TMJ4
"This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful." —Maggie Smith
My story has been shared recently by TMJ4. See it here >> How neat is that?! People see my in a commercial now for “Positively Milwaukee” and I am honored to be making my mark letter by letter.
It was a wonderful opportunity to share my hobby and hopes. James Groh, the journalist, set up cameras and microphones in my home. You can tell how I didn’t know it was quite this big of a story by the fact that I was sitting with socks showing. It’s the real me.
A co-worker posted on the intranet. And then a story was written highlighting me at work. Blush. I decided to share it here too:
Katrina Lord, a marketing operations program manager, has written more than 900 inspirational notes and hid them throughout Milwaukee for strangers to find.
Katrina penned the notes as part of her project called “Milwaukee Love Letter,” which she started in 2016.
“I saw a similar account on Instagram, and I decided to adopt the concept in Milwaukee with my own spin on it,” Katrina said. “The idea was to weave more creativity into my life. The letters are the perfect way to incorporate things I enjoy into a hobby: dog walks, coffee shops, quotes, and collages.”
Katrina has continued the hobby since she met a wonderful community of people through it.
“When you share your passions with the world, amazing things can happen. It can be intimidating, like this article,” she said, “but I share my hobby since maybe it will inspire someone to try something new, discover a passion, or find a connection.”
The responses from people who find her notes have been uplifting.
“It’s really special and a reminder that this does have impact,” said Katrina. “People say they’ve had a bad day and then they find the letter and it just changes their day around. I think it goes back to that you never know how you’re affecting someone’s day.”
She posts photos of her notes to her Instagram channel, MKELoveLetter.
For Katrina, this project is a simple way to spread positivity throughout her community.
“Unexpected delights were the goal,” she said. “Life can be hard. If I can inspire a smile or a spark of hope, then why wouldn’t I?”
If someone is interested in doing this in their community, Katrina invites them to reach out to her.
“If you live in the Milwaukee area, I’d happily meet you at a coffee shop and we can craft the day away together,” offered Katrina. “And if stationery crafting is not your jam, there are so many ways to join in the effort—drawing chalk art, writing simple Post-It notes, knitting heart ornaments, making buttons, writing letters to strangers through programs like More Love Letters and Dear Jack Foundation... you can be creatively, remarkably you in the style you choose!”
If you are not located in Milwaukee, Katrina is happy to chat with you virtually to share her experience and hopefully inspire your own.