Moonlit's In Bed With... Series is a collection of intimate interviews with tastemakers, core-shakers, and the people we love. We explore what keeps them up at night, in addition to their sleep secrets.
Location: Seattle, WA
Current gig: Owner + designer of Euni + Co.
Sum up the mission of Euni & Co: To spread good news through simple yet meaningful paper goods + creative design
One word that best describes how you work: Solitude
What apps/software/tools can't you live without?
Instagram, Vsco, UNUM, Photoshop -- I use these daily!
Favorite podcast right now?
Coffee + Honeycomb. My insta-friend (that’s now a thing, right?) Jenny started her own podcast last year, and through it, she introduces different women + their life stories/journey.
What's your best time-saving hack?
Make a to-do list either at night or early morning for everything you need to get done + for things you’d like to get done if you have time.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
Trust in the process.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on this journey?
How complicated finances would become!
Everything happened so quickly, so the past year, there was no separation of personal/business finances. This year, we’ve put a little bit of framework in so that we can separate the two and find better ways to keep track of our business expenses/income without dipping into our personal funds.
How did you decide on the name of Euni + Co?
Originally, when I started calligraphy and needed to set up a business for doing weddings and workshops, we worked under the name “Eunligraphy” (a play on my Korean name “Eun Hee” and “calligraphy”).
When I decided that I wanted to do more than just calligraphy, I knew I needed a name change. I wanted to incorporate my Korean name still since I love the meaning behind it, which is to “shine with grace”. While I was in college, my best friend always called me “Euni” instead of “Eun Hee”, so I just went with that.
Do you have a favorite product of yours?
My favorite product is probably our weekly agenda pad. One of our long-term goals is to make a weekly planner but for now, our weekly agenda pad does the job -- I love how simple + practical it is.
What’s a big misconception about the creative industry?
That it’s all pretty, instagrammable, and involves only fun things.
Most days, I’m either glued to my laptop until 10pm or I’m surrounded by boxes, packing and unpacking inventory.
Social media makes our lives look a lot more interesting than they really are -- yes, we do get to do fun things like photoshoots, collaborations with our friends, and events, but to do those things, there were countless hours/days/months of a lot of hard work.
What does your support system look like?
If I didn’t have my husband, I 100% wouldn’t have been able to start our business. I get really anxious often, and he’s the person to calm me down and get me back on track.
Since starting Euni + Co., I’ve gained a lot of friends in the creative industry -- these relationships have been so valuable because we have a common vision/goal.
We don’t have to explain ourselves, we don’t have to talk about how much work we have to put into our jobs, and there is no room for comparison -- we get each other.
Everyone does something different but there is a mutual respect + understanding, and that makes for a great foundation for friendship.
Can you take us through a typical day?
I wake up around 8, stretch, grab a cup of water and check my emails. If I have pending orders to send out, I’ll always send orders out first. I work on a variety of different projects throughout the day -- right now, I’m preparing for the stationery show, so half the day is spent on preparing different elements for the booth.
We’re also working on a couple weddings and a couple branding projects. I’ll eat lunch somewhere between 12-3, and will keep working until about 5, so that I can make dinner for my husband. He gets home around 6, so we’ll eat dinner, and then we’ll turn on the TV and he’ll exercise while I work a little more.
On good days, I try not to work while we’re together, but when it’s busier, I try and get the “simpler” work in (things that require less brain energy). We usually head to bed around 11pm.
What's your sleep routine like?
We get in bed around 11pm and watch cooking videos (I don’t know how this started). We watch a couple videos and chat a bit about anything on our minds, and then fall asleep.
What was your upbringing like and how did it affect your point of view, career path, etc?
My family and I moved from Korea to the US when I was four. I grew up always wanting to make my parents proud and we weren’t very well off, so I knew I wanted to have a career that could support my entire family. I was always interested in music and art but never in my mind thought to make a career out of it -- I studied biology at first wanting to be a doctor, then studied psychology, wanting to become a clinical psychologist, but eventually ended up getting a master’s in higher education and became a college counselor.
I was doing calligraphy as a hobby since I graduated from grad school -- I started posting on Instagram, and I was given small but meaningful opportunities that eventually led me to where I am now.
It’s cliche, but once I laid down the burden of finances and thought more about my future, my happiness, and my sanity, I knew that I needed to shift to take on my creative journey full time.
What surprised you about this journey?
I’ve always been independent and thought I had a pretty solid head on my shoulders, but being a full-time creative has broken me down (in a good way). I’ve learned so much about myself the past couple years, and I never thought that a career could show me so much about myself.
I wasn’t prepared to face all the weaknesses, fears, and pride all at once, but it has been a great opportunity to find out more about myself so far.
Where can we purchase some Euni+Co goodies?
On our website at www.euniandco.com or in about 40 stores around the US!
🔥 QUICKFIRE 🔥
My ideal # of hours of sleep is: 8
Sleep season for me is: Winter ❄️
How many pillows: 1 for my head 1 for my legs
AM or PM?: AM
Nightcap?: Spindrift sparkling water -- lemon
Bad sleep habit: Making work lists while trying to fall asleep
Good sleep habit: Praying + reflecting before sleeping
Can't sleep with: Absolute silence
Side/back/stomach sleeper: Right side
Mantra: Walk in humility