Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyssa Wiener.
Hi Nyssa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I actually spent 14 years in special education before any of this. I got my Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis and worked as a school-based BCBA, and I loved that work. I still use so much of what I learned there every day.
Calligraphy happened kind of by accident. I got engaged in July 2017 and wanted to make my own signage, so I taught myself modern calligraphy. I was hooked pretty quickly. Friends started asking me to make things for them, then friends of friends, and before I knew it I had a side hustle. For years I did that work at night after my daughter went to bed, until last year when I finally decided to leave my job and run Use Your Words full-time.
Now I work with brides, brands, and event planners on everything from wedding signage and seating charts to live engraving at weddings, corporate events, and brand activations, plus personalized keepsakes. What I love most is helping people get the details right, the little things that make an event feel personal and like a lot of thought went into it. I’m very organized and very type-A, so a big part of what I do is taking that stress off my clients’ plates so they can enjoy the process.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I recently saw an Instagram post that said, “Building a business while raising babies is not for the faint of heart,” and that’s exactly how I feel. It’s always a roller coaster trying to grow a business as a solopreneur, especially back when this was still a side hustle. I was working full-time as a BCBA, had a 2 year old at home, and was pregnant with my second. I would do my calligraphy work at night after my daughter went to sleep.
It’s sometimes exhausting trying to do it all, but it’s so worth it. Being able to create my own schedule and be there for my kids has always been my main goal, and now I get to be there for school pickup and drop-off, volunteer at my kids’ school events, and actually be present.
These days the challenge looks different. It’s more about balancing schedules and forging the right connections and relationships. I’m a huge believer in community over competition, and I’ve made some amazing friends in the wedding and event industry who have helped me grow professionally and personally.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Use Your Words, I create hand-lettered details for weddings, corporate events, and brand activations. For couples, that’s mostly day-of signage: welcome signs, seating charts, bar menus, and all the little pieces that make a wedding feel cohesive. I also offer live on-site engraving and hot foiling at weddings, which is such a fun experience for guests, and they go home with personalized favors they actually want. For brands and corporate events, I do live calligraphy and engraving, personalizing items for guests right there at the event. And then there are personalized keepsakes, the kind of gift that can’t be bought twice.
What sets me apart is right there in the name: the words. My favorite part of this work is helping couples fill their day with the inside jokes, references, and little details that are so them. At my own wedding we had Harry Potter references, a sign that said “mutual weirdness forever,” the Friday Night Lights theme song down the aisle, and Curb Your Enthusiasm back up it. That’s the kind of personality I love bringing to my clients’ days!
My background shows up in how I work, too. Years as a BCBA taught me to stay calm under pressure, communicate clearly, and think outside the box when there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. I guide my clients through wording, seating chart layouts, and the decisions they didn’t even know they had to make, so by the big day everything comes together and they get to enjoy it. My favorite compliment is when guests ask, “Wait, this was done by hand? Who did this?”
As for what I’m most proud of, this past year was full of firsts: my first wedding with both signage and on-site engraving, my first multi-artist event where I brought on two additional engravers, and brand work with Nordstrom, Amazon, Rodan + Fields, Maelys, and Eat Clean Bro. But honestly, what I’m proudest of is building a business that lets me be present for my family while doing work I love.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I actually just shared a post about this when I was celebrating my first official year as a full-time calligraphy artist! If I had to narrow it down, two lessons stand out.
The first is that it’s okay to say no to projects that don’t align, and to set boundaries. For me, that even means passing on things people assume every calligrapher does, like envelope addressing. If something doesn’t feel right or doesn’t spark joy, I gladly refer it to another calligraphy artist. Saying no to the wrong projects leaves room for the right ones.
The second is that building relationships is everything. That community over competition mindset has brought me friendships, referrals, and collaborations I never could have built on my own. The people you meet along the way really do make all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://useyourwordscalligraphy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/useyourwords_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyssa-wiener
