Whew! What a March! So many things were happening from navigating tariffs, moving, preparing for workshops, travelling, actually having the workshop - and coming back and unpacking while taking care of kids with jetlag was no easy feat, haha! 

Calligraphy Business Workshop in Japan

But I'm so, so, grateful that we were able to have this incredible opportunity to travel to one of my favorite places in the world and share my knowledge and experience with Japanese Calligraphers, especially on the business side! 

For 2 days, we hosted a 2 hour Calligraphy Business Workshop, which is a snippet of our Calligraphy Business Kickstarter course, at our Japanese retailer, Paper Tree. 

Paper Tree also is the first modern calligraphy school in Japan, and we love their shop, as it is well-curated from our favorite brands all over the world. They also have a workshop space, where we held the workshop, and we were also joined by 35 students online! So grateful for the turnout we had for the course. This was also my first time teaching with a translator, and Sakiko-san did an incredible job translating and explaining it in the Japanese context as well.

Day 1: Finding your Niche and Branding for Calligraphers 

On the first day, we chatted about the importance of finding your niche vs. being a calligrapher that can offer all sorts of services. We explored the various opportunities of calligraphers especially from my experience being in North America. Every industry has its own unique niches and opportunities, which I think is pretty awesome. Then, we talked about how you can curate your brand from identifying your brand values and applying them so that you can have a strong, cohesive brand. 

After the workshop, we had a Q&A session. My kids came to visit me too, which made it really special. We discovered a lot of the questions actually surrounded balancing motherhood and starting your business, as many of them were working moms, so their time was limited as well. I resonated a lot with that as I too struggle with it, especially whenever the kids get sick. 

Day 2: Effective Marketing Strategies for Calligraphers

After learning about their niche in the first day, I spoke about understanding their target audience, which is a crucial part of marketing. Then, we spoke about various marketing channels, and the importance of each depending on what stage the customers were in the customer journey. I also shared about a style of marketing which is storytelling, which is a very effective marketing strategy especially for small business owners. With all these things, it can seem overwhelming, but I shared how you can also repurpose all your content in multiple avenues so that you can maximize the time that you have. Then, I gave an overview about email marketing - why it was important and how they can leverage automation to help bring the customers from browsing/considering to paying and returning clientele. 

Just like the first day, we also had a Q&A session. I loved hearing everyone's stories and where they are in their business journey. Many of them had questions of how much they should do, especially when they're just starting out, such as having a website. 

Running a calligraphy business is a journey

This is what I shared with the ladies in the workshop - it's a process, ever changing, especially as things are shifting so much all the time. Thankfully, even if we find a niche now, it might not our niche later on as our capacities and opportunities change. I personally have shifted a lot, especially during the pandemic and also becoming a mom. As my kids get older, who knows what Written Word would be like! 

Aside from having my business workshop, I also had tons of fun exploring Tokyo and testing out the latest and greatest stationery tools and accessories. Can't wait to share more, stay tuned! 

xoxo, Karla