On Starting a Small Business
A one-time-only celebration, round-up of unique handmade goods, and an ask-me-anything re: creative entrepreneurship.
In December, I announced that I was creating a greeting card company. On the surface, this news seems straightforward, or fun even. But underneath the glacier of the colorful announcement are years of working through loss, grief, and having to (impatiently) wait for my imagination to turn back on after a prolonged season in survival mode.
I’ve shared with you many times about losing my stationery store in the collateral of the pandemic, and worse, losing a loved one unexpectedly at the same time. The late-night grief felt like a hollowing out of my guts, a loss of an ocean of tears that makes me still wonder if I have enough water in my body now. I’ve described to you before what it felt like to be in my early twenties and having to light fire to the thing I dreamed about the most; we’ve commemorated, related, and experienced this type of loss together.
My colors, my bend toward hope and joy, down to how I decorate my apartment and prepare a latte, are responses toward my experience of tremendous loss. Sometimes, it’s so bad, you have to just do one day, one hour at a time. And in that state, I found that very very simple things were a balm. A fresh bowl of oranges on the counter, believe it or not. One call from a friend. A delicious Earl Grey, the way I like it. I needed, desperately, to have things in front of me that pointed to a greater hope. Not in a way where you need to buy more things, or that objects are a solution to pain, no, but in a way where having beauty around me uplifted my heart when it needed every boost it could get.
I started drawing these little things, writing about how to fill a day with that sort of sunshine, and found a wonderful group of people who understood the need for intentional, stubborn hope in this microscopic lifestyle level. Hope is a muscle to strengthen, a conscious decision to choose an alternative to despair, a sort of daily surrender, a focus on delighting those around me, and giving away what I felt I was lacking. It’s an effort toward beauty, intentionality in designing our own homes, from the rug color to the way we shop for groceries. And then ultimately, hope extends outside of us in how we live in our communities, from the way we feed someone hungry to the plants we grow in the ground.
Feeling! Magazine was started by a stubborn version of me in 2023, who lost her big dream, but started writing again.
I’ve now wept tears of joy for this reconnection to creativity I thought I had lost — and further, a reception from you that is touching, heartfelt, and surprising. Every week, I am excited to write, design, and connect with you. This is a miracle, because this is not at all how I used to live. A million dreams woke up again in me.
I am starting with Feeling! Press, an e-commerce greeting card company that I am opening this summer, from my 700 sq. ft. apartment.
The written word, now more than ever, holds a power that transcends centuries, oceans, and deep wounds. Words keep people alive. Handwritten notes preserve our humanity in a time where we often have no idea if we are reading something written by coding bots.
I am excited to make Feeling! Press your favorite place to pick out thoughtfully designed cards that inspire you to write more.
I am knee-deep in start-up mode, but here to give a report from the trenches:
Logistics: The largest hurdle to starting, specifically in New York, is how to ship and store my product. I researched storage units, third-party shipping partners, dropshipping — all of it. Ultimately, I’ve made a call that feels a bit absurd, but somehow right. I am going to turn my apartment into my shipping unit. I want to keep overhead costs as low as possible, have maximum control over the packaging experience, and not have to lug supplies back and forth from a unit.
So, in perhaps the most challenging home design task I’ve ever had, I am trying to figure out how to maintain the homey feel of a small apartment while dedicating space to a shipping facility. The simplicity of working from home cannot sacrifice the feeling of peace in our own space, so we will have to strike an innovative balance. Stay tuned. (This is hard!)
Designs: The first 20 cards are conceptualized, many sketched, and will be turned into digital versions soon. I’ve selected the first printing partner I’d like to try out, and now I’m spending evenings designing.
Brand build-out: I was absolutely stuck for a while. I knew what I wanted in terms of visual branding, but couldn’t do it for myself because I was too in the weeds (in my head). Hailey, who you are secretly familiar with because she does a lot of graphics for this newsletter, developed a brilliant new logo for me. Hallelujah.
In the process, we are rebranding Feeling! Magazine’s visual identity too. Next week, the new logo for the magazine will be unveiled! Hailey did amazing work, per usual, and it is my dream logo!
A One-Week-Only Celebration:
I have been trying to think through a way to thank you for your support and simultaneously invite you to join this next exciting chapter of Feeling!
