From Hobby to Job
in April last year to calligraphy fans around the world. Now she’s making “a surprising amount” of money selling brushes and practice sheets to help people perfect their own lettering. She is also preparing to shoot a series of video tutorials with a fellow handlettering enthusiast in Canada. The online course is expected to be available in early 2018. “It’s funded my shoe addiction,” she said. “My main job pays the mortgage and for food and things and this little side thing pays for stuff like a new phone.” Newport nabbed the “iPad lettering” Facebook page, Instagram handle, Pinterest account and web address early on, and setting up the website was a cinch with her tech skills. “I’m lucky in that I have a Master in Business Administration — that helps with things like accounting, tax, dealing with overseas customers. And I’ve studied startups a lot.”
Despite the hobby taking up a big chunk of time, Newport doesn’t regret keeping her day job. “When I get home after work I’m very focused on getting everything done because I only have a few hours. If I didn’t work [a day job] I would just spread the work out over the whole week.”
Her advice to others looking to pursue a side hustle?
“I’m very driven — I don’t think too hard about each thing, I just do it. It’s not what if, what if — I’m not scared. The worst that can happen is that people don’t download these brushes.” Karin Newport, 44, from Auckland, has a side business using iPad lettering. Waiting at the SPCA for a long time, Lilly and Rosie finally found their new home with Jacqi Thornborrow and three other rescue horses.
They now live in a big, green, lush paddock, to roam around with a new family to keep them company.
Magoozle — one of the horses already there — is the queen of the paddock.
She had a lot to say about Lilly and Rosie arriving but Thornborrow insists they have all been calm about meeting each other which is great.
“They are two darlings and we are loving having them as part of our rescue herd,” Thornborrow says.
— Luke Kirkness