An Exclusive Interview with Unlucky Wishes
By El Weiss
Since opening last year, Unlucky Wishes has become a viral sensation. Starting with a monthly subscription service that delivers postcards and other goodies (for the price of a coffee), the shop has expanded and continues to grow daily. Starting a small business years ago selling necklaces and tote bags, Meg is no stranger to having her own shop. A year ago, she shifted her focus to selling custom pillows. After having the realization that the workload was not manageable, she gave it one more try and Unlucky Wishes was born.
Gut Instinct had the opportunity to meet founder Meg and ask all of your (and our) burning questions in an exclusive Q&A.
Image Courtesy of @unluckywishes
Q: This one is my favorite abstract question for opening an interview. Who are you and what do you do?
If I had to put a label on what I am and who I see myself as I would call myself a product designer. I just graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Communications Advertising. When it comes to my brand I would say all around I'm a creative and wear a lot of [different] hats.
Q: Did you always want to have an art business?
I think just as a kid, I was just really obsessed with art in general. Everybody around me knew that I was crafty. I was making duct tape wallets and everything like that.
I was really good at marketing myself. And I started a lot of things really young. In middle school, I was already doing graphic design and Photoshop. But I never thought I’d own a shop.
Q: With the transition of graduating, I imagine there is a lot of uncertainty. Is that something you’ve channeled into Unlucky Wishes?
I think that before Unlucky Wishes, I had seen a lot of the ups and downs that a lot of people in college go through and a lot of other creatives in general where they're just kind of chipping away at their dream and they just haven't really had things happen for them yet.
I had just got my hours reduced at my job and needed some money. And I thought, like, okay, you know, I'm gonna give this another shot. To see if I could do this full time, or at least enough to support myself.
Image Courtesy of @unluckywishes
Q: How did Unlucky Wishes start?
A year ago, I was doing the Moodie Megs pillows. I was taking some classes for fashion at the local community college, and I learned how to sew, and then I thought, okay, let me turn around and make a brand where I have to sew everything. And it honestly took me more than a year to even make sales on them. But once I did, I ended up selling 500. And I remember when Christmas came around, so many people wanted one that I had my room filled floor to ceiling with pillows. It was exhausting and I wanted to do what I loved without that. So that’s where Unlucky Wishes came in.
Q: How do you come up with your themes? Are you the creative director behind that?
I am, yes. I would say that probably one of the hardest parts of my job is coming up with a theme, especially if it's something that I want everybody to resonate with. And I understand that maybe not every theme might be everybody's cup of tea. I really try to speak to different aspects, different audiences, [and] different feelings and emotions.
Image Courtesy of @unluckywishes
Q: Can you give us a glimpse into your creative process?
Honestly, I think what a lot of people don't think about is when I am designing things, I have to order them in bulk. So whatever I design, I have to be able to order around 6000 pieces of that item. I need to be able to make it effective for the customer but also fit inside of a really thin envelope and have the post office not reject it. I'll start with a feeling or a vibe or maybe just an object. And then I'll usually go on Pinterest and create a board for that item and I'll kind of go through and vet that theme or idea and think about other products that can relate to it beyond the postcard.
Q: On themes again, have you noticed there's been a fan-favorite theme?
I don't know what it is, but I think a lot of people really loved our May theme. It was gardening [themed] and it had a little dragonfly keychain. And more recently, we started selling our old postcards so now if you missed a month or you've just joined us, you can go back and shop for previous months. And that one still has to be one of our highest-selling ones still.
Q: What’s next? It can be big or small.
I can see the future of Unlucky Wishes being more of a full stationery shop. I would say the next thing is adding more things to our shop so that it feels like merchandise for the crafty girl. Whether that's sticker sheets, ephemera packs, washi tapes, or sticky notes. And then beyond that, I just think that it would be so cool to do more physical experiences. I kind of have my eye on maybe a brick-and-mortar or somehow getting some sort of pop-up trailer that we can take to events. I would like to see some more things that involve engaging our community and being able to meet up because I think there's not enough of that where I live.
Q: Do you have any advice for young creatives who are starting their journey?
Don't listen to your parents. I think that was a hard thing for me. And I still talk to people to this day who are scared to put all of their eggs in one basket. I think that it's hard, especially when you're trying to fund your creative passion because it's not cheap. At one point, I was working five jobs at once in college to be able to make the pillows that I wanted to make or release a certain item or product and I thought that the end all be all was just to work corporate and get my corporate experience first before working for myself. But that's not everybody's path.
Image Courtesy of @unluckywishes
If it wasn't already clear, we’ll be seeing the talented Meg on Forbes 50 under 50 someday very soon. To keep up with all things Unlucky Wishes follow @unluckywishes on Instagram or purchase from the small business at Unluckywishes.com. I personally have my eyes on the new vintage pendants ;)
