Lunch Note Sketch

Giving Back

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This holiday season Lunch Note Sketch is giving back. For every dollar spent in our shop we are going to donate 35 cents to a great cause: the Robin and Mani All Buddy Camp. From now until Christmas day 2015 we will be donating to this camp that encourages creativity.

Robin and Mani’s All Buddy Camp helps 4-5 year old students with disabilities build self-esteem, develop better social skills and self-expression, and improve fine and gross motor skills by partnering with local high school students as “buddies.” The program is centered on the creative arts, fun, and field trips.

Robin Aldridge was a long time special education teacher and advocate. She was my daughter’s first school teacher and really encouraged her creativity. She is one of the reasons my daughter loves to draw and paint, and I can’t think of a better cause to support this holiday season. I am thankful for her role in my daughter’s education.

Please support this wonderful cause by either purchasing something from our shop or by visiting their page and donating directly to the camp.

Students Make Their Own Lunch Note Sketches

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Lunch Note Sketch was recently approached by a local elementary school teacher, Mrs. Pie, to help with an art lesson she was giving. Her role as instructor for the after school program was to help about a dozen students ranging in age from 4 to 10 spend their afternoon working on something creative. Some of the students were already aware of Lunch Note Sketch, or at least the illustrations, so coming up with a lesson would be focused on getting the children to make their own inspirational sticky note art.

In addition to the sticky note lesson, Lunch Note Sketch was tasked with creating a coloring book in the LNS style as a memento for participating in the day's lesson. The hope is that the students will be reminded of the lesson in creativity they received that day.

The theme of the coloring book was "Let's Get Creative!" The bio inside the cover page read:

Presented by Lunch Note Sketch, "Let’s Get Creative" was created to combine fun and creativity through the art of coloring.  Our mission is to provide smile-inducing sketches in hopes of sparking a child’s interest in the arts and to encourage creative thinking. 

This special-edition coloring book was created for Mrs. Pie’s “Creation Station” HCE Club to encourage your child to keep imagining, creating, and exploring their world.

I'm happy and excited to report that the class was a huge success! Some students made a variety of inspirational and/or motivational notes that really captured the essence of Lunch Note Sketch. Some students utilized just pencil, while others colored elaborate works of art. There was even one student who created his own mouse character much like the characters seen in the daily LNS notes. Two students created enough notes to share with their classmates and teachers the following day at school.

I was so pleased to see the variety of thoughts these children put down on paper. The creativity was definitely flowing on this particular afternoon. All of the images you see in this blog post were made in that one art lesson. Thanks to Mrs. Pie for taking so many great photos so that I could share it with the community.

I hope you enjoy all these great works of art and appreciate the students' creativity and artistic abilities as much as I do. I am given hope as the next generation of students share and carry some creativity through their lives. Now, let's get creative!

Now Introducing the Lunch Note 10-Pack

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We did it! We finally launched our first Lunch Note Sketch product: the Lunch Note 10-Pack! We listened to all the people who have expressed interest in putting some of the sketches in their own child's lunches. So, if you are a parent who wants to add a special note to your child's lunch, or if you're short on time, this 10-pack of notes is perfect for adding a little fun and creativity to your loved one's day. 

The notes are about the size of a square business card and fit nicely in most lunch containers. With this lunch note pack you will enjoy 10 different smile-inducing illustrations that include the following:

There are 10 different smile-inducing notes in this little package.

There are 10 different smile-inducing notes in this little package.

  • Ask Thoughtful Questions
  • Be A Leader
  • Believe In Yourself
  • Enjoy The Adventure
  • Have A Super Day
  • Have Fun
  • Tell A Story
  • Today's The Day To Get Stuff Done
  • Work Hard
  • You Are Mighty

There are plenty of other uses besides putting them in a lunchbox. You could add these notes in holiday cards, hand out to deserving co-workers, or simply use them as little bits of art. Let us know how you're using them by sending us an email or posting on social media using the #LunchNoteSketch hashtag.

As we figure out the logistics behind packaging and shipping we are currently only selling our products to folks located in the United States. We will hopefully ship internationally in the near future.

