Behind the Design Weekly Series: Exploring Stationery Stores in New York | Episode 9
Welcome back, The Pink Ink® community! This is Behind the Design, a weekly series for aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives where we document the process of building a digital planner business from scratch. We’re following Claudia, a student of The Pink Ink’s Digital Planner Academy®, and we welcome you to implement her weekly strategies alongside her.
Last week, Claudia wrapped up the creation and design process with a helpful call with Shay, who provided valuable feedback for revisions. She noticed some discrepancies and smaller details that can be fixed, which Claudia will revise in the upcoming weeks before the official launch. Now that the planner is officially done, we’re ready to move to the next steps!
This week, we’re switching things up a bit. Claudia had the amazing opportunity to spend the week in New York City, so we have a special episode about her design finds in the big city. We’ll be following Claudia in the new discoveries and ideas she experienced on her trip. Let’s take a look at what she found!
This Week’s Goal
Claudia spent her time in New York City having fun and exploring a few popular design shops throughout the city. The goal of this week is simply to see what bigger companies and smaller artists are doing in the design field, specially with prints, papers, and planners. Claudia was impressed by the new patterns and paper styles she saw at each store.
It’s a great opportunity to gain some new creative energy and inspiration, as Claudia says in the weekly video. You don’t need to go all the way to New York City for this though– simply find an art or stationery store nearby where you live. Go to your local art museum or walk through exhibits that might show up throughout the year.
You don’t even need to have an end goal in mind. Sometimes, just looking at art without a reason can spark creative thoughts and ideas. Claudia was spending time traveling and still found time to get inspired. Take a day to explore, have fun with it, and see where it takes you!
This Week’s Accomplishment
The first exciting activity that Claudia experienced was the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where she saw the collection of over 200,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, design media, and more! For other creatives out there, it’s the perfect place to get inspired and tap into your creativity.
Claudia also stopped inside some design shops, some of which were smaller hole-in-the-wall shops and others were huge stores. One of the biggest design stores Claudia explored was MUJI, a minimalistic Japanese brand with well-loved pens, notebooks, and stationery products.
Claudia also had the chance to visit Philadelphia for two days and here, she visited Paper Source, a store of different papers and planners. The embroidery covers were definitely a stand out! She also visited Anthropology and Goods for the Steady on Mulberry Street in Manhattan for more inspiration.
If you happen to be near or in New York City any time soon, Claudia recommends making a day out of visiting Little Italy and Goods for the Steady, which is close by. You could also add in the museum and take a stop in MUJI, creating the perfect day for planner inspiration. For those of you further from New York City, check out some local shops instead! You can even look at the online options of these stores.
Takeaway
Take this week to observe some art or explore a new creative shop. It can provide great inspiration for your own planner or it may simply just encourage you to keep pursuing your project. Remember to keep an open mind toward new ideas and styles– even if you find a planner that isn’t your taste, there’s always something that can be learned or taken away.
As you follow along with Claudia in the design process, we encourage you to reach out for support and guidance from The Pink Ink community. Our mentors from the Digital Planner Academy® are here to cheer you on with each step! To keep up-to-date with Behind the Design, sign up for announcements and our newsletter. We’ll see you next week!
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About The Pink Ink®
At The Pink Ink®, we’ve turned our own digital planner business into a successful enterprise that now teaches others to do the same. Shay established The Pink Ink® in 2018 as one of the first digital planner sellers on Etsy and grew it to help aspiring designers to create, launch, and market their planners to create passive income and diversify revenue streams. Within 2 weeks, her store made its first sale, and within 2 months, it covered Shay’s full-time income!
With our experience and knowledge, we want to watch others reach financial freedom in their own lives and experience the benefits of running an online shop for themselves and loved ones. To read our full story, check out The Pink Ink’s About Us page.
About The Digital Planner Academy® Hybrid Program
The Digital Planner Academy Hybrid Program is designed to teach other entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners how to create their own digital planners through design software and real-world advice from mentors. We walk students through the process of creating and selling their own digital product from beginning to end with a goal of helping you reach financial freedom.
Every year, we do updates on our customers’ needs and shifts in online business. In 2023, we turned this into a hybrid program where you not only get access to video lessons, but you also receive 1:1 feedback and support from The Pink Ink® team, whether for general support, design ideas, or initial launch.
If you’re ready to get started in building your digital planner business, check out our blog The Digital Planner Academy® Program - the Best Online Course for Aspiring Digital Planner Business Owners and follow along with our weekly Behind the Design series.
The Purpose of This Weekly Series
What exactly is Behind the Design and why did we create it?
Shay was once an aspiring business owner, so she understands the stressful process of building a company from the ground up. Especially as one of the first in her niche, Shay paved the way for other business owners and picked up valuable skills that she now shares with others. She hopes to ignite creativity and help others do the same.
The best way to accomplish this is by demonstrating how it’s done through a step-by-step process– and what better way than to watch an entrepreneur reach success in real-time? There’s potential challenges that lie in the path of any creative individual – it’s inevitable – but it’s important to overcome these obstacles. Following another designer provides motivation to overcome these challenges, practical guidance and advice, and realistic steps and expectations.
Getting started is often the hardest part, but it’s never too late. In fact, now’s the perfect time! Take this opportunity to take the first step and build your business alongside Claudia. You’ll learn so much through this process, and you’ll reap the rewards of hard work and dedication. Let’s take that first leap together!
Join Us on an Adventure
With a goal to empower individuals to unlock their true creative potential like Claudia is doing, The Pink Ink® team is excited to see where this series leads. We invite you to join us on this exciting adventure and take grasp of the unique opportunity provided. With Claudia and The Pink Ink® members at your side, you have the tools and support to achieve success.
To stay up to date with each piece of the series, you can sign up to receive weekly email updates. We’re looking forward to the insights and creativity that each week offers, and we’re excited to welcome you into our community!