I have kept my monthly rate for subscriptions at $5 since 2023, which is the lowest Substack lets you go. Since I’ve kept my subscription rate so low, I’ve never offered a sale.
But for one week, I will do this massive sale, and then I will never do it again. Here’s why:
I am building something new, and I’d really like to make it accessible to you. If you’ve enjoyed this publication for a while, this drastic discount is a way to jump on board for the best experience possible.
This is the cusp, the perfect time to join in, because so many new features are coming out (starting in May).
The paid annual subscription ($25) will offer:
Access to the new “Hosting with Feeling!” column, all about how to do the human parts of hosting
Full access to the “Design Dive” column, which includes how-to guides for designing your space with intention
Access to the up-and-coming full-service graphic design and digital design workshops
A membership to our card-writing matchmaking service (launching in May), which included exclusive discounts to Feeling! Press products)
My entrepreneurship diary of sorts, detailing this new brand launch from behind the scenes, and direct access to “office hours” for any of your burning creative small business questions
I am grateful for your support every day, work hard to create a publication that is of value to you, and I am hopeful that a half-off discount will allow as many readers as possible to join in the party without a strain.
There are so many great publications on Substack, and I am very grateful you would ever choose to support mine. To join Feeling! with this never-happening again offer, click here.
And I’ll see you all next Monday for the new branding reveal!
I am giving you an early introduction to the Feeling! Magazine, new brand colors. I am enamored with them, and want to simultaneously paint all my walls in their hues and dress only in these colors. Do you have a favorite?
I have a running list of creators running small businesses that have caught my eye. Today, I am sharing some of my recently discovered favorites with you.
Soft Good is a jewelry studio producing this sort of elevated whimsy that marries the sophistication of heirloom pieces with a full dose of sparkly magic. She produces incredible necklaces, rings, bracelets, charms, and even bespoke engagement rings. This award ribbon necklace allows for full customization of material, chain, and charm.
Pink Lemon Ceramics is a Charleston-based studio, offering these vivid and uncommon sculptural candle holders for your wall. They would make a wonderful stand-alone statement or break up a gallery wall with something visually interesting.
Joiana Jewelry offers these beautifully crafted birthstone charm necklaces. The shape of the gem with the accompanying colorful hug is a style that feels refreshingly new. I am bookmarking this for all my friends’ birthday gifts.
SonderHaus is a brand that combines two of my favorite things: colorful clothing and stationery. If you are looking for something to wear this summer that is breathable, not just denim shorts every day, SonderHaus’ new collection of gingham pants is a perfect option. The color selections have my seal of approval.
Hattie Buzzard makes jewelry that feels like a candy shop. Truly remarkable color combinations, materials, and compositions. I love a statement necklace or bracelet; I am always looking for them. I feel like this brand has figured out how to design pieces in a way unlike other brands. Everything they produce, including phone wristlets, feels unique to them.
Joyn is my favorite tote company for a number of reasons. Each canvas bag is block-printed by hand meticulously, and you can tell. The quality of thick canvas and thick ink prints is evident the minute you open the package. Their spring polka dot collection is an absolute wonder.
Goldie Ceramics has a floral-forward spring collection out right now. Perhaps known for her brightly colored pieces or the sipping features of her ceramic cups, each collection feels cohesive to the brand, yet fresh enought ot make you shuffle around the cupboard to fit one more mug.
✸ I am hosting a giveaway with Herman Miller that will end on 4/30. You can enter the competition on this post, and one reader of Feeling! will walk away with a FREE Sayl armchair. And better posture for it, haha!
✸ I think parties need more play. But, there is a strategy to picking a board game that doesn’t make everyone immediately check out. I wrote out my strategy and my tried-and-true board games for livening up any gathering.
✸ Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, and I have made you a very thorough list of gift ideas, including a chunky birthstone ring and custom candy boxes.
✸ I recently interviewed the CEO of my favorite fragrance brand, Dedcool, about how a fragrance is designed through the lens of feelings. Her experience of making the intangible, tangible is a fascinating read.
Hello! I am here to enthusiastically share some things I am loving in my creative start-up phase.
I got a large Moleskine sketchbook that houses all the mock-up sketches of every greeting card design. Lately, I’ve felt compelled to start everything on paper before I go digital. It’s made a significant improvement in my focus and productivity, and reconnected me to the little girl who used to color in her notebook for hours at a time.
I will confess I have never been a pencil girl. I am a gel pen and marker kind of person, but my mind may have been changed. I got Blackwing colored pencils, and they are wonderful. The brand is notorious amongst stationery lovers, and so I thought I’d give it a try. I now fully understand the hype!
Connor gifted me a gelato ballpoint pen from Levenger Pens, and I just stare at it sometimes in my hand with awe. The brand carries delicious tortoise shell and terrazzo-esque pens and prices that are surprisingly affordable for the luxury pen space.
This is my woven shoulder bag, which I bring everywhere with me. It is full of three notebooks, solid perfume, 5 lip glosses, and probably crumbled napkins from a coffee shop. And it holds it all with ease. The woven texture elicits more compliments than any other bag I carry.
I will be wearing these linen track pants for long writing days when I need to be comfy, but also grocery runs, park picnics, and really anywhere out-and-about this summer. They have a breezy, linen fabric that fits true to size. I like that it is a piece more elevated that athetic pants, but still delightfully casual.
New York oat milk matchas are running at a crisp $8.50 these days. So I’ve become quite the expert at making my favorite drink at home. Dona, based in Brooklyn, makes my favorite matcha, if you are looking to make your own lattes at home.
Herman Miller’s Sayl chair has singlehandedly saved my back. I searched high and low for a work-from-home chair that could actually support me, but wasn’t an eyesore. It is a worthy investment to have ergonomic support, but with a bit of Herman Miller’s classic midcentury design flair. You can also enter to win one for free here, before 4/30!
✸ FREE ADVICE!
I asked the Feeling! chat if they had any creative entrepreneurship questions to phone in this week. Here were your thoughts:
Q from The Hidden Haven:
So excited to see your creations. I have a few questions!
1. Because of tariffs, are you using printers in the USA or internationally? I’m trying to find printers for my business, and China has the best gold foil options, but the tariffs make it so unreasonable!
2. Is it better to do seasonal drops or themed drops (if that makes sense)?
A: When I had a brick-and-mortar stationery shop, I used a printer down the street from me. Being able to talk about ideas in person was a benefit. There is a simplicity in saving time and shipping costs by being able to have an in-person conversation and pick up samples when needed. I plan to print in the USA this go-round for the straightforward reasons: simplified conversation and bolstering another small business!
I love that second question. I think it depends on what product you sell and who your customers are, but usually, successful product launches are a combination of both seasonality and timely themes.
Q from Emily Geleske: I always look forward to seeing how other creatives handle the behind-the-scenes part of their businesses - how they plan their time, stay organized, coordinate schedules & launches, balance responsibilities, and so on.
A: I love to hear about this from others, too! I have a blue notebook that holds my days together. I write everything in it. And I operate off a daily handwritten to-do list with a highlighter, marking things off as I go. My schedule is kept on a custom-colored Google Calendar. I try to move through things with a “one day at a time” mentality. I have a lot of project-based work, and often, the projects overlap. Every hour is about making small dents in big things over time.
Most days are spent behind the computer at my desk, dog walk breaks, homemade matcha stops, dinner with Connor, and a brand event in the evening. Weekends are for writing, cleaning, catch-up, time with friends, and I’ve been trying to categorize days of the week as a “writing day” or a “design day,” where my primary time focus is on one or the other. Turns out, I’m rather temperamental and have to play by ear what the focus will be each day. Every day is quite different, dictated by deadlines, meetings, and events, but I really like that!
Q from Abi: How do you balance wanting to stay competitive in a market that is becoming overrun by mass-produced AI slop with not wanting to devalue your work or cheapen your process just to keep up? As a fellow creative, it can personally feel exhausting and daunting to look at the current creative product landscape and feel like I have any chance to keep up, but also not wanting to do things poorly just to try to stay competitive.
A: I understand how you feel, and I bet so many others do too! I try to spend very little time focusing on or studying the current creative product landscape, and if I do, I only look at people, brands, and projects that ignite a creative optimism inside of me (i.e., it leaves me feeling more equipped to do my work than when I found it).
I am not worried about competing with AI, because I understand my readers are not interested in quick & cheap work.
