Summer Highlights: Gigs, Showing Up, and Juggling the Live Event Life
Did the summer just…scroll on by like it didn’t even see us?
I don’t know about you, but my head is still reeling from how fast the summer packed its bags and exited the chat. As a live event calligrapher balancing a full-time teaching job, family responsibilities, and a bustling side hustle, it feels like I barely blinked before the season was over. From engraving and bottle painting at luxury brand activations to testing my limits on social media challenges, this summer held moments of creativity, lessons in showing up online, and reminders to pace myself.
Here’s a look at my summer gigs, social media experiments, and the “easy-on-me” era” I’m stepping into as the school year kicks off.
The Gigs
Most of my summer activations were at my usual stomping grounds: Nordstrom at King of Prussia and Christiana Mall. I engraved and painted to the delight of visitors (as per usual), and one event even included heat foiling—a hot trend for their ICONS!
But the event that captured my heart this summer? The Dietz & Watson Dog Days of Summer in Rittenhouse Square.
I love fully immersive experiences, and this one went to the dogs in the best way possible! Our canine friends got their nails clipped, portraits taken with their humans, indulged in hot dogs and ice cream—and, of course, took home engraved dog tags by yours truly. I won’t ever forget the stories of doggy devotion I heard that day. Such a sweet activation! ❤️
Bonus: I got to spend part of the day knowing my friend and colleague Marie from Maiden September was nearby at a separate event for Glossier.
She’s so pretty! And she’s an amazing calligrapher!
Even though we weren’t working the same gig, just knowing she was working nearby made the day even sweeter. There’s nothing like sharing the hustle with someone who’s work you admire.
We played dodge with my new camera, went out for a bite and talked shop after our gigs were over. The weather was great.
You just really can’t beat days like that!
Showing Up
Here’s the thing about this job: companies hire you not just for your work, but for you.
How do you like the cut?
I’ve loved pixies and braids forever, but I hesitated in luxury spaces, worried they might be “too edgy” or maybe ‘too urban”, or maybe even “too (gasp) black.” But now? I’m listening to myself. I may be all those things—I’m definitely one…And there’s still a client for it all.
Your story, personality, and yes, even your presence matters. I’ve traditionally been the person behind the customization counter, blending into the background, letting my work speak for itself. And I still want that. But lately, I’ve realized there’s just a bit more to it than that.
A recent call with a potential new partner hammered it home. He asked me how I got into live events and I shared how I first started with teaching and lettering—and that, in turn, led to a calligraphy engraving journey. Afterward, he told me he loved my story as much as my work. As soon as he said that, I suddenly remembered the time another store manager told me she watched (and liked) how I interacted with all their guests, and how another asked if I really looked like the photo in my social media profile pic (because they didn’t want surprises)…and, how yet another said, “I love to watch Stacey work.”
That’s when it all really hit me.
People hire people, not just portfolios.
As a live event artist, my clients hire me not just for my engraving and bottle painting skills, but for the experience I create, the way I interact with guests, tell a story, and make each activation memorable…and, even how they think my look will vibe with their clients. That combination of craft and personality is what actually keeps people coming back.
At the end of the day, if there’s one thing that entrepreneurship will teach you, it’s that there’s a market for everything and everyone. So, choose to be authentically ALL you. Every time.
Social Media Challenges
If there’s one part of being a live event calligrapher that has always felt like tiptoeing across a field of Legos, it’s showing up on social media. Even the words, “show up” make me want to throw up.
Posting consistently—or, let’s be honest, posting at all—has always been a struggle. Last year, it was easy to let this side of my hustle slide. Between teaching, family responsibilities, and gigs, my social media presence became more ghost town than gallery.
This summer, I decided to challenge that.
Enter the Captivate & Convert Collective by Cassandra More—a group designed to hold each other accountable for showing up online as your best self, with the motto: “Think Less, Create More.”
At first, I joined for the fun of the Stories challenges.
I loved seeing her personality shine while sharing value in a creative way. But once I was in, I realized the challenge was so much more than fun Stories.…
The group holds you challenges you in ways that are uncomfortable (and sometimes downright hilarious). They push you to show your face, tell your story, and post frequently enough that it makes people actually feel like there’s a person behind the work—because, spoiler alert, that’s exactly what potential collaborators and clients want.
And, guess what? It works.
I started showing my face in ways I never had before, learned easy-to-use techniques to keep my presence more consistent (at least in a way that’s doable for me), and gained a new community of cheerleaders that get the entrepreneurial grind. Win-win-win.
The toughest part? (Well, besides being 49 trying to show my face. 🙄) My pitch. I’d never quite perfected it. Hear me out…
Most often, I’ve relied on my work to get me in the door for any gig. I’ve never had to truly say what I do out loud. Hiding behind emails and DMs makes you think you know your story—but actually speaking it, even to a camera, and having to remember your lines? That’s when you really solidify what your offer is.
And let me tell you—it’s not always easy to put yourself out there. Sometimes, the fear hits in the classic ways: frogs in your throat, cats stealing your words, butterflies doing cartwheels in your stomach (🙋🏾♀️). That’s exactly why challenges like this—forcing you to speak up or show up online—are so powerful: they make you clarify your offer, own your story, and step as confidently as you can into the spotlight.
It’s a crash course in really owning who you are and what you do.
The whole experience completely unnerved me—and it taught me A LOT…It was a wake-up call. Social media isn’t just marketing; it’s storytelling. And in this industry, your story is part of your offer. Showing up online is an extension of the energy, personality, and craft you bring to your live events.
No doubt, I’m in other groups that will help me perfect my pitch too. But, as I like to think, to get where you want to go, it takes what it takes. Although I positively hate ads crowding up my scroll, this one was a keeper. 🥰
Entering my Easy-on-Me Era
I’m in the last year of my forties now, and my body is sending me signals I can’t ignore anymore. It’s Peri. It’s Peri sending me signals, y’all. 😒
But, this summer’s foot injury forced me to slow down, reflect, and really consider how I want to move through my days. With a full-time job, family responsibilities, and a side hustle that I love, I’ve realized that self-care isn’t optional—it’s essential.
As mothers, entrepreneurs and sometimes full time employees and side hustlers, we forget that we are mortal. We just keep going like we are energizer bunnies. Then, we wear our busy-ness like a badge. That is, until our bodies betray us—or, we found out that we betrayed them.
So, this year, I’m giving myself permission to be a quitter.
I give myself permission to be gentler with myself. I can no longer ignore those niggly aches and pains or the constant drain of energy from juggling multiple roles. I’ve realized that quitting the things that don’t add value is not defeat—it’s preservation.
Quitting the extra noise, the activities that sap energy, and the pressure to “do it all” frees up space for what really matters: creating, connecting, and showing up where it counts.
Saying no can be the ultimate yes to the life I want to live.
