People ask me all the time if I get hate for using curse words...
The answer is not really (thank Jebus). I've been running Crooked Calligraphy for over three years and I've only gotten a handful of negative comments.
But the most recent one made me wonder... why DO I feel the need to use curse words?
And I realize the "why" behind that has changed as my business has evolved.
One of my early greeting card designs - sadly no longer sold
The Beginning - January 2016
When I first started my business, I wanted to make greeting cards and I thought curse words in calligraphy were pretty hilarious. And - bonus - they put me in a unique niche that I hadn’t seen out there before.
Now the important thing is that I LOVED making these cards. I wasn’t putting curse words on them just because I thought people would like them. I did it because - I - liked them.
An Instagram video I posted way back in 2016
Six Months In - June 2016
After posting my sweary greeting cards on Instagram for a little bit, I noticed that certain people were really DELIGHTED by the curse words.
So as I was trying to grow my following and business, I decided to lean into that. I’ll be honest, I was writing curse words just to get a laugh out of people.
Now, it still made ME laugh, but there was no greater purpose beneath it besides being rebellious and funny.
(BTW can you guess what I was writing in this video?)
Now - April 2019
But now...now I can say that I use curse words for a specific purpose.
A very astute Instagram follower said it this way: I don't use it "at people."
And that's true. I never curse to hurt people. I use curse words to express myself - usually hope or positivity, but also occasionally frustration or sorrow.
There’s a deeper purpose to my cursing now, because there’s a deeper purpose to my business.
I want to let people know that, sometimes it’s hard, but you CAN go towards a life that makes you happy. If I did it, anyone can. I truly believe that - and sometimes throwing a “fuck” in there really helps me express that belief.
So that’s why I do it. Because it feels authentic to me. And it connects deeply with some people (that’s you). And I know that I’ll never be able to do this for the long-term unless I’m being 100% myself.
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