Meet Lizzie Ranasinghe | Owner of The Lovely Letter Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lizzie Ranasinghe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lizzie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My creative & entrepreneurial journey began 6 years ago when I was a freshmen in college. I attended a calligraphy workshop that sparked my passion for calligraphy. As my journey continued to unfold, people would approach me wanting me to design various projects (everything from home wall art to tattoos). The more projects I did the more I heard from others that I needed to start my own business. I just didn’t have the confidence in myself to make the leap. Although my skills and knowledge in graphic design were growing, I never saw myself as a creative. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had assumed false labels and expectations that people had of me. Instead of using my art as a way to express myself, it often harbored anxiety as I didn’t feel qualified and wouldn’t know what to create.

A few years later, my sister passed away. I was journeying through life in a whole new way as I processed through this major loss. My faith is a big part of my life and so I spent some time processing this with God in prayer. Eventually, I started incorporating my prayers into my art. I would use my art to express my prayers and to express what I sensed the Lord was saying to me. For the first time in my life, my art was a true expression of who I was. It was also helping me heal.

Almost a year later, I was sitting in my office at work. I’m not sure what triggered my thoughts but it dawned on me that sympathy cards were kind of a waste of money. I appreciated the thought behind them and the people offering their condolences. But, if I’m being honest most of these cards ended up in the trash… like right away. And then I realized that if the cards were less generic looking and had fewer words on them then maybe we would have kept them forever. In that moment, The Lovely Letter Co. was officially born. And to this day our mission remains the same – creating and designing cards that people will want to keep forever.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
From the very start, the Lovely Letter Co has been a journey of rediscovery and healing. It has taught me a lot about who I am and what I can offer the world. I think I’m most proud of the ways it’s forced me to step out in boldness. In every area of my life, I have been challenged by my business to step outside of my comfort zone whether that was by teaching myself Adobe Illustrator, filming a video for an IG story or showing up at markets. Ironically enough, even today I find myself in a season where i’m being stretched by my business. At the end of May, I’m leaving my 9-5 to run The Lovely Letter Co. full time. I’m also expanding my services into wedding and event stationery. I’m very excited by the opportunity to grow my business and connect with my customers in new ways. I’m also terrified to be walking into the unknown. It’s all these feelings and everything in between but I guess that’s just the process of accepting this calling and giving it all that you have.

As I’ve met other creators, and entrepreneurs in my journey, I’m realizing that every person has something to offer to the world. The hardest part is that there’s this constant battle that exists within ourselves and it keeps us from being our true selves. We live within this tension of what we ought to do and what we were created to do. Whether it’s painting, coding or even counseling each and every person has a creative skill that the world needs. The incredible thing is when you take a step towards discovering what you have to offer the world, you open yourself up to being the person you were created to be. There’s so much freedom in that.

While I love designing cards and connecting with people through my art, I think I hope to achieve so much more in my business. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t complain if this little business grew to six figures, but when I really think about the impact that the Lovely Letter Co can have on people it’s this – I hope that it truly inspires people to create and to move forward toward giving the world the thing they have to offer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so many incredible places in Cleveland, I’m not sure I’d totally be able to nail the things down but here are some of my favorite things, food and coffee included! Lakewood Park
Edgewater Park
Lekko Coffee
Barraco
La Plaza Tacos
Botanical Gardens
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cultural Gardens
Wade Oval
Cleveland Art Museum
Roasted Coffee
Metropolitan Coffee
Floressa
City Goods in Ohio City
Mitchells Ice Cream
Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This might be a little cheesy but my husband, Sheran Ranasinghe, was a huge support in the start of my business. At that time, we were just friends collaborating in our businesses. He was focused on building his wood engraving business while I was working on all the startup tasks. He was a huge encouragement to me and was someone I could go to anytime I needed advice. He even built me a card display to showcase my cards at markets. It was incredible to see our creative perspectives challenge us and also encourage us.

Website: TheLovelyLetter.Co

Instagram: @thelovelyletter.co

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelovelyletter.co

Other: Pinterest & Tik Tok: @thelovelyletter.co

Image Credits
Davis Evans