Meet Carla Green | Bookbinder, Pencil Enthusiast, & Higher Education Administrator

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

Hi Carla, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have been surrounded by so many creative people in my life that I am not completely surprised that I’m on the path of pursing a creative career. Just in my family, my great-aunt was an excellent baker, my grandmother was a seamstress and milliner, my brother is great at drawing and my mother is wonderful with oil painting and quilting. I knew I wanted to be creative and share my art at the art fairs that I had spent so much time at growing up, but I just didn’t know what or how. During college, I dabbled in black and white photography and then after graduate school, I tried stand-up comedy and improv. Both photography and comedy were fun, but they didn’t feel completely natural. I was in my head way too much, and it took away from the fun I was supposed to be having. It wasn’t until I started taking calligraphy that I learned about bookbinding and decided to learn more about book arts. Bookbinding felt very natural and calming to me. There is a sense of accomplishment after I complete a book. I have created something that has long-term utility.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would love to talk more about bookbinding! I have said this before, I feel compelled to touch some aspect of bookbinding every day and if I don’t, I feel out of sorts. It is probably because I have so many ideas and books I want to create. There is so much fulfilment in putting the pieces together to make a book. There are so many types of books and ways to make books that I find fascinating as well. I like researching, reading, and watching tutorials on different ways to make books, or to pick up a new skill or technique to add to my tool belt. I have learned book binding from some wonderful art teachers and their ability to make bookbinding accessible lead me to my style as “the casual bookbinder.” I don’t have a lot of big fancy machines or equipment like a commercial print shop, but I’m honing the skills I have acquired to create a collection of quality, small-run pieces.

I am most proud and excited about growing my passion for bookbinding into the creative business, Harper + Charlotte Handmade Books. I am learning a lot and having fun at the same time. I started out with an e-commerce site at the start of the pandemic, which I still maintain and now I’m getting into shops and boutiques. I have a section at The Gibson Co. (The Collection at Forsyth) and it’s teaching me a lot about consignment, choosing and creating inventory, and learning what shoppers find visually appealing, etc. In addition to this I get to do commissions and those are my favorite because I can work closely with the client to give them different binding options that will fit what they are looking for in a finished product.

I’m also looking for ways to expand my brand regularly. For the past year, I have mostly been committed to hard cover books, but now I’m delving into working with leather to create softcover journals and sketchbooks. Additionally, I am very excited to be expanding Harper + Charlotte with personalized pencils! I have had a long-standing fascination with stationery, so it only seemed natural to expand into offering writing accessories and add-ons in the form of wrapped and personalized pencils. This summer I will start offering personalized pencils in a variety of colors, with that traditional and nostalgic gold foiling. I will also offer some pre-made pencil sets with some fun and pop-culture based themes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s funny to get this question because I do have a good friend coming into town soon so curating this list early is right on time! While this list is not all-inclusive, I would have to say that you must walk through Centennial Olympic Park. And while in Centennial definitely a stop by either the College Football Hall of Fame or the Center for Civil and Human Rights. We must grab some food at either Krog Street Market or Sweet Auburn Market and then go for a walk on the Beltline (while dodging scooters…haha). King of Pops is a must, preferably at a late afternoon Braves game. You have to stop by either Cami Cakes or Piece Cake, or heck stop by both! Bruch is a must, so a stop in at Einstein’s or BQE (honestly, whichever line is shorter). May in Atlanta reminds me of Jazz Fest, which is always a good time. Or to just walk through Piedmont Park and people watch.

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 give a shoutout to my partner. He’s incredibly supportive and I jokingly call him my intern. He’s been a hand model, moving service, set up crew, photographer, courier of coffee, quality control, and tech support.

Website: https://harperandcharlotte.com

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