The beauty of Instagram – stumbling across people and brands that I may have never found on my own accord.
Enter, Anna Grisham and her Etsy shop, Captivated Calligraphy. Anna’s work is beyond lovely. I am simply enamored by everything she creates and so jealous of her beautiful calligraphy abilities. Side note: one of my biggest desires is to learn and perfect the art of calligraphy, I just love it! I reached out to Anna in hopes of learning a little more about her and her business, and wanted to share with Girl Wonder Life readers our interview.
Q (Girl Wonder Life): How did you realize you had an affinity for calligraphy, and where did you learn?
A (Captivated Calligraphy): I have always loved doodling and practicing fancy handwriting! In college, I stayed focused in class by writing things in my planner while I tried to listen to the lectures. My husband is a grad student, and last summer we lived in Virginia for an internship he had. I decided to teach myself calligraphy while we were there, and bought a calligraphy kit from our local craft store. I practiced on my own, and when we came back to Dallas, I decided to take a class offered by a professional calligrapher! I haven’t stopped practicing since; it’s truly something I love to do!
Q: Is Captivated Calligraphy a full-time affair, or do you have a 9-5 job and run your Etsy shop on the side?
A: I’m actually a first grade teacher in Frisco. This summer, I’ve been able to focus on my calligraphy full-time, but during the school year, it’s simply a fun, side project for me. Even though I do love teaching, my dream is to one day run my calligraphy business and shop full-time. However, right now I am thankful to be able to juggle both!
Q: What do you find most rewarding about creating pieces and sending them off to customers?
A: I truly want anyone who orders from me to LOVE their final product. I love it when I send customers a sketch of their final orders, and hear how excited they are, or how much they love it. I genuinely feel honored that my work is a part of someone’s office or home. To me, that’s very special.
Q: What is your favorite piece, old and new?
A: That’s a hard one! Each piece I make requires a lot of time and thought. The print “Be still and know” has a very deep meaning for me, and I really love it. I also have a print that’s coming to the shop soon that says “Let the adventure begin”, I really love that one too!
Q: Name one person you’d love to have lunch with.
A: Lindsay Sherbondy – she is the owner and artist behind Lindsay Letters. She is ridiculously talented, and like me, her faith is the most important thing to her. She has used her gift to spread joy and love, and I just really admire her! I’d love to be able to pick her brain and find out how she got started. She also just seems super cool, even though I’ve never met her.
Q: Three words that describe your style.
A: Whimsical, modern & feminine
Q: Where and/or when do you find yourself getting most inspired?
A: I feel inspired by different things! A lot of times it’s music or different things people I know, and love, say. With custom prints in particular, I love being able to play around with the quotes people provide me. It’s so fun to write sayings and quotes out in a fun and unusual way!
(all photos courtesy of Anna Grisham)
I mean y’all, how beautiful are Anna’s pieces?! I am so in love with “The World is your Oyster” print!! It’s just so fitting for me, as well as the time & place I’m currently in within my life.
It was such a pleasure to get to know the gal behind Captivated Calligraphy a little better, I sure hope you enjoyed learning more about Anna. Be sure to hop on over to her to her Etsy shop, Captivated Calligraphy, to check out more pieces – at a seriously reasonable price! You won’t be disappointed! Have a great weekend! xx
Kellyinthecity says
So interesting! Loved reading about Anna. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
xx
Kelly
kellyinthecity.com