My best advice is to spend minimal time scrolling, strive for true excellence in your work (even if that costs you time), and reference material that is timeless and distinctly human (museums, music, classic movies, even deep conversations with friends, etc.).
No one can be you, and no one can have your unique perspective. And in an increasingly artificial world, I’m betting on the value of human connection rising tremendously. Keep creating with a sense of hope about what could be and what you could uniquely change. Also, get really good at your craft. Read books, watch tutorials, get better and better. It’s not about keeping up; it’s about producing work you are proud to make.
Q from Mari ✴︎ The Wild Grid Journal: Hi! I’m new to your Substack, so I’m not sure if you’ve already talked about this. But do you sell through other stores or brands as well? And if so, how is that process? Thank you!
A: Yes, I will be offering greeting cards wholesale! I have relationships with some small business owners I will be reaching out to them personally near the time I launch the brand. Faire is a great platform for finding new wholesale partners. I will also be going door-to-door in New York with samples this summer and asking shops if they’d like to sell my cards. Catch me sweaty and determined on Orchard St.!
Q from Ved: What keeps you inspired? Especially in the early moments of building your brand! I definitely second-guess every substack I post and feel a little low on my own mojo. What keeps you going? Inspired?
A: I, too, often feel low on my own mojo. I think this is part of doing something you care about. I have to constantly remind myself that it is good for something to take time. Good things take time. I produce consistently, even when I get in my own head or feel daunted by the numbers. I have done this long enough to know there are ebbs and flows, and my feelings should not steer the ship, or I’d never post anything at all.
Always come back to the joy of it. Are you creating something you would love to create without sharing it online? You have to love it, it has to bring a sense of joy, or it’s very difficult to sustain — at least in my creative experience! I write about things I love and feel inspired by, which helps me stay afloat through waves of self-doubt.
And if you are not feeling any joy in the creation process of your work, it’s a good time to step back and get curious about why you are making it at all. I had to do that at different points, and it’s unpleasant to get the mirror out, but that kind of precise reflection helps you refine focus.
Q from Cut+Paste Magazine: For entrepreneurs looking to do most of their own branding/packaging design/etc, what would you recommend keeping in mind in order to have a beautiful brand without needing to have all of the graphic design skills?
And! What are some surprising ways that entrepreneurship can positively impact other areas of your life?
A: Source ideas from timelessly excellent design. Start with packaging at antique stores or old book covers at the library — take pictures and create a gallery. As you are refining your personal style, start with inspiration outside of Pinterest, or else you may unintentionally make a copy of someone’s work. Adobe Express and Canva are both excellent design tools for getting started!
Good design is clear and communicates what you need it to — don’t get lost in the aesthetics. Oh, and compelling color combinations are essential!
For part 2: The freedom in my schedule and flexibility in my work style are fabulous perks of being self-employed. Now, to be fair, I work 10+ hour days often, even on weekends. So I am working a lot, but I love it and want to! I like that if I feel a little sick or tired, I can work from bed or take a day to recover. I can work from the train, the beach, an airplane, the couch, or my favorite coffee shop. I also like setting up my own metrics, goals, and projects. I am the kind of person who made a lot of new goals at work that no one asked me to, and drove everyone else a bit crazy about it — so now that I am back to being a full-time entrepreneur, for better or worse, I feel like a horse out of its stall, I can RUN!
Thank you all for your thoughtful questions. My favorite part of making this newsletter is talking to you directly. It means a lot to me when you leave a comment, thought, or feeling. Truly, the best place on the internet.
To join Feeling! with this never-happening-again offer, click here before Monday, May 4th.
Thank you, Hailey Howe, for your lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!
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GROUP PROJECT:
1. Does anyone have any recommendations for spring/summer dinners? Anything flavorful and seasonal hitting your table?
2. Seeking opinions on how to pick fictional books for yourself. I’ve picked up some I thought I’d really like, but they fall flat. Anyone have a great curation process for knowing they will love a book without spoiling it with online reviews ?
Hi Jenna,
I'm not from NYC nor am I in the creative field but I started reading your magazine because I've been on a path to be happier and more present. I'm trying to use creativity and creative hobbies as a tool to do so. I just can't explain it but reading you makes me feel happy, whole, and smiley. I just thought you should know that your art has that effect