In late 2015, I realized something.
I was TIRED of creating pretty things.
No no, it’s not what you’d expect! As an artist, I LOVE the pretty! I love beautiful things. But I was over creating for the sake of pretty. I’m so grateful for my clients and the collaborations that we’ve had together, but very quickly all of my inquiries started to sound the same — “I love watercolor! I love calligraphy. I love flowers and blush and gold and insert-pretty-thing-here.” And that’s amazing! I love all of those things too. But at the end of the day, I wondered how much heart could be behind a watercolor swash. How much thought could be put into a peony on an RSVP card.
It hit me at the Trouvaille Workshop, during a presentation by Steve Moore of Sinclair & Moore. “Where do you get your inspiration for event design?” someone asked. And Steve Moore, beautiful, infamous, way-too-talented, Martha-Stewart-Weddings-BFF Steve Moore said, “The stationery.” In my memories the sky opened and angels sang when he said that, but I’m pretty sure the only reaction was a not-so-heavenly “WOOO!” from me, one of the lone stationers in a room full of event planners. But I digress!
Steve told us an incredible story about familial love and loss. How he wove the details of a late sister’s memory into a wedding day — how he honored the family and their story by incorporating this loved one and her favorite things. He told us that guests arrived to the event and immediately recognized all the small details that built the sister’s bigger picture.
This hit me, hard. What an INCREDIBLE way to honor not only his clients, but the entire family, the late sister herself. That is a gift greater than any wedding design. That’s so much more than “pretty!”
So, where am I going with this?
I want to tell your story. I want to work with you to design bespoke stationery created with heart and meaning. When you’re old, grey, and bring out your wedding album from so many years ago to show your grandchildren, I want that splendidly crafted suite to be held in those pages. We’re not working together because you want something trendy or cosmetic — we’re working together because you have a story to tell; a union to celebrate and cherish and honor. Because your love story is significant, and it deserves lovingly crafted paper to match.
With this brand shift in mind, I’ve worked with Michelle Loretta to come up with my company core values. These are the things most important to me — my guiding principles in everything I do.
Paper & Honey core values
- Radiate warmth and gratitude
- Curate details big and small
- Provide an easygoing, stress-free creative environment
- Encourage laughter and silliness
- Create meaningful, heirloom-quality paper
- Invest in genuine relationships
- Build a culture of generosity and trust
- Communicate honestly and effectively
- Commit to an exceptional client experience
- Do all things in kindness
I was then tasked with writing my mission statement. After a couple of years of self-education, workshops, conferences, and retreats, I’ve heard SO much about mission statements. Too much, probably. And even after years of being told just how important this is, I still had never written one. It seemed so DAUNTING, you know? “Just write your entire mission! Just one or two succinct sentences on everything you want to accomplish, what you want to deliver, the client experience you want to provide, the product you want to create, the goals you want to achieve, etc etc etc.” No big deal.
But hey, guess what? Girlfriend wrote it. Finally. Welcome to 2016 y’all!
The Paper & Honey mission
My goal is to collaborate with you in creating your own bespoke family heirloom. Through exceptional design, cultivated relationships, and sharp attention to detail, we’ll create work that is as beautiful as it is personal. Because your story is significant, and it deserves thoughtfully and meaningfully crafted paper to match.
YES. This is what it’s all about. Your story is significant, and it deserves thoughtfully and meaningfully crafted paper to match. THAT is my mission.
Now, in all honesty, this is a really scary post for me to write. I am SUCH an emotional and heart-driven person (ENFJ! Anyone else?) and my empathy bone is pretty sensitive. By putting my desires out into the world and declaring, “THIS is what I want to do. This is what I want my legacy to be; this is how I want to serve my people,” it’s hard for me to not be worried about how that can be perceived by others. The last thing I want to do is to turn off brides and grooms from working with me because they don’t have a Nicholas-Sparks-level love story to tell!
So please, let me emphasize: Your story is significant. YOUR story, all of it. All of your history, all of you. You are not less than because you met in high school instead of on a fate-filled night ending with a kiss in the rain. It’s okay to have a story filled with the everyday nuances of each other rather than filled with overcoming life’s obstacles and always finding yourself back in each others’ arms. You don’t need to lose your star-crossed lover on a giant British passenger ship that hits an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks into the cold, dark abyss to have a love story worth of telling. You know what I mean? 🙂
Incorporating your story could be as small as being intentional about the colors and imagery you choose. He gave you peonies on your first date because you’d mentioned they were your favorite? Perfect. A peony on your RSVP card makes total sense and takes on a deeper meaning. You bonded at the animal shelter and ended up adopting a dog together? A little illustration of your pup would make your suite so sweet and personal. You got engaged on a mountain overlooking the clearest ice-blue lake? Let’s use that color for your envelopes. (This last one actually happened!)
We can think bigger, too. Maybe you lost a beloved grandfather after always dreaming of him walking you down the aisle. Let’s honor him by incorporating the intricacies of his favorite pocket watch into your design, beautifully letterpressed. Did the two of you meet studying abroad in Italy? Let’s take inspiration from the place you fell in love.
You see where I’m going with this?
This is my heart; this is my mission. To tell YOUR story and honor you and the love of your life.
So let’s make your family heirloom. Let’s pull those elements and craft them beautifully and honorably. Let’s create something you’ll be proud to show your grandchildren.
If you’re ready, let’s get started. It would be my pleasure to work with you. xo
Love, Laura