Reaching A Milestone

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Today marks a special day for Lunch Note Sketch. It is the 183rd consecutive day of sketching and posting the sketches online. Why is that significant? Well, I started posting lunch note sketches back in May with the hopes of posting everyday for a year. And since 2016 is a leap year, that means day 183 marks the halfway point.

To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to tell you about the journey and give you some insight into where Lunch Note Sketch (LNS) stands. I also wanted to share some thoughts on this fun little side project that has blossomed into something more. I want to talk about the past 183 days, the current state of LNS, and where we’re headed. I want to share some details in hopes this information will help someone start a side project, build a business, or learn something new.

Before I get into the details, I want to take a minute to thank my wife who has provided tremendous support in this endeavor. Lunch Note Sketch is something I work on after our children go to bed every night and my wife is the person who suffers through it. Without her understanding and commitment LNS would not exist. I’d also like to thank my children who have shown such an interest in the arts. My oldest is really into drawing, painting, and building things. My middle child has shown interest in music, dance, and drama. And my youngest, well, he is only one. So he is into everything as he explores his world. Finally, I also want to thank everyone who has encouraged me, provided feedback, and engaged online throughout this journey.

 

The Past 183 Days

Lunch Note Sketch started online with the hopes of building a community where parents could share what they do for their children to showcase a little creativity and love. There have been some folks who shared examples of their work on Facebook and it has been fantastic. I hope to continue finding people who are willing to share, but it has definitely proven to be a difficult task thus far. It’s a lot to ask people to share when there is no immediate gratification or incentive. Instagram has seen some people use the #LunchNoteSketch hashtag, but like Facebook it has been inconsistent.

The good news is that the community has steadily grown over the past 183 days on the two social sites I engage the most: Facebook and Instagram. Our Facebook community is over 100 people strong and somewhat actively liking and commenting. Instagram is hovering around 150 followers and gets more engagement than Facebook. The Facebook community is mostly located in the US, while Instagram is much more global. So, thank you to everyone who is following, liking, commenting, and engaging on social media.

An important point to make is that, while the Twitter account is one that I post to, I have not made much of an effort to engage with that community yet. I do have plans to spend more time there, but it has not played a large role to this point and I understand it’s a missed opportunity.

This week's Facebook stats compared to last week's. For instance, this week LNS had 2 new page likes compared to 4 from last week.

This week's Facebook stats compared to last week's. For instance, this week LNS had 2 new page likes compared to 4 from last week.

To help grow the community I have utilized a few tactics. The first is paid advertising on Facebook. I have set up and tested 5 campaigns and spent a total of $16.92 (big spender, eh?). For that amount of money I was able to reach 2,877 people and get about 20 post engagements. These campaigns can certainly do better in the future, but they were really just a way to test Facebook advertising and to see if I could narrow LNS’s audience. I am happy with the results and what was ultimately achieved.

The second tactic for building the community is simply talking to people about it. I have talked to about 20 people (not including family) and gotten a lot of good feedback. Most of those people have liked or followed on social media and a few have really engaged. Another outcome is that I have realized I really enjoy talking about the history of LNS, where we hope to take it, and how creativity impacts children. I plan on continuing the conversations with folks in order to draw more interest and I really appreciate the power of face-to-face interactions more than I did in the past.

Finally, I have recently started sharing some sketches with other people. I had a number of sketches printed on square business cards in hopes of selling them as a product and using them as giveaways. These cards have been really well received. I am getting incredibly positive feedback and look forward to exploring the ecommerce angle and running contests.

 

Lunch Note Sketch Today

As I have already mentioned, our community sits at about 250 users on social media and a handful of people not on social media. I have invested about $1,000 on this side project to date. These costs include the website that is run through Squarespace, Facebook advertising, photoshoot equipment so the website has some photography, professional printing, and small business setup fees.

Two of the sketches that were professionally printed.

Two of the sketches that were professionally printed.

The professional printing was done so I could test the market. I have heard from folks that they would be interested in putting notes in their child's lunches, but feel they lack the time and/or skill to create something. If there is enough interest I have a lot of ideas on how to get these notes into the hands of people who would enjoy/use them. I was lucky enough to attend a one-day print conference where I had an opportunity to meet some great people who could help. I have already started discussions with different vendors to figure out logistics and costs for some future product ideas. I won’t divulge this information yet, but it is an exciting time for LNS. The idea of selling something online, though, is a little scary, so I also invested in making Lunch Note Sketch an official LLC.

