From my knowledge, you are a self-taught modern calligrapher! How long have you been learning to perfect your craft? and how long have you been operating as a business?
Yes, I am a self-taught modern calligrapher! I started learning calligraphy in February 2014 and I would say I’m still learning and will continue to be learning to hone my craft. When I started Little Red in March 2014, it was heavy on digital typography art. It then became a platform where I shared my calligraphy journey and about a year after that, I started teaching beginners calligraphy workshops.
Calligraphy and letterpress printing is definitely something new to Brunei’s market – what made you want to start Little Red Designs and how did you break through?
The pivot point where Little Red became an outlet for handwritten and handmade products would be when I started learning calligraphy. What got me interested or started was seeing a post on Instagram of a flatlay of 6 or 9 book covers and this one book called “Modern Calligraphy” caught my eye and I was hooked. Can you believe that seeing a book cover on Instagram changed the entire course of Little Red? The rest was history.
The momentum of my workshops very quickly snowballed into a waitlist of at least 100 students during the first year of teaching. It was mainly word-of-mouth and my students encouraged their friends to join as well!
I think having the community support what you do through social sharing or even telling someone about it face-to-face, is what kicked Little Red into hyperdrive the first few years of business. To be honest with you, to this day, The Collective has been one of my biggest supporters and drivers that propelled me further!