Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Sarah Melendez

We recently had the chance to connect with Sarah Melendez and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
The funny thing is that I think other people do not actually believe me when I tell them what my business is about. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I say ‘I am a designer and I create patterns for wallpaper and fabric.’ When I say this, I kind of get a reaction from people like they don’t believe that that is a real job, or they don’t think that there are real people out there creating the patterns that they use in their daily lives. It is so easy to just travel through life and not take stock of the art that is all around you every day and brings you a little bit of joy. When someone says ‘I am an artist/designer/etc.’ the assumption is that you work in fine art or as a gallery artist.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sarah Melendez and I am a surface pattern designer. My main focus is in wallpaper, fabric, and home decor design but lately I have been branching into paper goods, specifically calendars, planners, wrapping paper, etc. I have also started working on a series of books in a variety of genres that will allow me to put my patterns on more products and share my love of art. I always have new ideas bubbling in the background!

My goal with my art is to inspire joy in the daily lives of my customers. Whether that is a room completely covered in wallpaper that I have designed, or a simple planner you can throw in your bag with a cheery print that brightens your day, I love to know my customers have a piece of art that brings them peace in our hectic world. I describe my art as ‘trendy and timeless’ – I love to create pieces that will remain popular for years to come, but I also like to have trendy options for those who love to redecorate more often.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I have loved art since I was a kid and my parents always made sure I had a stash of art supplies and time to go be that creative kid. I think as we get older, no matter how supportive your parents may be, once you are exposed to other peers and authority figures, you definitely can start to have negative views about yourself especially about things you love.

When I started school and I was always so excited for art classes and other creative projects, I remember being told that I was getting too excited or needed to calm down. I had an art teacher in high school who would give me lower grades and negatively compare my work to other students to try to knock me down a peg. (If grades mean anything anymore.) I remember thinking as a kid and a teen that I was ‘too much’ and that I was not good enough to do anything artistic professionally.

When my son was born, I became a stay at home mom and I knew I needed something to fulfill my artistic tendencies on the side. More importantly, I wanted my son to grow up and see his mother create a business and fully embrace art. It keeps me happy and relaxed and it creates a wonderful environment for my family. I grew up from a dejected kid with a creative streak to the adult I always wanted to be.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I think if my younger self could just see the adult I am today, and how different I look and how genuinely happy I am, that would be enough to know everything worked out. No words needed.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think AI is really a much bigger problem for artists than the general public realizes. I know plenty of other artists out there who are genuinely creating new work and really putting their soul into designs, and on the other hand, I see these business influencers who are saying that you can just put a prompt into an AI generator and create a pattern in less than 5 minutes. I think the licensing companies and other retailers need to take a very close look at their artists and business partners to ensure that they are licensing true, quality work and not some schlock from someone trying to take advantage of the system and make a quick buck.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
I really love to collaborate with my customers to make sure they have exactly what they need in regards to size, scale, color match, etc. when discussing patterns. I know customization is very important to customers today and I love to offer that opportunity to create something unique. I think I might miss my customers more! I love thinking outside the box.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Designs by Sarah Melendez.
Images provided by Spoonflower.

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