Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Tieu.
Hi Michelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my calligraphy journey 10 years ago after graduating art school. At the time, I loved drawing letterforms, and calligraphy became the next thing I learned. In 2020, when Covid hit, I was furloughed from my full-time design job and took that opportunity to create Calligraphy by Michelle T. Since then, I have grown my calligraphy business in ways that I never considered: from wedding stationery to doing live events, offering calligraphy, engraving, hot foil, and bottle painting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think any business could ever have a smooth road! My struggles was figuring out how to attract the ideal clients. I quickly learned the importance of building relationships with wedding vendors and other calligraphers. My best projects have been from referrals. Is it weird that I don’t usually suffer from imposter syndrome? Not sure if it makes me overly confident at times. But I really think it stems from going to a brutal art school for college—the critique from those years tore me apart, and sometimes I would find myself crying, wondering how I’ll ever make a career in design. Turns out, the real world was a lot kinder than art school. Would you believe me if I told you that my art school counselor told me that I’ll be okay finding a design job but won’t be anything stellar? Yes, I was told that during my last semester of school.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As my name obviously states, I focus mostly in calligraphy. Over the years, this has expanded into wedding and event stationery and signage. I absolutely love working on calligraphy mirrors—elegant, sustainable, and functional. The unexpected ways my calligraphy business expanded was going into live events and offering calligraphy, engraving, hot foil, and bottle painting. I used to think I could never be a decent painter, and so proud of how much my painting skills have improved with practice. I can only paint plants for now, but making it a goal this year to expand to painting pet portraits.
What’s next?
Big plans? Well, my husband and I just expanded our family and were blessed with a baby girl. It’s funny how babies shift priorities. I’m working on figuring out how to balance running a business and family time. However, still making it a goal this year to teach some workshops!
Contact Info:
- Website: calligraphybymichellet.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/calligraphybymichellet
- Facebook: facebook.com/calligraphybymichellet
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-tieu-7b190875
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/calligraphybymichellet/
Image Credits
@peterson.design.photo
@katieedwardsphoto
@valoriedarling
@chardphoto
@PattengalePhoto
