5 Minutes with Laura from iNGk Studio
Today Mrs Grace interviewed Laura NG, a calligraphy and engraving artist who runs a creative business called the iNGk Studio. At the iNGk Studio, they provide luxury calligraphy, engraving and illustration services across Australia for businesses and brands tailored towards brand activations, press launches and corporate events. They specialise in calligraphy and product personalisation services where they love creating personalised experiences for all the customers during live instore events.
Q & A WITH LAURA NG
WHO IS LAURA NG, WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
My name is Laura Ng and I am born, raised and based in Sydney Australia.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PASSION?
It all started from social media when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across some really beautiful handwriting. I was very inspired by the works of some very talented artists and was determined to learn this beautiful art called modern calligraphy. I purchased my very first calligraphy kit online in 2015 and practiced every day and eventually developed my own unique styles of calligraphy.
I became so passionate with this art that I decided to transform this hobby into a business. During that time when I started, I was very fortunate that my sister and my close friend were getting married, so they trusted me with their whole wedding stationery project. I did everything from place cards, envelope addressing, seating charts, welcome signs, guest books, wishing wells and bonbonnieres. From then on, I started growing my wedding portfolio and I would help other brides with their wedding projects too.
IF YOU WERE A COLOUR, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
I’d be sky blue.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My creative friends who I have had the amazing opportunity to meet virtually and in person from Instagram inspires me every day. Each and every one of them has their own creative talent and seeing their beautiful artworks and their entrepreneurial journey inspires me and motivates me to continue to learn and grow.
DESCRIBE YOUR ART IN 3 WORDS
Elegant, personal and meaningful.
WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS AND WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING PROJECT YOU HAVE DONE?
I work with leading Australian and International luxury brands across various industries on a diverse range of projects. My clients include Hermès, Jo Malone London, Prada, Christian Louboutin and more.
I’ve been fortunate to take on many different projects that have been really interesting and fun. Each project has its own uniqueness whether it’s painting on macarons, personalising on marble coasters or engraving on perfume bottles.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AS A CALLIGRAPHER?
Finding my niche and what I was truly passionate about in this industry. When I first started calligraphy, I didn’t know what I liked or didn’t like doing. I just wanted to do everything when opportunities came around so a lot of my projects involved working with customers and clients in the wedding industry. Overtime I had realized that I didn’t enjoy working late nights on welcome signs and seating charts so I slowly moved away from the wedding industry.
Pricing was also a challenge as I didn’t have a good understanding of an appropriate pricing strategy for my business.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP TIP FOR CHILDREN WHO WANT TO BECOME LIKE YOU ONE DAY? BECOME LIKE YOU ONE DAY?
One of the best advices that I would give to someone that is hoping to take on a creative path is to ‘Start before you are ready’. Just because you are not 100% ready doesn’t mean that you are not capable of doing it. If you put your mind to something, you can accomplish almost anything.
WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR 2021 / 2022?
One of my biggest plans and goals for the iNGk Studio is to take on more live illustration projects so I can work alongside some very talented creative artists like Grace from A little bite studio. I will also be launching new engraving kits in 2021 and would love to host engraving workshops so I can share around the beautiful art of calligraphy engraving.
Thank you so much for introducing yourself to us Laura! If you want to say hi to Laura, you can email her at laura@ingkstudio.com or see more of her design works below.
• Website: ingkstudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ingkstudio/
• Facebook: facebook.com/theingkstudio/
