Monday, November 5, 2018

I'm A Greeting Card Writer . . . (CEO Rant)

I've wanted so long to be a greeting card writer. I've submitted to Blue Mountain Arts several times, I looked up Hallmark but they have very strict guidelines on everything. But you know what? Never let anyone dictate your future.

In the year of 1993 I came up with the bright idea to have my own greeting card line. After all, I was already a poet making a name for myself, since I wrote everything under the sun, developed my own writing style and loved words and greeting cards so much that to me, this was a perfect fit.  So I started setting up the structure of my cards but the vision just wasn't setting in. Nor were the words. It wasn't coming together. But I was young and I guess I had a lot more living to do before I could truly express in this art form. At least, that's what I told myself.

However, in my mind, since I've received so many greetings, and had also given a sundry of countless cards, I felt that I was connected to them in some kind of way. Being a writer, in my opinion is spiritual. It's your soul speaking through ink, on paper and as my quote reads in my book on the last page of I Just Want to Write!  "A vocal ink, an emotional sheet, how could you not indulge in letting your soul speak? That's writing." So I wholeheartedly felt that I could very much among other things, be a greeting card writer.

I had a legion of conceptualized "wannabe" sketches of what I wanted my greeting cards to look like, or thought they should look like, that I grew frustrated and stopped. Moved myself forward to the other part, the inside, and none of those concepts were working either. I couldn't understand it. I'm a good writer (I thought to myself), and usually when people put something in front of me to write, I possess the power and ability to quickly grasp the impression of the document and formulate my own. But to no avail, not for these greetings. But why? Why can't it gel to me like everything else? Why isn't it easy? Needless to say, from 1993 until, I reworked all of my greeting ideas every two years until the triumphant year of 2008

I was at a new job, in a new city, in a new apartment and just trying to get acclimated. Even an old friend of mine in which we parted friendship in 2004 were back on speaking terms and picked up right where we left off. I used to read poems to her to get her opinion of them. I guess this was right on time.  Because one day at work I reckon creativity was immersed in the air because it hit me like a ton of waves. I realized it was here. This is how my creative juices flowed and it hadn't hit me like this in a while. When I say it hit me, it was like a ton of bricks, I mean it. In one fell swoop, I received the style, the words and themes. 

I rushed home in traffic because I didn't want to lose this blessing. Luckily I only lived 15 minutes away. I got home, put down everything and went to our closet and pulled out the tub that held these precious jewels. I turned to my husband and said I'm going in the bedroom and I don't want to be disturbed for two hours. After that amazing quiet time spent, I had written 75 greeting cards and I couldn't have been more elated. Of course I had a few reworkables but, for the most part I was good and though this was a major feat, I still had mountains to climb. As this was just the locutions.

I now had to wait for my visions of what each term would fit. Meanwhile I was so proud of myself that I decided to apply for greeting card writer positions or submit the one's that I would be okay with letting go of and got rejected numerous times. Hurt and disgusted (Okay, so I'm very dramatic😏), LOL! Feeling disappointed, I tried again.A BIG FAT NOTHING! I became done and said to myself "I bet not see my stuff anywhere else" (a threat to them to make me feel better) LOL!. Fast forward, the visions came in, I got my stuff together, found a couple of illustrators, showed them my sketches, gave them my words, they became inspired and BOOM! I'm a GREETING CARD WRITER!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Now, I receive compliments for my themes and messages all of the time, and it's cemented with purchase.😃

Now, my company QS Simple Treasures Greetings & Collections has launched a few products so far. Dreams "Are Meant to be Lived" Oolong Tea, Simple Treasures Greeting Card Line with two collections and a third on the way. One is called "The Sometimes I Wish Collection and the other, The Why don't "Bright Idea" Love Series Collection. They are also available in framed form. Moreover we currently have the special edition autographed poem by yours truly😉, known as Think Tank "The Bathroom Poem" with more to come.

Like I said, don't let anyone dictate your future. I am what I set out to be and much more, for my comfort, and what I'm happy with. I'm not only a greeting card writer, I'm a creator, visionary and executor. How about that! Please remember QS Simple Treasures Greetings & Collections for your greeting card needs. See purchasing and informational links listed below.

CEO Rant . . .
QRGU

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