Meet Laice O’Malley | Greeting Card Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laice O’Malley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laice, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting Notes2Pass was something that just kind of happened. In 2014, I lost my mom to cancer and moved from Wyoming to California. I was lost and lonely, searching for anything to hold onto. Growing up, my mom used to write me a lot of notes, hiding them in my lunches, on the stairs, my bathroom mirror, and other places. After she passed, I desperately needed her little cheerleader love notes, so I started writing and hiding them for myself—in my car visor, phone case, wallet, etc. They were reminders like, “You are not alone,” and “You are in the right place for the present moment.”

One day, while having coffee at a shop, I saw a woman crying. When she left her table to go to the bathroom, I put a note from my phone case on her computer that read, “You are not alone—this is temporary.” When she returned and saw the note, she held it to her heart. In that moment, I finally felt what the words on that paper said: I was not alone. Neither was she. From then on, I started writing and hiding notes everywhere I went. It became a hobby of mine.

In 2020, when I could no longer hide notes in public places, I felt stuck and unable to share my messages with strangers. I started doodling on my iPad and created greeting cards to send to people I was missing. This led to my first collection—the “hug” card—a way to send a “hug” without physical contact. I created these cards for myself because I couldn’t find ones that conveyed what I wanted to say in the way I wanted to say it. The response was incredible.

During this time, there was so much loss and grief all around. I remembered how frustrating the messages and cards surrounding my mom’s death had been. I wanted to offer comfort to those dealing with loss in a way I wished I had experienced. So I began creating grief cards, aiming for a homemade, creative, and minimal feel that hit straight to the heart.

People began asking how they could buy these cards. I printed a small batch, created a website, and launched Notes2Pass. Since then, I’ve released many more cards and have additional products on the way. The best things come authentically, and that’s true for my company. I have so much love for Notes2Pass because it came from my desperate need to connect with others feeling the same way and to connect with myself. This company saved my mental health through connection and creativity. For that reason, we donate 10% to mental health organizations.

At this point my “reason” has evolved to find gaps within the traditional greeting card industry and to encourage people to write more hand-written cards. Nothing feels better than opening a card written from the heart. To receive a card is to be truly seen, loved, and acknowledged.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What is so special about the artwork on my cards is that it genuinely all comes from the heart. Each design is unique, with colors inspired by those I find out in the world. I am always taking pictures of colors that move me, finding the HEX codes, and creating palettes. Whenever I or someone I know experiences something—painful or beautiful—I feel inspired to make a card for it. Whenever I am processing something, I take to my iPad and just doodle. I never really know what is going to come of it. I don’t plan the designs beforehand; I just be. The final products are imperfect, feeling homemade, and that’s how I love them.

I have struggled with my own mental and physical health as I live with a connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Writing and drawing are quite painful for me, but I can’t live without them. I am currently being fitted for finger and hand splints and re-learning how to draw and write. The art of creating cards and the connection it has brought me has been extremely healing. Art is extremely healing. By creating the cards, I am fostering connections between others when they write in them and share them. It is such a magical thing. I try to remind myself and others that none of us are ever truly alone. Making cards, having others write in them, and sending them to loved ones who then display them in their homes creates a network of people(often strangers) connected through art and words. That is magical.

Living with an invisible disability has many challenges, one of which is feeling extremely misunderstood and unseen. I know the value of receiving a card that feels like it goes straight to the heart, making you feel seen and heard. There is nothing like that feeling. A congratulations card acknowledging your accomplishments, a grief card acknowledging your pain, and so on.

I want people to know that cards shouldn’t just be for birthdays and holidays. They should be for “just because.” You never know when your words could save someone. When you see someone struggling and want to acknowledge them, when someone goes through a breakup, on Mother’s Day when you know they have lost a child or a parent, and when someone is crushing it—these are all moments that deserve a card. I want to encourage people to look between the lines and get off their phones. Instead of a text letting someone know you are thinking of them, can you write it? Send it in the mail. When they look through the stack of bills and political postage and see your handwriting, they will rip open that envelope and be filled with love. They may even hold onto it for years to come.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Los Angeles- A few things I would take them to do would be-
I would take them to the beach for a sunset swim. We would watch the sky change colors and listen to the waves crash.
We would visit the Hollywood Bowl for a concert and pack all of my favorite Trader Joes snacks. Preferably they would visit for the Sound of Music Sing-Along showing at the Hollywood Bowl and we ould sing into the the night with hundred of other strangers.
We would go to the Melrose Trading Post Flea Market (where I sell my greeting cards), and we would walk around to all the booths admiring the local artists.
And of course we would go on some epic hikes!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My late mom, Sharon, deserves so much of the credit. Losing her and feeling lost in my grief inspired me to seek connection and meaning. My mom was wonderful at making people feel seen and loved. She was also adamant about us writing our thank you cards.

Website: https://notes2pass.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/notes2pass

Image Credits
Brian Powers www.bpowphoto.com