Life and Work with Hillery Kemp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillery Kemp.

Hillery, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
FROM me to you.

I’ve always had a knack for making creative and thoughtful gifts, often out of recycled or soon-to-be trashed materials I find around. This knack turned into a blog I had a few years back and was a recreational way to catalogue many of the gifts I had made for loved ones, but I did not take it much further than that.

Fast forward several years and I found myself making postcards out of recycled beer boxes or anything else I could put postage on to keep up with lovers, friends, and family. Sitting in University Heights’ Meraki Cafe one day, I wondered why everyone around me was on a computer or phone, including myself. Obviously it was a rhetorical question, knowing it’s the world we live in today, but I also wondered if, given the opportunity, would these same tech-toting cafe-goers take the time to make and/or write a card to someone special if a small station was set up with supplies and postage right there in the cafe? What about journals or other goods that encouraged patrons to slow down and reflect? That’s when FROM was born.

FROM here to there.
I sat on this thought for many many months, doing a few tests run with close friends and acquaintances, using cardboard from the countless Amazon boxes floating around and my collection of rubber stamps, but the thought of committing to one location and truly putting my creative idea out in the world terrified me. Something didn’t click until I was driving down El Cajon one day and spotted an old postal Jeep… Light Bulb! Make this thing mobile. Go to many locations, not just cafes, and have people make the cards right out of the back of the Jeep. Convenient. Novel. FUN.

After hunting high and low on Craigslist, I found Al Green, the 1971 retired postal Jeep I now drive around San Diego, posting up at coffee shops and events. Already painted in the screaming green color, I knew he would stand out on the streets.

FROM this to that.
I soon began designing and making the rubber stamps used for the cards, collecting scrap wood from construction projects and partnering with a local non-profit to help in the process. I also collect and hand cut all of the cardboard available for customers to use when crafting their greeting cards. Since day one, I wanted to ensure I was staying true to my vision of reusing as many materials as possible, so I aim to use at least 95% recycled or upcycled material in every aspect of the business.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road is never smooth when you commit to driving a45+-year-oldd vehicle as part of your business. The amount of money I’ve put into the Jeep for maintenance is more than I can bare thinking about and this takes its toll on more than my bank account. Yet this is just one of the many struggles I face introducing a new business concept to the world.

Educating the public, even my loved ones about FROM and what I’m trying to achieve with this concept has been a struggle. Many don’t think it’s a viable business and aren’t afraid to say so, but I’m here to say my success metrics aren’t about making a billion dollars. So many of us struggle to make our dreams a reality because of fear and judgment. Although I know I’m still very early on in my journey, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m often riddled with fear and bouts of setbacks, I’ve already achieved so much by bringing this thing to life. Not everyone can say that.

My advice to young women craving to embark on the journey of living their dreams in real life would be; “Do it despite everything else.” Do the thing that lights you up, despite whether it will make you rich or not. Do the thing that will make a difference, despite whether people understand or not. Finally, do the thing that scares the shit out of you, despite whether the outcome is known or not.

Please tell us about FROM.
The first on-the-go, do-it-yourself greeting card concept of its kind, FROM inspires the masses to be more thoughtful and creative through the use of recycled materials; cardboard, scrapwood, and a 40 year young revamped postal Jeep named Al Green.

FROM stations curbside at local businesses and events, offering recycled, premade and blank greeting cards for customers to design themselves out of the Jeep, using custom-designed rubber stamps for standard and special occasions. Postage is included with the purchase of each card and can be sent right from the Jeep’s mailbox, making the experience convenient and creative. We also take on custom orders to design rubber stamps and cards for weddings, birthdays, and other special events.

We are proud to stay true to our name, FROM, which signifies a starting point or the source of something: From here to there (we are a mobile concept), From me to you (encouraging people to take the time to be more thoughtful), From this to that (committed to using mostly recycled or reused materials).

Rooted in brand building and marketing, we also moonlight to help businesses get from point A to point B when it comes to defining themselves, their purpose, and their brand.

Our motto “never stationery,” encourages us to steer clear of being dubbed just another greeting card company because we’re anything but the static, overly-designed and underly-thoughtful greeting cards of today.

Who have you been inspired by?
The women who have blazed their own trails in life while maintaining a heart of gold have been the most inspiring to me along my journey. They’ve ranged from grandmothers and aunts to college pals and lovers, and each has uniquely taught me the importance of staying true to who I am, moving forward despite my fears, and ultimately allowing me to love and to be loved.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sendfrom.co
• Email: hillery@sendfrom.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sendfrom.co/

Image Credit:
Leah Lipson

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