{"id":14464,"date":"2020-04-07T08:02:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T08:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/?p=14464"},"modified":"2021-07-03T15:57:11","modified_gmt":"2021-07-03T15:57:11","slug":"melissa-esplin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/melissa-esplin.html","title":{"rendered":"How Melissa Esplin of Calligraphy.org Turned Her Love of Calligraphy into a Profitable Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Who:<strong> Melissa Esplin<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Website: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/store.calligraphy.org\">store.calligraphy.org<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/calligraphy.org\">calligraphy.org<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Course Topic: <strong>Calligraphy training<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Interesting Stats: <strong>Subscriber list of over 8,000<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_are_you_and_what_courses_have_you_created\"><\/span>Who are you and what courses have you created?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;ve created a hand-lettering foundations course, a modern calligraphy course, and a brush lettering course. You can find all my courses at <a href=\"https:\/\/calligraphy.org\">calligraphy.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_market_do_your_online_courses_serve\"><\/span>What market do your online courses serve?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I teach calligraphy online! I teach a variety of people from chronic hobbyists, to entrepreneurs starting their own calligraphy businesses to those needing more creativity in their day.<\/p>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-14897 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-300x284.png\" alt=\"Melissa Esplin photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-300x284.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-768x726.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-696x658.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-444x420.png 444w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6-50x47.png 50w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-6.png 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>What&#x2019;s the biggest benefit of taking your courses?<\/h2>\n<p>My courses are all analog artforms. It&#x2019;s not easy learning an analog technique online. Each class includes images, videos, text and&#x2026; personal, one-on-one feedback. The feedback I give each student tells them what they&#x2019;re doing right, why, and how they can improve. I love working individually with people to help them meet their calligraphic goals.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_you_get_into_the_market\"><\/span>How did you get into the market?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I was a pretty avid blogger back in 2010 when I started learning calligraphy. My following kept asking me how to learn. This was back before learning platforms are what they are today. I started working on e-course content when my husband was unexpectedly fired from his job. He built the first platform of calligraphy.org while he was unemployed and my first online class was born!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_you_decide_to_create_an_online_course_in_the_first_place\"><\/span>Why did you decide to create an online course in the first place?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At the time I was pouring much of my time into blogging without much monetization. I realized I had a skill set that people would pay to learn. I also realized that my particular audience would much rather spend money on learning how to do\/make something than pay for a handmade good. Knowing this, it seemed like an obvious step to take.<\/p>\n<p>I knew how to teach. I took a few education classes in college (I was initially an art education major before switching to painting &amp; drawing) and I taught continuing education classes in bookbinding and watercolor when my husband and I lived in California.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14899\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8.png\" alt=\"Melissa Esplin course sample\" width=\"1200\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-1030x542.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-768x404.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-696x367.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-1068x562.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-797x420.png 797w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-8-50x26.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Did_you_have_any_moments_of_doubt_before_you_createdlaunched_it\"><\/span>Did you have any moments of doubt before you created\/launched it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>YES!! STILL DO! I think, honestly, I had less doubt than I do now. The saying, &#x201C;The more you know the more you know what you don&#x2019;t know.&#x201D; It is 100% true. I still had a fair amount of doubt.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_so_what_made_you_turn_it_around_and_do_it_anyway\"><\/span>If so what made you turn it around and do it anyway?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What I have to rely on is the fact that I am consistently learning new things and getting better.&#xA0;I am adding that to my feedback within my course.<\/p>\n<p>A really ah-ha moment that happened very early on was when a calligrapher who I looked up to took my course. I asked her outright why she was taking a class from me when she was clearly more advanced than I was and her reply was so wonderful and encouraging. She effectively told me that she wanted to learn from everyone! She pointed out a few things that I had taught her that she didn&#x2019;t know before and it encouraged me to keep going.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_your_online_courses_like\"><\/span>What are your online courses like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My courses are a blend of images, text, and video. All the content is pre-recorded.<\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fmelissa-esplin.html&#038;text=I%20repeat%20my%20content%20in%20the%20text%2C%20in%20the%20images%2C%20and%20in%20the%20video.%20Not%20everyone%20wants%20to%20learn%20by%20watching%20videos.%20-Melissa%20Esplin&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I repeat my content in the text, in the images, and in the video. Not everyone wants to learn by watching videos. -Melissa Esplin <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fmelissa-esplin.html&#038;text=I%20repeat%20my%20content%20in%20the%20text%2C%20in%20the%20images%2C%20and%20in%20the%20video.%20Not%20everyone%20wants%20to%20learn%20by%20watching%20videos.%20-Melissa%20Esplin&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<p>And sometimes you want to circle back to something, but scrubbing through 15 minutes of video to find it is rather annoying. I find that with my particular craft, repetition of key principles is necessary.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14896\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5.png\" alt=\"calligraphy.org video example\" width=\"1200\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-1030x571.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-696x385.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-1068x592.