Lest You Forget Lettering
Hand-lettered, simple designs to keep God’s words in front of you, lest you forget who he is and what he has said.
What is your business, and what is the mission behind your brand?
My business is Lest You Forget Lettering. Remembering is hard. Forgetting is way too easy. Personally, if I don’t put something in my reminders app with a set date and time to notify me, it is gone from my brain for good and never getting done. I think God knew that about human nature when he told his chosen people to build memorials and set aside holy days in order to remember all that he had done for them. He knew they needed these intentional, visual reminders. He also told them to “bind [his words] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:8-9). In other words, put his words everywhere so you don’t forget them!
That’s what I’m praying these signs will do for my customers. As I package each one, I pray that as they glance at this piece throughout their busy days, that they would stop, breathe, and remember who God is and what he has said. The designs are simple on purpose, so that the truth in each one would really take the spotlight.
What inspired you to start this business?
My sister is actually the guilty party here. I had dabbled in random crafting ventures growing up and into adulthood, and one year for Christmas she took a shot in the dark and got me a book on calligraphy because she thought I might want to try it out. During the holiday break, I carried that book around everywhere, playing with the different fonts and slowly developing my own. After that, I was hooked! At first, I just made gifts and didn’t think it would go any further. I’m a teacher for goodness sake, everyone knows we don’t have time for side hustles. But the sister struck again and over the next few months kept putting the idea in my head that I really could start a small online shop. So, the next summer, I took the leap. I stockpiled supplies and spent the summer building up a small inventory, ready to launch my shop on Etsy in the fall. I only had one style of product to start, but since then I’ve added a small variety of other products. I decided to limit my products to hand-lettered scripture (other than the occasional custom project request) because if I was going to spend time on something, I wanted it to mean something more than just a little extra income.
Could you offer one piece of advice that has been instrumental in propelling your business forward?
Don’t compare yourself to other businesses! For example, I’m NOT a good social media marketer, and sometimes I would get so discouraged at some of the beautiful content that other small businesses could create and post, seemingly on a daily basis. I’m just not gifted that way. I had to learn to be content with my ability, the time I could afford to invest, and the following I had. I have to keep reminding myself of MY purpose for business, and that my business is going to look different from others, and that’s okay.
How do you integrate your faith into your business practices?
I guess the answer to that is pretty obvious — everything I make is scripture or based on scripture. But I also pray over each piece before I mail it out; I pray that God would use that visual reminder in my customer’s life to remind her to pause and think about who her God is and what he has said. As small as it is, I pray that it will renew my customer’s mind, strengthen her faith, and sweeten her walk.
Don’t forget Lest You Forget Letttering when shopping for a special present.
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