Today we’d like to introduce you to Christiana Unaeze.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My intense love for all things colorful and vibrant is inspired by my late mom who was a seamstress and small business owner. Some of my early memories of her were watching her create exquisite pieces out of vibrantly colored and patterned fabrics. I am aware that she is the reason I have always loved crafting. I experience a great amount of joy from crafting and creating things with my hands.
I have a design and IT background that spans several years. I started out with a double undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University and a graduate degree from New York University. As the daughter of an immigrant, my father initially wanted me to become a lawyer. However, my deep-rooted desire for a more creative career led me down a different path.
Over the years, I have designed a wide array of products, both digital and physical. Some of which include an African language children’s book series, an animated children’s planetarium show, corporate branding materials, and a 3D version of an exhibit for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC – to name a few. I have always wanted to channel my talents into a line of products celebrating color and sparking positivity – and OhSoColorful Co. is helping me make that vision a reality. Now I get to blend my artistic spirit with my mother’s colorful legacy through uplifting stationery and gifts.
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?
Although rewarding, building a handmade product-based business has come with expected growing pains. As with starting any business, financing has posed quite a few challenges. Sourcing affordable manufacturers and materials has also been challenging. Trying to grow a brand in today’s social media-centric landscape also means continually stepping outside my comfort zone as the face of the brand, even during imposter syndrome episodes. Talk about nerve-wracking for this behind-the-scenes crafter!
However, through each stressor, I try to recall my origin story’s north star – uplifting others as my mother’s works once uplifted me. Her legacy grounds me as I navigate unfamiliar terrain, and each obstacle clears a little easier. I try to never lose sight of my mission to spread joy and positivity with my creative skills. While hardly smooth, this entrepreneurial ride has reinforced for me that infusing creativity into even small everyday items can make a meaningful difference.
We’ve been impressed with OhSoColorful Co., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At OhSoColorful Co, everything we create is centered around spreading extra joy through practical and motivational products designed to brighten your day. As a boutique stationery and gift brand, my mission with OhSoColorful Co. is simple: to add a splash of color and joy to your everyday things and to make gifting an art form. I design and create an array of stationery and gift items with vivid colors and uplifting messages. The current product line includes journals, notepads, tumblers, ornaments, corporate gift boxes, and more.
My hope is that an OhSoColorful Co. purchase adds a little motivation and positivity for the recipient every time they use it in their daily life – whether it’s sipping from a vibrant tumbler, writing in a journal, or unboxing a gift box with a variety of OhSoColorful favorites. My goal is to bring vibrant designs and creative personalization together to create memorable motivational gifts perfect for brightening someone’s day, recognizing employees or simply saying thank you.
I think what makes OhSoColorful Co. so special is I design straight from my heart. My aim is to continue a legacy of creating uplifting works. So, I build messages of empowerment, binding friendships, courage, and self-love into everyday items to brighten your day. My wish is for you to feel that personalized, soulful spirit whenever using an OhSoColorful Co. product.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
No one emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic unchanged. On a personal level, being separated from loved ones spotlighted just how precious time with family truly is. I will never again take family meals and gatherings or even casual trips to the grocery store for granted. My health and the well-being of others feel more valuable than ever before.
Running a small business intensified pandemic hardships, too. There were supply chain disruptions, rising material costs, labor shortages, and distribution delays tested all companies both big and small. Add the constant pivoting to new platforms like TikTok for visibility, adding new challenges as well.
However, we all saw resilience and care within local communities blossom – people consciously supporting each other. And consumers worldwide rediscovered small pleasures that brighten everyday life amid turmoil. I believe attention will continue shifting towards purposeful living. So while Covid-19 was devastating in so many ways, I’m choosing to move forward with greater wisdom thanks to this crisis. I feel strengthened, having weathered the storm. And I hope to pay all those lessons forward in uplifting products for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.OhSoColorfulCo.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/OhSoColorfulCo
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OhSoColorfulCo
- Linkedin: www.Linkedin.com/in/ohsocolorfulco
- Youtube: www.Youtube.com/@ohsocolorfulco
