Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Younger.
Hi Sandy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a young child, I was mesmerized by decorating dollhouses. Finding fabrics and wallpaper to enhance the rooms was a favorite shopping trip with my mom. At age 10, I turned to building forts in my backyard. Using crates scavenged from the nearby construction sites and nails provided by my dad, my friends joined me in building a carpeted “two-story” fort. Yes…it leaked!
Fast forward into adulthood. I earned a BS from the Carlson School of Management and in my 30’s, pursued an interior design degree. After spending 25 years in corporate sales and marketing, I made a move to follow my dream of staging, flipping and selling homes.
As I staged homes I was disappointed in choices available in affordable art, so I started to create my own art with watercolors. From there I discovered acrylic, gel prints, collage and lino-cut art methods all-the-while developing my digital art skills. During my self-taught, on-line art studies, I developed a deep appreciation for surface pattern design, which has become a cornerstone of my artistic identity. My life-long love of interior design and “all-things-home” is the root of my artistic journey.
I describe my work as stylized, simple, playful, and contemporary. My artistic philosophy centers on the idea that your home and its furnishings should inspire a feeling of warmth and tranquility and showcase the personality of its owner.
Her designs are inspired by flowers, nature, and the charm of daily life.
Today you will find me utilizing my designs in homes that I stage and sell. Everyday I wake up thinking, “It’s a great day…what am I going to create today?” My next phase of life includes a goal of becoming a licensed surface pattern designer with a major retailer or wholesaler and to find my designs on fabrics, wallpaper, home products, wall art and more . My motto…”a girl’s gotta dream!” I ca not imagine my life now without a daily dose of creating art.
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?
Leaving a good, steady income with benefits to pursue my entrepreneurial career took a long time to achieve. I had been a single mom supporting myself and my kids for 10 years. Once my kids were out of the nest and on their way to being self-supportive I decided to jump into real estate. This was a big leap to pursue a commission-only, no benefits career. My boyfriend (now husband) has been my biggest supporter. He encouraged me to take the leap and helped with my short-term financial change.
It took about two years of hard work and ambitious spirit to get back to my corporate wage level. From there, there was no stopping me. I had found my niche! HOUSES!
At every turn, my husband has been there to support me. From changing careers, to assisting clients in buying and selling their homes, to buying my first investment property, to helping me stage homes, to investing in my first Airbnb, to pursuing my art dream…he’s been there. He has helped me overcome obstacles and challenges. A true partnership.
My biggest challenge now…how to get noticed by a brand, manufacturer or licensing agent so I can get to the next level… an art licensing deal.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I describe my work as stylized, simple, playful, and contemporary. My artistic philosophy centers on the idea that your home and its furnishings should inspire a feeling of warmth and tranquility and showcase the personality of its owner. I specialize in surface pattern design, acrylic, linocut, gel printing and watercolor.
There is no better feeling then when someone asks you to create a piece of art for them, or to sell a design on one of my print-on-demand platforms, or to have a client say after staging their house, “I love it so much now that I may not want to move, or “will you help me with my new home decor?” This makes me proud of my work.
Having the vision of taking my childhood dreams and crafting the career and life I wanted to lead, and not being afraid to act on it, is also something I am proud of. Age does not define us. I took a leap of faith when I turned 50. I believe it’s important to continually challenge yourself and be open to new ideas and to not be afraid to fail. I guess that helps set me apart from others.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
It’s never too late to try something new and to follow your dream.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sandyyoungerart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandyyounger_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandyyoungerart/
