Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Landy-Modesitt
Andy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household with parents who loved art in many forms. My dad was a tinkerer and historian, and especially enjoyed the work of artists like MC Escher and shows like How It’s Made. My mom was once a costumer and milliner on Broadway, and decided to launch her own small business as a professional knitter a few years after I was born. I’d often come home to one of them working on a project, bits and pieces spread out across the dining room table. Both of my parents passed away far too young, but I feel their love always, especially when I’m working on a project that reminds me of them. My moms nimble fingers help me twist and loop my way through fiber arts. My dads sense of balance guides my precise details in each piece.
In the Spring of 2023, I began selling my handmade goods at popup and craft markets across Minnesota, and named my small business LeafyAndy. I specialized in hand poured candles and hand painted pins, particularly pronoun pins. By the winter of that year, I knew that I wanted to start organizing markets. I had grown frustrated by the lack of transparency and communication behind so many events. I also wanted to specifically seek out the artists and makers who are more often overlooked. Yes, scrappy small makers and lower income artists. But more specific than that. I wanted LGBT, BIPOC, Fat, and Disabled folks, in safe spaces. People whose needs have been ignored, or who’ve been judged for their size or for the space they take. When I make a market, I value transparency, accessibility, and communication. I promise to always have sliding scale fees, and to put the amount of dedication towards your $20 that a $200 table elsewhere would. I believe that we can have fabulous markets whose positive intentions expand beyond booths.
In 2024, I held four incredibly successful markets and began growing my organizer platform. I am constantly learning more, and am so thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given. As I write this in February of 2025, I am looking at a year with almost a dozen ModesittMarkets already confirmed, with the first one happening in just a few days. I am thrilled by the idea that people want to vend at and attend the events I’m creating. Every day another artist or two join the ModesittMarkets Makers Signup, and my determination to host every marginalized maker I can grows. When a future event is planned, folks on the signup get first access to applications. If you’re interested in joining the list, just check out the link in my Instagram bio @ModesittMarkets!
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?
Trauma is both a molding factor in one’s life, and a catalyzing force. It turns you into someone else, again and again. My main struggles have come from my self doubt– ironically, undoubtedly. There are so many things I beat myself up over not having already completed or somehow become an expert in overnight. It can be difficult to work on growing in multiple facets of my life without letting something fall to the side. We are guided by social media and glamorization to percieve our own success as inferior to what we see other people accomplishing. The added pressure of capitalism telling us that if we’re not commodifying our art just right, then we’re living our lives wrong, is also an ever-present shadow in any artist’s mind. But every new skill, be it painting a Picasso or building a website, has a steep learning curve. We don’t see all the mistakes others made along the way, or the help they had. Even more, it can be hard to see that we, too, are deserving of the same grace when we make mistakes. Every step, though it may feel massive or tiny in that moment, is another that someday we can turn around and trace back to see how far we’ve come.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I briefly mentioned before, I specialize in hand poured candles and hand painted watercolor pins, with an emphasis on pronoun pins. I do my best to use materials that would have otherwise likely gone to landfills. I collect old pins, glassware, beads, magazines, and more. My friends often bring me odds and ends when they stop by. This also helps me cut down on the cost of materials, as it’s much more cost-effective to reuse old pins, magnets, or jars than spend money on new ones.
My candles are hand poured into upcycled glass, and each layer is a different color and scent. While the process of allowing each layer to adequately cool before adding another can be time consuming, the end result is always worth it. Each candle is guaranteed to be paraffin-fee, and is made of a blend of 70-80% soy wax and 20-30% beeswax. I always use beeswax because there is nothing that can extend the burn time and stability of a candle quite like it can. I tend towards fruity scents, but I am always open to suggestions! For example, on the recommendation of a friend I released a batch of amber, lily, and bergamot scented Halloween candle that quickly sold out. I’m excited to continue experimenting with new scents as I move into my fifth year of candle making.
My pins and magnets are similarly upcycled, whenever possible. I am able to paint on old pins and magnets by covering them in a new base coat to essentially create a tiny canvas. I paint them with watercolors, acrylics, or a mix of both. They all have waterproof topcoats, and more often than not, a sparkly acrylic layer as well.
Depending on what I’ve been working on lately, my products have also included knitwear, hand-dyed bandanas, keychains, clips, and envelopes. A number of my pins have been specially commissioned by queer folk in the Twin Cities who are looking for exciting, eye-catching pronoun or Pride merch. I am continually grateful to my community for making me feel that my work is worthwhile. Every single time someone has bought something for a loved one and told me all about how excited they are to give it to them, I feel like I’m getting a gift, too!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think that self-care is a quality that I am both an expert and student in, simultaneously. It is one of the most important factors in my own success: my ability to take care of myself as a person. If I want to be able to make art and organize events for a long time, I need to do it at a rate that’s sustainable. Realizing that I want to be a full time organizer someday meant accepting that I need to treat myself as I’d want a good employer to. I need to pay, give time off, and constantly work to be accountable to myself and the arts community. I can’t take too much onto my plate at one time, even if every dish looks delightful or if I feel that I need to take it all at once. In the same vein, a kitchen that isn’t maintained will eventually create spoiled dishes. The solutions are moderation, affirmations, and above all, self care. There was a fair amount of guilt, and still is, behind the understanding that I need to prioritize myself. But that is just one more challenge I am working to overcome, even now. Because at the end of the day, you need to be there for yourself before you’re able to be there for anyone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/modesittmarkets
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leafyandy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeafyAndy/
Image Credits
Image Credits: Andy Landy-Modesitt and Trist Mark
