Shayna Norwood - Founder, Steel Petal Press
Shayna Norwood
Shayna Norwood founded her company, Steel Petal Press in 2011 to share beauty and humor with the world through her collection of handmade stationery. What began as a part–time endeavor in 2008 has grown to include three presses, a paper cutter, and a small + awesome team. Together they print, package and ship each item by hand.
Shayna is a professionally trained visual artist with a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute and has been letterpress printing since 2004. Steel Petal Press was born when Shayna decided to design and print her own holiday cards to send to friends and family. Since then, the business has expanded to include a full line of greeting cards sold across the country, home goods, wedding invitations, and personal stationery. “Penelope”, a 1960s Chandler & Price Model-N, joined the Steel Petal Press family in the spring of 2011. In the winter of 2012 they welcomed a 1950s Challenge level paper cutter, affectionately known as “Jaws,” into their studio. Next they acquired “Sweetie” their Vandercook SP-15.
Steel Petal Press has been featured in Proof to Product, Pop Sugar, BuzzFeed, Brit + Co, Refinery29, Southern Bride, Paper Crave, Oh So Beautiful Paper, Stationery Trends, Style Me Pretty, Brides, Inside Weddings, The Knot, Apartment Therapy, CBS News, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and more. When not thinking up funny greeting card ideas or working with wedding clients you can find her riding her bike around Chicago, enjoying tacos, hanging out at home with her cats and plants, or out dancing to her favorite DJs and bands.
I’m so excited for you guys to connect with Shayna, check out her line of greeting cards and company, and follow along as she continues to share her mental health and entrepreneurial journey to hopefully bring more awareness to mental health and inspire others to step into their passions, too.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
I am Shayna, the founder and designer of Steel Petal Press. We have a wholesale greeting card line that is letterpress printed and packaged by hand in our Chicago based studio. We also have a brick and mortar flagship retail shop where we sell our goods along with other cards and gifts. We are always working to expand our line and keep our shop stocked with fresh new merchandise. Our biggest current project is our Mental Health Trackers, which help people to identify their emotional and mental wellbeing. This is something I am very passionate about. In the beginning, it was hard for me to open up and talk about my mental health issues publicly, but it's a conversation that needs to be had as many people struggle silently with their mental health. I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable but I realized that at the end of the day, the thought that my story could help someone far outweighs the inner battle of opening up and being vulnerable.
How did you get started?
I was attending grad school in Chicago and far away from my family and friends back home. After printing a few letterpress projects for grad school, I would use the school's studios to print personal work in my spare time. I found a few stores to sell extra cards that I had printed and from there, my company got started.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
I always knew that I wanted to use my art degree as a way to help connect people and to share beauty and humor with the world. My favorite quote, which is also a tattoo on my body is, "In such an ugly time the real protest is beauty." This quote means so much to me and its part of what keeps me going every day. There is so much negative in the world and rather than contributing to that, I want to do the opposite - I want to bring positivity and joy into people's everyday lives.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
I'm passionate about people and relationships. I love connecting people and helping them to feel less alone. We are all humans with shared experiences, yet solitary in our own mind. It's easy to get caught up in your head, yet we all share the experience of being human.
I am living in my passion and purpose - each day I get to wake up and contribute to bringing more joy into the world.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
My joy blueprint is based around a few things, mostly a focus on what's most important to me which is friends/family, relationships and experiences. I also find joy in my work and working hard to create something that I am proud of. Sometimes I feel like I am jumping out of bed in the morning because I am so excited to get up and have another shot at doing my best, improving my work and building my team and company. I love hearing feedback from my team about their ideas and experiences and I am a huge believer in accepting criticism - that's the foundation of getting better and it makes me so happy to see my team contribute to the greater good of SPP. I feel most alive when I am surrounded by friends, family, love and when I am fully self-aware.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
I try to set goals and spend time envisioning where I want to go and what I want to do. It's easy to get caught up on the day to day tasks. To avoid that, I try to spend time a few times a year setting goals and evaluating my life. I've been meditating more frequently to center myself. I also meet with a mastermind group of other women business owners who run stationery companies which helps me to gain perspective on the business aspects. I also just took a really wonderful weeklong trip with some girl friends which was wonderful for recentering myself and remembering who I am and what's important.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
She would think, "Wow, she's a total badass."
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
Yes, I always tell myself, "Everything will be OK, you're doing OK."
What is your biggest dream?
My biggest dream is to find balance and happiness in life.
To learn more about Shayna and her shop visit her website https://www.steelpetalpress.com/ and on Facebook @steelpetalpress Instagram @steelpetalpress and Pinterest @steelpetalpress
Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here