I save a lot of money in the digital aspect of the business because I have many years of experience in web design and development, as well as other digital strategies relating to social media and marketing. I also have a background in photography which is proving helpful in the web and product photoshoots. I imagine my investment would need to grow considerably if I didn’t do a lot this work myself.

The other amazing news is that Lunch Note Sketch is starting to make a name for itself in the local community. I got a request to create a small coloring book for an after school art class at a local elementary school. I am currently in the process of creating it and hope to share more news when it is complete. This coloring book offers a great opportunity to spread the word amongst children AND adults.


The Road Ahead

Thinking about the future of Lunch Note Sketch is really exciting. A lot of work has gone into it to this point and there are so many opportunities to have an impact. Growing and engaging with the community sits at the top of the list. Creating and selling new products, as well as volunteering in the community are also important. I also want to be more active blogging and start email marketing. Beyond those items, though, I want to spend some time on two other things: finding advocates and speaking/presenting on creativity.

In order to grow the community it will be important to get help. My goal is to find advocates who will help by sharing their artwork or talk about LNS with their family, friends, teachers, etc. There are many challenges to overcome, but I think there is tremendous opportunity. I have already been approached by a friend of mine who offered assistance. We will be talking more in the near future and I hope to utilize his expertise and willingness to lend a hand. It will be very important to me to make sure he is engaged and is doing things that make HIM happy to be involved. Just like I started this side project in hopes of learning more about setting up a business, social media marketing, building a community, etc., I want him to learn and try new things that interest him.

I also mentioned that I enjoy talking about Lunch Note Sketch and its history. I hope to find ways to share the story and preach about the importance of creativity in kids’ lives. I will be working to figure out an approach or angle so that I can hopefully one day speak at an appropriate event. I also have ideas on hosting my own events locally to get experience and to spread the word about creativity.

Finally, the future will eventually bring us to day 366. My initial goal was to stop creating a sketch every day at that point, but I’m not sure if that will happen. I am not able to promise the sketch-a-day will continue, but I am certain this project—now business—will live on well beyond day 366. I am excited to see where LNS will be in another 183 days, though.


Final Thoughts

As Lunch Note Sketch continues to grow I want to keep the initial goal and my highest priority in mind. The list of things to do is getting longer and there are so many new ideas that come to mind, but LNS is about creating notes for my children. The most important aspect of all of this is to continue showing off a little creativity to them. I want to lead by example in hopes they never lose the ability to approach challenges with an open mind and to offer solutions that are extraordinary.

In conclusion, Lunch Note Sketch has been a success in my opinion. If nothing else, I have learned so much. The fact that I am interacting with people from all over the world still amazes me and is truly humbling. I am excited with the community that has formed and the opportunities that lie ahead. So, let’s get creative!

Enjoying The Views

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Mother and daughter look out over Shenandoah National Park.

Mother and daughter look out over Shenandoah National Park.

It's that time of year again. The Autumn hues--the golds, reds, oranges, and yellows--are starting to show all their splendor. It's still early in the season, but we didn't want to miss any of the changing colors. So we packed up the car with all three children and left at sunrise to see what we could find. We drove through Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, winding up and down the mountains, in search of beauty. While not all the colors have come to life just yet, there were plenty of picturesque moments to remember as we drove through tunnels of trees where the sunlight was hitting the leaves just right to make it appear as if the yellows and golds were coming to life.

Here I sit on my perch.

Here I sit on my perch.

After stopping at a number of overlooks, we found a nice place to have an unplanned brunch before continuing our tour of the park. Just a few miles from our exit we came to a stop that had a number of large boulders that we climbed to get a grand view of the valley below. The kids loved playing and I enjoyed the sight of the vista with the sun shining down and the smell of the crisp Autumn morning.

I'm really looking forward to going back through the park again in less than two weeks, taking the same path, to see what amazing new colors we'll be able to see. Autumn is my favorite time of year and to imagine the transformation in just a couple of weeks is quite suspenseful.