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-758x420.png 758w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-5-50x28.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_did_it_take_you_to_create_your_first_course\"><\/span>How long did it take you to create your first course?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It took about 6 months to create the course initially. Since launching in 2012, I&#x2019;ve iterated and added to the coursework. So I&#x2019;d say it&#x2019;s probably now up to about a year&#x2019;s worth of work.<\/p>\n<p>I started with the objectives that I wanted each person to learn and fleshed out the content from there.<\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fmelissa-esplin.html&#038;text=I%20created%20shortlists%20for%20both%20video%20and%20images%20so%20I%20could%20batch%20content%20creation%20for%20consistent%20lighting%20and%20styling.%20-Melissa%20Esplin&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I created shortlists for both video and images so I could batch content creation for consistent lighting and styling. -Melissa Esplin <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoursemethod.com%2Fmelissa-esplin.html&#038;text=I%20created%20shortlists%20for%20both%20video%20and%20images%20so%20I%20could%20batch%20content%20creation%20for%20consistent%20lighting%20and%20styling.%20-Melissa%20Esplin&#038;via=course_method&#038;related=course_method' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<p>Outlines are your BFF when creating a course! I can create and edit my own video, but I chose to work with videographers to help create the video portions of my coursework.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tell_us_a_little_about_the_process_of_launching_your_course_and_getting_your_first_sales\"><\/span>Tell us a little about the process of launching your course and getting your first sale(s).<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I had a rather interesting following on my blog, so I put up a newsletter subscription page that people could opt-in to for notifications on the course. I&#x2019;ve relied mostly on word of mouth and the email list to help with sales. Educational tools aren&#x2019;t typically impulse-type purchases, so word of mouth helps so, so much!<\/p>\n<p>When I launched my course I had over 1000 email subscribers. I was shocked to have such a large number of people interested in my course. My husband thought the course launch would be like a flash-in-the-pan where we got a ton of sales all at once, then nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Turns out, it became a very slow burn. I got our first sale about 3 days after I sent the email announcing the class launch. I think the first month we were live I made about 10 sales.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_have_a_lead_magnet\"><\/span>Do you have a lead magnet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I have a free supply guide for people. Buying the right tools is a large part of the battle when learning calligraphy! It&#x2019;s helpful. I don&#x2019;t focus as much on the numbers these days (I&#x2019;ve realized that those numbers are triggering for my anxiety), but I do see a difference.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14893\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2.png\" alt=\"calligraphy.org email\" width=\"1200\" height=\"557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-1030x478.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-768x356.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-696x323.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-1068x496.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-905x420.png 905w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-2-50x23.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What%E2%80%99s_the_traffic_strategy_that_works_best_for_you\"><\/span>What&#8217;s the traffic strategy that works best for you?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;ve really stepped back from the marketing side of the class in the last year or so. I&#x2019;m working on getting back to it while managing my stress levels and health. Creating an online class and developing your own passive income is a lot of work! It&#x2019;s very rewarding, too. In the last two years, I&#x2019;ve been focusing on a more balanced lifestyle than a marketing strategy, which has pulled me out of the game a little bit.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_online_course_platform_are_you_using\"><\/span>What online course platform are you using?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;m using a platform that my husband developed for me. We&#x2019;ve iterated a few times since 2012. If I need a feature, he can build it. I really like the platform!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_there_any_features_you_wish_it_had\"><\/span>Are there any features you wish it had?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;m super biased about the features on the website my husband built for me, so I really don&#x2019;t know.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14898\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7.png\" alt=\"Melissa Esplin courses\" width=\"1200\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-1030x300.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-768x224.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-696x203.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-1068x312.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-7-50x15.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_made_you_decide_to_use_your_chosen_platform_over_others\"><\/span>What made you decide to use your chosen platform over others?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;m married to my developer, so he basically builds me whatever I want. LOL. At the time I was looking into possible platforms, there weren&#x2019;t options like <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Kajabi Homepage\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/kajabi-homepage\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Kajabi<\/a>, <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Teachable home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/teachable\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Teachable<\/a>, <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"sponsored\" title=\"Thinkific home page affiliate link\" href=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/go\/thinkific\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Thinkific<\/a>, etc. I liked the idea of WordPress, simply because that&#x2019;s the platform that I was already using for my blog content.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_other_tools_do_you_use_to_run_your_online_course_business\"><\/span>What other tools do you use to run your online course business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I use Instagram, Facebook groups, YouTube (for private videos for students who need a little more hand-holding or are killing it with the class and want to do more advanced techniques), and Fogo (an images library my husband built for me for giving feedback).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14901\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10.png\" alt=\"calligraphy.org youtube\" width=\"1200\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-1030x450.