Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica and Nick Speros.
Hi Angelica and Nick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi! My name is Angelica, an Atlanta-based Artist. My story begins in Bogota, Colombia – South America. I came to the U.S when I was 15 years old, I became a citizen the following year, I have always been an artist, paint brushes and sketchbooks filled my home’s kitchen table, I remember sitting at around age six and just staring into nature, studding the colors and appreciating every bit of its form, I was intrigued with architectural details and wanted to paint and draw everything, it was a great way for me to express myself and feel more connected but also a way to escape the violence my home country was experiencing at the time. We left everything and everyone behind for a better future. I have always strived to be as my mother, she really gave it all to make sure her children would not have to be exposed to violence, I would not be who I am without her fighting for us the way she did, so bravely, all alone with her three children. Being creative was intensified in my early years as a newly U.S citizen, everything was different, the culture, food, language so math, science and the arts were my main focus during this time as it helped me cope with so many changes.
One Creative Factory is a Design and Letterpress Studio based in Atlanta, Georgia. Designing with a clean sophisticated aesthetic for the forever in love, it was born three years after I had my first son, I felt the need to create with my hand and paint or be in the creative flow once more. Our work is a collection of Artisan Designs for Wedding Stationery and Day of Details that speak to the modern nostalgic couple. Our studio focuses on creating artisan bespoke wedding stationery by implementing modern design and printing on our vintage letterpress machine circa 1904, we call her Olive and she is delicate and mighty.
Every piece is crafted by hand, designed with your unique style in mind, hand drawn illustrations, custom calligraphy and curated elements such as vintage postage are some of the staples in our design process. We design and create for the romantic, sophisticated, modern couple.
I am an Atlanta-based Artist with a Fine Art and Graphic Design Degree background. Our home studio is located south of Atlanta providing beautiful paper goods and signage for couples all over the world for over four years, my fondness for the handmade and nature inspires my everyday life, I appreciate the art of healthy home cooking, gardening, woodworking with my better half, best friend, husband and Head of Production and Fabrication Nick, our small creative business is full of heart and is a big part of their life as a family of four.
My love for the handmade and constant curiosity to explore new techniques allows me to have full creative freedom, designing and illustrating has been a driving force in life, a self-taught calligrapher I recently implemented the learned artisan craft of letterpress and foil printing into the design process allowing me to have an intimate relationship with every piece that is created; Every step of the design process is handmade, skilled and personalized, from paper design sketches, selecting the best paper choices, envelope calligraphy, hand-lettered signage to ink mixing, press set up, printing and assembly.
Artists and Designers are creators and storytellers. I truly love and enjoy getting to know our clients in a deeper level, their unique style and characteristics is what inspire the design as a whole, our designs are a reflection of their personality and we strive to capture as much of this magic which in turn is felt, through color and texture, our designs are meant to wake the senses of those friends and family who receive these art pieces, setting the mood for their big day celebration. I believe every design needs to be unique and characteristic of your aesthetic as a couple, I do not have a particular style and that is what fuels my creative process by nurturing originality in every project which is inspired by each and every one of our clients. I firmly believe the essence of life is to communicate love and we do it artfully with intention, skill, passion and purpose, no project is ever the same, we collaborate with our planners and clients to create something as unique as they are and we feel incredibly lucky to come across such kind souls who love what we create together.
I am now an artist/designer/business owner and mother of two who is doing what she loves for a living with the people she loves most, looking back I am glad and thankful for the obstacles and challenges I faced as a child, as an immigrant and as a young woman because now I am living life with purpose, I am incredibly grateful to my mother, brother, sister, husband and children who are so supportive of me.
One Creative Factory not only represents me as the “one” individual creative but all of us as a whole, as one team working to find the beauty in all things, in all people and share their love story through intentional curated bespoke design and stationery.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like many parents who are small business owners, our biggest struggle is balancing home life and our business. We have two amazing small boys who we absolutely love and take with us everywhere, they are the sun and moon for us and we love sharing with them, they spend time with us in the shop and in my studio watching us and helping us bring a concept to life. We want them to be involved in what we do as much as possible in order to fuel that fire in their hearts and find joy in whatever it is they would want to do in life.
We are proud to accomplish so much as business owners, we both run our own businesses, so working from home is very fulfilling but it can also be frustrating since there is never a time when task can be started and fully finished at once, there is always that interrupted time but I have learn there is grace during those times and have learned to stop and appreciate all that comes with parenting and being a business owner, part of finding balance is being able to step back to recharge, finding new ways to get chores and homework done, finding time for activities, keeping the house tidy and making sure we cook healthy meals is hard but possible when we are conscious of the bigger picture.
We are still working on this balance but I am happy we finally have had a taste for it so I am excited and grateful for the redirection and new ways to go with the flow while setting a good example for our sons.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for pushing the envelope, I started as an illustrator and graphic designer I have always been curious about techniques and I love learning and working with my hands and unique elements like velvet, handmade paper, wood and acrylic are few of the materials I am known for and enjoy working with.
I am a self-taught calligrapher, screen printer, foil and letterpress printer, I did woodworking, welding and ceramics in college, I really think this was the best time I had! college is where I got to play around with different elements and really started to enjoy processes and embracing who I am and what I am able to offer, I am confident in my skill set and I am always looking for a new challenge as it fuels my creative passion and my clients really are just amazing, they allow me to be creative, they let me in and that to me is so precious.
My graphic design background really allows me enjoy the digital aspects but my favorite part is to actually bringing these digital designs to life through letterpress and foil-printed stationery, I am obsessed with details, my love for digital word and analog has been a passion for many years, I still can not believe I own a vintage press I operate myself!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
They are surprised when I tell them it’s just me and my husband building, designing, illustrating, emailing, printing and creating, most people think we have a team of people behind us but it’s just us and that changes their perspective and realize how much heart is behind what we do.
Pricing:
- Custom Invitations investments start at 5k
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onecreativefactory.com/
- Instagram: @onecreative_factory
Image Credits
Lindsey LaRue Photography Sarah Lawless Photography Masson Liang Photography Alea Moore Photography
