Meet Anna Hull: Designer & Calligrapher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Hull and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, what’s your definition for success?
I believe the term “success” is defined differently among different people or different companies. Success is usually based on goals being achieved, meeting a deadline on time, or reaching certain sales in a given quarter. For my business, I choose to define success from a goal standpoint versus a financial standpoint. For example, for the year 2020, I have set a goal to reach 100 Etsy sales (I am almost there!). Once I meet this goal, I will consider 2020 a successful year for my business. I continue this process of goal-setting each year to determine how successful I feel that my business has become each year.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I offer a variety of art products in my business, however, all of them have one central theme- calligraphy! I am a modern calligrapher (also commonly known as “brush lettering”). This is a fun style of lettering that involves heavy downstrokes and light upstrokes when writing so that the cursive writing becomes more bold and emphasized. This creates a whimsical and beautiful look on all of my products, from baby name tags to stickers to graduation caps. I first got started with my business by offering custom graduation caps. I then decided to add stickers, wedding signs, and baby products to my store as well to reach a wider audience. I started this business as a college student, so the journey has definitely not been easy. It was a challenge to make sure I devoted enough time to my studies on top of devoting enough time to my business (for example, 1 graduation cap can take 5-6 hours to complete). Now that I have graduated, I have more time to devote to my business, although I still have to pace myself to make sure I have a good work-life balance. My brand is meant to bring people joy and happiness through my work. Many of my products are geared towards big life achievements or life changes- graduation, a new baby, a wedding… These are all beautiful moments in life to be celebrated and I want my art to represent that time off joy and celebration. Most of my designs are custom so that I can represent each customer’s needs and personality with each product I make.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting Atlanta, I would take them to Piedmont Park! It is such a cute and quaint park with sprawling green space and beautiful views of the city. We would also check out the Georgia aquarium, as it is the largest aquarium in the United States! We could also stop by Ponce City Market and check out the fun eateries there- my favorite is King of Pops for a fun afternoon treat!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank my husband and my family for their constant support in my business. Running a small business is rarely easy, and there have been many times where I have felt discouraged or overwhelmed. Luckily, I have my family to fall back on and they are always there to give advice and support when I need it so that I can keep moving forward.

Website: www.Etsy.com/shop/hulldesignco
Instagram: @hulldesignco
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annahull3/

Image Credits
Nurse Abby grad cap: Mike Miller Photography Alpha Kappa Alpha grard cap: Kaitlyn Fellows Photography All other photos taken by Anna Hull.