My most commonly asked questions..
/Last week I put it out on Instagram Stories for those watching to submit any questions they'd like me to answer. I get comments, emails and messages daily with lots of different questions - everything from 'How did you start Hunting Louise?' to 'How do you style and edit your photos?'. So I thought I would sit down, go through all your questions and put together a post with the ones that are most commonly asked.
Thank you to everyone who has sent through questions and has gotten in touch for a chat! I tried to keep my answers somewhat brief, but will probably need to do a Part 2 with the remaining questions in the future!
How do you stay inspired when you are in a creative rut?
My top three tips to staying inspired would be:
- Get outside into nature - getting outside and away from the studio always clears my mind. Sometimes it might be just going for a walk or an ocean swim, but I find that getting away from the screen and into the sun always reenergises me and helps me come back with a clearer perspective and some new ideas
- Look for inspiration outside of your field - for me, that means looking for inspiration outside of the wedding, design and lettering community. That might mean browsing through magazines or reading blogs that are about architecture, interiors, fashion, travel, anything!
- Change of scenery - no one likes sitting at the same desk, in the same room, every blinking hour of the day. If you can, mix it up - take your work to a cafe, park or co-working space. Meet up with other creatives for working sessions. This can do wonders!
At the end of the day, don’t get hung up on it - we all get in creative ruts, try not to dwell in that space for too long! Always go do something else and come back to it. Sitting there racking your brain for ideas will achieve nothing.
How did you get into lettering and design / what is your story?
Being creative in some form or another is something I’ve always known. I was always creating through my school years, in one way or another - I love the process and experimentation of it. I was never great at drawing but would always be doodling and writing different phrases and words on books and paper. Looking back, I can see that creating type, though it was amateur, was something I did daily (though I wouldn’t have known it at the time).
After school I went on to complete a Bachelor of Design, which is where I took a class on Typography. This really sparked my interest in lettering - I explored brush lettering and fell in love with putting ink to paper which was new, as it had previously been pen and pencil. I loved (and still do love) the natural effect that ink gives, with its variation on tone and texture. So I continued to dabble in it on the side of my various internships and full time jobs.
I worked mainly in studios and branding agencies for several years after completing my degree, but I knew this wouldn’t be a long-term thing as I’d always been interested in starting my own business at some point. At the same time, I knew I wanted to get experience working for another business first. In 2014 I found myself in between jobs, and knew this was the opportunity to branch out on my own. Hunting Louise was already a blog (that my partner and I had started a year earlier) that had fostered a lovely community of like-minded creatives and designers, so the studio became an extension of that.
Since then it has been an adventure! It has been a learning curve and an amazing journey, but I’ll leave that for another post :)
I love your style - can you style my products?
Yes absolutely! Product styling is one of the services we offer and one of my favourite things to do. Definitely get in touch if you are after content for your blog or social media, styled shoots and product styling.
What apps do you use for your lettering posts?
I get this question all the time! The answer is none. All the lettering in posts are created completely by hand - lettered in ink by hand, scanned and then edited (or left unedited, depending on the post or project)
What advice would you give a creative starting their lettering journey?
Practice, practice, practice! Lettering is a skill, not just ‘hand writing’ (although some might think so). It takes time to experiment and find a style that you are happy and comfortable with - everyone’s is different, so find time to let your style evolve and become your own. Don’t feel like you should ‘copy’ another style for it to be successful - you bring a uniqueness to it that no one else will have, so own it! Some letterers often have a ‘signature style’ that they are known for, but it’s also important to be able to create type that suits your client’s needs. So experimenting and practicing is crucial in discovering a range of different styles and being able to adapt to the clients brief and brand.
What does your typical day look like?
Honestly every day is different - some days I am creating all day, other days I am behind the computer catching up on admin. There are client meetings, trips to our suppliers and printers, collaborations, and shoots. I love that every day is different. There are 3 things however, that are present in each day - coffee, exercise in some form or another and time set aside for emails.
What brushes do you use?
This is a hard question to answer as it really depends on the job I’m working on (if it is for a client, or for myself) and the effect I’m wanting to create. I try to experiment with different brands and types which I would recommend doing if you are just starting out. Watercolour brushes are great for beginners as they just seem easier to hande. I tend to steer toward round tip brushes. Flat brushes are great for creating texture for that ‘painted’ aesthetic.
