Meet Tracy Knott | Calligraphy, Watercolor Artist and Invitation Designer

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

Hi Tracy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always had a love of lettering and artsy things, but it was during my oldest son’s engagement that I was first exposed to calligraphy and the world of custom wedding stationery.

​I was captivated with the beauty and grace of our names dancing across that envelope and decided then and there that I would pursue learning that skill so I could address my younger son’s wedding invitations when he got engaged.

The almost ancient quality of calligraphy, writing by hand, dipping my pen in ink and carefully forming each stroke with intention and precision; it brings me such peace and joy. I fell forever in love.

​Several years, classes, and hours upon hours of practice later, I did calligraphy address my son and his bride’s envelopes. I also designed their invitation suite, their programs, menus, place cards, seating chart and table numbers. It was so fulfilling and such a thrill for me.

Out of a love for calligraphy, Crescent Moon has blossomed and branched out to invitation design, home and venue portraits, custom commissions and live event engraving and calligraphy. I am honored and humbled to be able to do what I love and create unique and special things for my clients.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art was really born from a love of the art of calligraphy. That then led me down several other paths. I got interested in watercolor and took classes to learn how to paint. I wanted a watercolor house portrait of one of my previous homes, so I watched Skillshare classes on that subject. I practiced a lot and eventually, I started painting those for other people. I painted my first venue for my son and daughters-in-law’s wedding invitations and that gave me confidence to paint them for other brides. I started getting requests for custom wedding invitations featuring the couple’s venue. When engraving bottles became popular, I thought I wanted to learn how to do that, so I bought an engraver and again, took classes on how to become proficient at engraving. So, I am happy and proud of the fact that my business has expanded a lot in four to five years. It’s become much more than I dreamed it would be and allows me to express my creativity in more areas than just calligraphy.

One of the things that sets me apart from other calligraphers is that I offer custom invitations and do all the watercolor paintings for their suites. I also create custom monograms and crests. I offer more art elements than
some and I am a full-service agency – from concept to creation, I handle it all.

Was the journey easy? No, I am always learning new things and having to make decisions about my business and the direction to steer it. I am trying to implement a new CRM system this year and do some major renovations and updates to my website. Both things that don’t come easy to me.

I have learned to trust the process. That learning something new takes time and competence doesn’t happen overnight. I have learned not to compare my work to others. There is a saying, “comparison is the thief of joy” and
I have found that to be true at times! I have learned there are so many kind and encouraging artists out there who are willing to share their knowledge. That’s one of the most surprising and wonderful things about starting my business – all the wonderful people I have met through Crescent Moon Calligraphy.

I’d like the world to know that I am an artist who loves my craft and I am constantly striving to improve at it. I love creating custom pieces for people – whether it be a full invitation suite or a house portrait, a custom engraved wine bottle or a hand painted perfume bottle. I truly enjoy a creative collaboration with my clients. I am humbled and honored to be able to do what I love every day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting, we would first check out things near where I live in McKinney. I am close to the downtown square so we would do some shopping on the square and dine at some of my favorite restaurants like The Yard, Harvest, Spoons, Rick’s and Fontina. In Dallas, I would make plans to visit the George W. Bush library and depending on weather, the Dallas Arboretum. We would probably go shopping at NorthPark and dine at Al Biernat’s Oak Lawn location. If the visit was during the Texas State Fair, then we would of course go to that. A Dallas Stars Hockey game would be a great treat too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Lots of people have helped and encouraged me. As I said earlier, my two daughters-in-law were early influences. My husband, sons and my family were always supportive of me and my desire to learn calligraphy and then later to launch my business. Dionne Christensen of Nib & Pixel in Houston taught the first calligraphy class I ever attended, and I took several more of her classes after that. She also taught me how to use Adobe Photoshop and illustrator and was always patient and kind with me as I struggled through those first several months and asked her questions constantly. The Dallas area has a wonderful group of artists and calligraphers called The Texas Luxury Calligraphy Group. It was formed by Jill Chapman of Chapman Calligraphy and has numerous talented calligraphers and artists who I have had the pleasure of getting to know and to work alongside this past year. It’s a lovely group of women who encourage and support each other.

Website: www.crescentmooncalligraphy.com

Instagram: @Crescentmooncalligraphy

Facebook: Crescent Moon Calligraphy

Image Credits
Coryn Kiefer, photographer for invitation photo with the pink and peach florals