Crooked Calligraphy
271 FOLLOWERS
I'm Shinah - a whiskey-loving, curse-word slinging, Harvard-trained former corporate attorney who left everything behind to find my passion. And, who knew?! That passion is a modern calligraphy and I'm pretty damn good at it. Hear more about my journey from corporate lawyer to full-time calligrapher and calligraphy teacher at my blog Crooked Calligraphy.
Crooked Calligraphy
1M ago
Listen to a PODCAST version of this post on Apple Podcast or Spotify
Starting a modern calligraphy side business can seem daunting with all the legal and financial logistics involved.
But fear not, creative friends!
Today, I’m breaking it down into manageable steps to help you transition from hobbyist to professional calligrapher with confidence.
=Disclaimer: I am not a practicing attorney or a tax expert. Please consult your own lawyer or accountant for individualized advice=
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1: LEGAL ESSENTIALS
- 1) Choose a Business Name
- 2) Decide on a Legal Structure
- 3) Business ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
6M ago
Can I write these song lyrics/ poems/ movie quotes in calligraphy, or am I violating copyright laws?
I’m using my corporate lawyer brain to explain as simply and clearly as possible!
40 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITH CALLIGRAPHY - free PDF!
Wanna turn your calligraphy hobby into cash? Download my list of 40+ potential ways that you can make money with calligraphy!
Just enter your email below and the PDF will get sent right to your inbox ;)
Woohoo! Now check your email to confirm your subscription and download your free PDF.
There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.
Email Addr ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
6M ago
Writing calligraphy in a straight line is SUPER HARD - can I get an amen?
So I’ve put together my favorite tips and tools to help you do it!
You can click below to watch the VIDEO TUTORIAL, or keep reading for just the highlights. CLICKABLE TOOLS LIST + GUIDELINE SHEET
I put all the tools I recommend in this video into an easy, clickable guide - so you know exactly where to buy them! It also has a free calligraphy guideline sheet included, so you can get perfectly straight, consistent calligraphy.
This guide is a part of my FREE CALLIGRAPHY RESOURCE LIBRARY!
Just enter your email below and yo ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
6M ago
OVERALL FAVORITE GOLD CALLIGRAPHY INK: Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent
My very first gold calligraphy ink was a Finetec palette and I thought it was fabulous and that was that. Well, holy crap, I had no idea there were so many different KINDS of gold ink out there!
Today, I'm reviewing seven of them and picking an overall favorite =)
Instead of buying 7 full bottles of gold ink, I purchased a GOLD INK SAMPLER SET (Set 1) from John Neal Bookseller. It's a great way to sample 6 different gold inks to choose your favorite. I already had PearlEx, so I threw in a review of that as well.
First up:  ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
11M ago
If you’re reading this article, it means that calligraphy is calling to you.
You’ve seen it and you want to do it.
BUT!
Maybe you’ve tried googling “how to learn calligraphy” and there are five million different tutorials.
Or you’ve watched an “intro to calligraphy” video and it shows you how to use a marker - not a calligraphy pen.
Or you’ve downloaded a “calligraphy tools” guide and there are a dozen different types of pens for you to choose from.
Or you went ahead and bought some tools - but goddamnit! - they’re just not working right.
Hey, I get it ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
11M ago
If you’re reading this article, it means that calligraphy is calling to you. You’ve seen it and you want to do it.
BUT!
Maybe you’ve tried googling “how to learn calligraphy” and there are five million different tutorials.
Or you’ve watched an “intro to calligraphy” video and it shows you how to use a marker - not a calligraphy pen.
Or you’ve downloaded a “calligraphy tools” guide and there are a dozen different types of pens for you to choose from.
Or you went ahead and bought some tools - but goddamnit! - they’re just not working right.
Hey, I get it ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
1y ago
I recently did 12 free business coaching sessions with budding CREATIVE entrepreneurs... and every single one of them STRUGGLED WITH THE SAME DAMN problemS.
So I broke them down into categories:
1) PRE-DECISION:
A) COMPARE & DESPAIR - “Whenever I scroll on Instagram, I get discouraged.” I compare myself to everyone else and think, ‘oh, they’re already doing the idea I had.. why bother?’ ? IMPOSTER SYNDROME lives here and stops inspiration in its tracks.
B) ALL OR NOTHING - “I have a great idea, but I feel like I have to figure out alllll the tiniest details before I even get started ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
1y ago
I used to wake up each morning and think “I have to post on instagram”…
These days, I’m taking a different approach.
I’m going SLOWER.
Today, I decided to pick some flowers from my front yard before I sat down to create anything.
And being out there in the sun, amongst the bees and purples… that inspired me to create some calligraphy for Instagram.
Here’s what I wrote in the caption of the IG POST:
“Hurry”… they said, and that’s what I did.
Hurried through childhood, kept busy through my teens, flew frantically through college and law school, then worked my hours away in a small glass offic ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
1y ago
I got an email a few weeks ago that made me sit up and go, “WHAT??”
Brush Calligraphy w/ Pentel Color Brush
It was a sudden announcement by a hugely successful online entrepreneur, Vanessa Lau - she was closing up her signature online course and taking an indefinite break from her multi-million dollar business
I know Vanessa personally. In fact, we took a bit of a parallel track growing our businesses:
We both quit corporate jobs we were highly successful in, because we were miserable and unfulfilled.
We both started businesses hoping for more creativity, challenge and freedom in our live ..read more
Crooked Calligraphy
1y ago
It’s been a month since I decided to come back to my business, Crooked Calligraphy, in a completely new way.
(Read the business manifesto I published on February 15, 2023.)
Here’s something my unconscious revealed to me today: This experiment is WAY more important than I realized.
I NEED to do this business experiment because I NEED to know THAT there is something else out there taking care of me, other than myself.
It’s like a trust fall with the universe… if I let go of the productivity, the “value add”, the to-do checklists and laundry baskets… will I still be ok?
As I type this, I feel mys ..read more