one will get our undivided attention, we’re all healthy, and everything else seems trivial compare to that. Oh, and I’m planning to spend most of my leave in a fancy robe from Plum Pretty Sugar since I don’t need to entertain anyone.

I’m also very very grateful for all the retail and wholesale orders I’m still receiving, even with a much less gross amount. Honestly, being able to pack my online orders as part of my daily routine kept me sane during this quarantine time. I was so sure no one will even buy any of my products since I’m not exactly selling face masks, puzzles, or craft supplies. Writing the names for everyone’s order has been the highlight of my day. People have also been very sweet and purchasing gifts from my shop to other people which warms my heart. And the amount of thoughtful and positive reviews I’ve received on my Etsy shop since this whole shenanigans started has been the source of joy and hope for my tiny business. I’m also very encouraged that people start purchasing for their wedding vow books and cards for their elopement or postponement instead of canceling the celebration of their love. Going from being able to comfortably make a living with my artwork to no inquiry is a huge blow to my financial, but even worse to my mental health. All those online orders, no matter how small, reminds me that people do still want and appreciate my work. So thank you.

With all that in mind, I’m crossing my fingers everything will be close to normal by the time I’m back. Online shop here and on Etsy will still be open, albeit with longer shipping time than my usual. Until then, stay safe and healthy everyone! I’ll keep you guys posted once she arrives.