Reconnect With An Old Friend

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Over three decades ago I was given a blanket that I would always carry with me. This blue plaid blanket became the item I couldn’t sleep without for years. I loved that blanket. The years past and I eventually forgot about it—not knowing where it ended up. Well, when my first daughter was about 1 or so, my mother brought that blanket out of storage and gave it to her as a gift. After just a little bit of time with this 30-year old rag-of-a-blanket it came time to discard it. The edges were fraying, the dyes were faded, and the poor blanket looked like it was time to be recycled.

My daughter, on the other hand, had other plans. She was adamant about keeping it. So, after talking with some family who know a thing or two about sewing and fabrics, we decided to see if we could get it fixed. What that meant we didn’t know. Ultimately, my mother took it to someone she knew who had some experience giving new life to old blankets. After months of not having her blanket my mother told us that it was done and ready to come home. Before we made the trip to Grammy’s house I did a sketch to get my daughter excited about seeing her newly improved friend. She was so happy and excited to see her blanket that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Now she won't go to bed without it. :-)

It doesn’t matter if you reach out to an old college buddy or if you resurrect a favorite childhood toy, if you have the chance, try to reconnect with an old friend. The joy can be contagious.

Summer Break Comes To A Close

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Today officially marks the end of this year's summer break. Everyday for the past 65 days I have sketched something to do in an effort to get my kids thinking about how they could spend their time. Some ideas were pre-planned (like taking a trip or going to the zoo) and others sadly never happened (like learning magic or riding rollercoasters). But overall I thought the summer was a success.

65 sketches for the 65 days of summer.

Over the past 65 days while I focused on the Summer Break List Of Things To Do series, the Lunch Note Sketch community grew quite a bit on social media. Facebook saw an increase of 169% in page likes and Instagram followers almost tripled.

Best on Facebook
The highest performing sketch on Facebook was "Pray." It had a reach of 209, was clicked 32 times, and had 25 likes, comments, or shares. I created this sketch after learning of a family emergency and clearly it was probably one of the quickest sketches done all summer.

Best on Instagram
The top performing sketch on Instagram was "Ride A Rollercoaster." That sketch received 35 likes. Oddly enough, this is one of only a few sketches that we were not able to follow through on. The day we planned on going to the fair was a day filled with storms. There's always next summer, though. :-)

Personal Favorite
Of all 65 sketches that I had done, my favorite has to be the "Hug Your Dad" sketch. Obviously, I like the message given that I am a father myself, but I really liked the way the characters turned out in that drawing and the cleanliness of the text.

Quickest Sketch
There was a lot of time dedicated to these sketches. I'm not sure how many total hours it took, but the quickest sketch ("Relax") probably took only 5 minutes to come up with and post online. This particular drawing was done at the end of a wonderful beach vacation. It was my abstract ode to the ocean meeting the sky on the horizon.

Most Time-Consuming Sketch
The longest sketch, due to the fact it went beyond the typical sticky note (it was in fact 11 sticky notes connected together) was the "Build A Tower" conglomerate. The concept came fairly quickly, but the sketching and the logistics of posting it online took over 3 hours. You can read more about it and see the full piece in the blog post that was written.

I hope you enjoyed the Summer Break List Of Things To Do series of sketches. If you have a favorite sketch, please share it in the comments or on social media. Now, it's time to start sketching for school lunches. :-)

Wave

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My 4-year old daughter is two weeks away from a new school year. The other day she said she was really excited to get back. So, to continue the conversation we asked her what she was looking forward to the most. Her answer was "art." That's enough to make me proud, but she continued by saying that she wants to learn how to draw people. And more specifically, she said she really wants to learn how to draw hands. So, I created the "Wave" sketch to show her that hands can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, robot or cartoon, four fingers or five. I can't wait to see where her love of art takes her in life.

The Making of "Build A Tower"

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The other day we were enjoying some time at Bounce-n-Play. While I was stacking blocks with my son I thought "building a tower" would make for a great sketch. However, when I sat down to draw it out I realized the idea of stacking blocks correlated quite well with stacking sticky notes. So I did a few sketches to try and figure out how to go about creating something.

I still wanted to create a single note that could be shown off on social media like I always do, but I took it further by adding on to the tower. Eleven sticky notes later I had a sizable structure. The following images showcase the process from start to finish.