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-768x335.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-696x304.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-1068x466.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-962x420.png 962w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-10-50x22.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_books_or_training_programs_have_you_found_useful_on_your_journey_to_a_successful_business_owner_that_others_might_find_valuable_too\"><\/span>What books or training programs have you found useful on your journey to a successful business owner that others might find valuable too?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;m not sure they&#x2019;re publishing any podcasts anymore, but the Married2Business podcast was very insightful for me. For a long time, I viewed my business as a side hustle rather than a business. The podcast really helped me see myself as a business owner and understand our business core values. That has, in turn, helped guide me with my decision making.<\/p>\n<h2>Do you have any big mistakes you&#x2019;ve made along the way that you&#x2019;d be willing to share?<\/h2>\n<p>I had no idea what I was doing when I started. My calligraphy sucked, and I had no idea about traditional foundations when I started teaching online. I quickly course-corrected. Teaching really pushed me to learn more and get better at my craft.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14894\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3.png\" alt=\"calligraphy.org courses\" width=\"1200\" height=\"619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-1030x531.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-696x359.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-1068x551.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-814x420.png 814w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-3-50x26.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Please_tell_us_a_little_about_what_the_money_you%E2%80%99ve_earned_from_your_course_has_done_for_you\"><\/span>Please tell us a little about what the money you&#8217;ve earned from your course has done for you.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When looking at launching my course, we looked at a couple of different options. One of which was hosting on someone else&#x2019;s platform. It was a beautiful platform, but a little exclusive as it was really only available for Mac users. As I talked to the site-owner, the person offered me a very small percentage if I hosted the class there. The person also gave me the option of a full buyout. The buyout number was enticing at first, but ultimately it didn&#x2019;t feel right.<\/p>\n<p>My husband wasn&#x2019;t sure about how much I wanted to charge ($95 for the course) and we talked at length about pricing. Ultimately we went with my pricing and we self-hosted instead of going with the other website. Over the course of the first year, I made 3x the buyout offer. And I&#x2019;ve been running the class for the last 8 years.<\/p>\n<p>Moral of the story: don&#x2019;t undervalue yourself.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_has_creating_your_course_done_for_you_personally\"><\/span>What has creating your course done for you personally?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Creating a course has helped me with my confidence, I&#x2019;ve learned so much, and I&#x2019;ve created long-lasting partnerships with brands and manufacturers that have come to bat for me. It&#x2019;s been financially a blessing to our family for sure! My husband was able to quit his job for a time and help me with our son who has special needs when he was the most physically demanding.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_you_have_a_story_of_a_transformation_from_any_of_your_clients\"><\/span>Do you have a story of a transformation from any of your clients?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#x2019;ve had a handful of students take my class because they needed something creative in their lives. Working a 9-5 can be creatively soul-sucking at times!<\/p>\n<p>We offer a shoe-box hobby (one that *can* fit in a shoebox, but inevitably ends up taking over) for people like that. And we&#x2019;ve had a handful of students quit their jobs and start businesses! It makes me so happy to have a front-row seat to that transformation. Among those students are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ashbush.com\/\">ashbush.com<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thescriptshopcalligraphy.com\/\">thescriptshopcalligraphy.com<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-14895\" src=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4.png\" alt=\"calligraphy.org course example\" width=\"1200\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4.png 1200w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-1030x542.png 1030w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-768x404.png 768w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-696x367.png 696w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-1068x562.png 1068w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-797x420.png 797w, https:\/\/coursemethod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Melissa-Esplin-4-50x26.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_advice_do_you_have_for_people_just_starting_out\"><\/span>What advice do you have for people just starting out?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Make the content. Don&#x2019;t feel like it has to be perfect right away. DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. You can always iterate, add-to and improve.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_more_about_Melissa_Esplin_and_Calligraphyorg\"><\/span>Learn more about Melissa Esplin and Calligraphy.org:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/store.calligraphy.org\">store.calligraphy.org<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/calligraphy.org\">calligraphy.org<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/melissapher\">Melissa&#8217;s Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/calligraphyorg\">Calligraphy.org Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/melissaesplin\">YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/melissaesplincom\">Melissa&#8217;s Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/calligraphyorg\">Calligraphy.org Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who: Melissa Esplin Website: store.calligraphy.org or calligraphy.org Course Topic: Calligraphy training Interesting Stats: Subscriber list of over 8,000 Who are you and what courses have you created? I&#x2019;ve created a hand-lettering foundations course, a modern calligraphy course, and a brush lettering course. You can find all my courses at calligraphy.org. What market do your online courses serve? I teach calligraphy online! I teach a variety of people from chronic hobbyists, to entrepreneurs starting their own calligraphy businesses to those needing more creativity in their day. What&#x2019;s the biggest benefit of taking your courses? My courses are all analog artforms. It&#x2019;s\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":5}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Melissa Esplin of Calligraphy.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve created a hand-lettering foundations course, a modern calligraphy course, and a brush lettering course. 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