What the Laser?!
It has been well over a year since my previous blog post. This is actually very characteristic of me, as even in my personal life, I struggle to journal consistently. Therefore, please do not expect regular content in this form, but I hope you welcome these posts as a pleasant surprise.
Rather than summarize and bombard you with the many events and thoughts of 2023, I do want to explain why a laser came after the calligraphy, where I am with all the things, and where I would like to be.
Background on the Laser
The decision to purchase a laser machine did not come quickly or easily. It took many months of research, back-and-forth thinking, and the opportunity to learn from and be encouraged by a friend who already had a laser before I took the plunge. There are different types of lasers (i.e., CO2, diode, fiber) and even more companies (e.g., Glowforge, Thunder Laser USA) that maybe I can explain in more detail another day, but in the end, I decided to purchase an AEON USA Mira 7 CO2 laser. This beast of a machine arrived in my driveway in March 2023, and due to procrastinating set up and the craziness of closing out a school year with my students, I finally had it up and running in June.
The beauty of having this machine, and the initial reason why I wanted one in the first place, is that I can use my calligraphy skills and make something more tangible than ink on paper. Do not get me wrong, there is still this beautiful, timeless quality about pointed pen calligraphy that I will always love. But there is also this exhilarating feeling that comes with seeing your calligraphy turned into an actual keychain you can attach to your car keys.
Incorporating calligraphy alone was not the only reason why I made this huge investment. I also wanted to make all the things. I wanted to offer more than just calligraphy to my customers. I wanted Kotoba Creates to be a source of all types of meaningful and personalized gifts and décor for all types of special events.
I also wanted to prove to myself that I could learn a new software, understand and effectively run a laser machine, and create all sorts of things, when I am naturally terrible at anything science and inept at using tools (other than the classic scissors and glue). There is a lot to say on this topic, so stay tuned for a future post about growth mindset.
How is the Lasering Going and Where is it Headed?
Lasering is fun! I have not made all the things yet, and my list is constantly growing, but I am moving at my own pace. I hope you find something you like or at least some creative inspiration from these new products.
I am trying to find a balance between lasering and calligraphy. I do not necessarily need to spend equal time on both activities or have my business be divided between the two evenly, but I never want to feel like one is falling to the wayside. Trying to find this balance does not seem great for the social media algorithm since I do not have one “niche” but two, but I hope to find my people, whether they like calligraphy or lasered products or need encouragement to pursue their own creative journey. For whatever reason you are here, thank you for being here, and I hope you stick around!