I’ve always wanted to have my own “thing." Not necessarily a business, but something I did that was mine, that I could learn and get good at and maybe even make a few bucks off of. As a teenager, I sold clothes and bags on eBay, which was a great way to earn a few dollars while cleaning out my closet. In college, I opened a crochet Etsy shop which sold absolutely nothing (I had no clue how to drive traffic or that I even needed to do so for my stuff to be found!) I started going to yoga classes and very briefly toyed with the thought of becoming a yoga teacher, a thought that never took off and then died when I stopped going to yoga a few months later. I’ve never been great at committing to an exercise program, so why I thought I would make a good yoga teacher, I don’t know!

When I found calligraphy in 2016, something felt different. When I started learning, it felt like I found that “thing.” I started an Instagram account and didn’t tell a soul - not my mom, not my boyfriend, not my friends! No one. I was so anxious at the thought of actually putting myself out there at something that I wanted to be good at. Luckily, I didn’t stay in that mindset with my closest friends and family for too long - I started talking about it and opened my Etsy shop that fall. Things just felt right, and that feeling was validated even more when I made my first sale to a stranger!

Over the last couple of years, it’s grown. I still am super nervous about putting myself out there (I just told my coworkers at my full time job, who I see every day, about this a few months ago!!), which is something I’m trying to get better at, by just putting myself out there over and over again until it feels less scary. This is a real business now. I have a tax ID and everything! And I love, love, love making things for people. I love practicing calligraphy and trying new things to make something beautiful. I love playing a part in someone’s special day, or making something that someone gives as a gift. I love connecting with other creatives and doing cool stuff with other vendors. It’s seriously awesome.

My Business - ECLetters
Something that’s come up a few times lately is that people think the EC in ECLetters stands for Ellicott City, Maryland. While I absolutely love Ellicott City, it’s actually just my first and middle initials (Erin Colleen) + Letters to represent calligraphy & hand lettering. I’m a one woman show and my goal is for that personal attention to come through in all of my products and services that I provide. Click here to see what I offer!

This Blog
I want to use this blog to share a little bit about my story and spread a little knowledge. I’ll be sharing a few different things here, all of which I’m pretty excited about: