The secret? Quirky drawings of cats.
Meet Eunice Moyle, a brilliant designer and illustrator, mother of two, hilarious storyteller AND the co-founder of Hello!Lucky Letterpress Cards & Stationery. Oh, and she’s also the instructor of our brand new Letterpress Online Class. That’s a whole lot of creativity for one lady! I spent a sunny afternoon with Eunice to hear more about how she got her start, what inspires her and why she loves to teach people to make.
Founded in 2003 by sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle, Hello!Lucky officially got its start when Eunice impulsively purchased a vintage vandercook press from eBay. Sabrina, Stanford Business grad, immediately hopped on board, and boom, a company was born. But where does the part-time gig in a pet store come in? Well, shortly after graduating from art school, Eunice found herself working in a pet store. She’d spend her days sharing opinions on which dog food is best and selling countless goldfish to very excited third graders, when an idea sparked. Illustrator + a lot of spare time in a pet store = quirky hand-drawn pet cards. Genius! Though cats weren’t nearly as popular as they are now, this idea is one piece of the puzzle that led Eunice to pursuing her dreams.
Now, let’s hear from Eunice on all things creative!
What inspires you? Why do you love to design, create and make?
I get inspiration from about a million sources, but I’m especially inspired by children’s design (particularly European and Japanese), and vintage packaging and textile design. Creating is just part of my makeup — I literally have trouble not making! I love anything that can be made by hand, whether it be sewing, knitting, printmaking, decorating, painting or baking (anything with lots of sugar and butter in particular!). I’m very rarely without a project in hand.
What’s one piece of advice you’d share with other makers?
To turn off your self-critical voice and just be in the process. Don’t get caught up in comparing your work to other peoples’. Whatever you make is unique to you — and the point is to make it as “you” as possible, not to imitate. That said, once you’ve made something, it’s great to step back and critique. The key to being creative is to have no ego — it’s about the process (which is messy and iterative sometimes), and everything can always be tweaked and refined, so don’t be afraid to try something a few times until you get it right, and to toss out drafts that didn’t quite work.
Tell us how technology has changed and supported what you do.
Pinterest for one has made it so much easier to get inspiration. It’s also been great to get feedback on our designs via social media — it’s so inspiring to hear people loving our work! Technology has also helped us create viral campaigns like Write_On, which we just kicked off for the 2nd year in a row. Along with our partners at Egg Press, we invited people to join us in taking the challenge of writing 30 letters in 30 days for the month of April (National Letter-writing Month) and gave away free letterpress card kits to get people started. In a period of just 5 days, we gave away 2,000 kits, all thanks to social media!
Additionally, social media has really allowed us to get in touch with other super inspiring artists, bloggers, etc. It’s led to friendships and a creative community that is super supportive and inspiring.
What’s on your studio playlist?
At the moment, thanks to my 5-year-old, it’s a lot of “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor and “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift (two of his all-time favorites, and totally stuck in my head). A couple other faves at the moment: “You Make Loving Fun” by Fleetwood Mac, “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People and “Fortunate Son” by CCR, and I love, love, love Rizzle Kicks.
How do you get into the creative flow? How does it feel?
I’ve found, over the years, that the best way to get the creative flow going is to research and explore. Looking at books, magazines, Pinterest etc. with the project in mind and collecting lots and lots of inspiration is always my first step. And once that is done, often the best way to get things going is to walk away from it for a bit and let the subconscious start percolating. That and a mocha and you’re ready to go!
Once you get into the groove, it’s the most satisfying feeling — things just start clicking and falling into place. It’s a real rush — there’s nothing else like it!
What do you love about teaching people to make? And inspiring people who don’t think they are traditionally creative?
I love showing people how easy it is to be creative — if you just break things down into simple steps, you can achieve super amazing results! And, once you master a simple technique like printing, it empowers you to get really creative. It’s kind of like learning to walk before you run, skip, shimmy, and ultimately do the tango!
Looking for more? We got you. Here are a few more ways you can be virtual besties with Eunice Moyle and the ladies of Hello!Lucky.
FOLLOW: Follow Hello!Lucky on Instagram @helloluckycards.
SHOP: Check out her section in the B+C Shop.
LEARN: Take Eunice’s Letterpress class! In under an hour, you’ll learn everything you need to know about letterpress printing at home.
Are you a maker with a story to tell? Or know someone who you think should be featured? Send a note my way or leave us a note in the comments below. Happy making!
