We recently connected with Saralynn Vargas and have shared our conversation below.
Saralynn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
I believe that everything happens for a reason so if I had to do it all over again then I would do it the same way.
I started my design career in architecture school where I quickly learned that architecture was not a passion for me and a future in the profession looked bleak for me. I stuttered for a second with what I should continue with in school. But in my heart, I felt that graphic design was my calling.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My journey as a designer begins as an architecture student at USC. I quickly realized that I did not have a passion for it and because the professors were also practicing architects, I saw the mirror image of my future in their sleepless unhappy eyes. This is when I decided the best plan of action was to get a 4 year degree instead of a 5 year professional one. In doing this, I would be able to squeeze in a minor because I would have less architecture classes to take. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner that my true passion was in graphic design. I had asked for Photoshop for Christmas from my parents as a little girl so I could play with it. I was practically a baby graphic designer.
But in the grand scheme of things, I’m someone who found my passion for a career pretty early in life. I took up a minor in communication design and it was the perfect fit for me. So I took up unpaid internships, practically free projects, just anything I could get to start my career in college and graduate with experience. And I succeeded. I got a creative lead position for a small ad agency right before I graduated. I even got my own business card.
Unfortunately it was very short lived. I only to work there for a few months before things got very slow and I was no longer needed as they figured they could hire freelance as projects came up.
I spent the next few years in the ad industry to pay my dues until I got the opportunity to get into an industry that I was really interested in like fashion or music or beauty.
In 2018, I ended up getting a job as a graphic designer for a small toy company. Except my duties quickly went from digital to 3d. They had seen that I studied architecture and that I knew my way around 3d modeling programs and wanted me to apply those skills into toy design. I was scared but I took on the challenge and it was so fun getting to design unicorns, avocadoes, dragons. Getting to see them in stores was one of the greatest feelings. And I even won the national parenting award in 2019 for that collection of toys called drop dot love ems. I had found my place in the toy industry.
Since then I’ve gotten opportunities to work in cpg and beauty, which I have also enjoyed. I have taken on any project I could that was adjacent to toys to build up my portfolio. I worked for a candy company that did a collaboration with Candy Land and begged to lead the project. It is my biggest project to date and I am so proud of it. It set the stage back up for me to return in the toy industry and get my dream job as a designer for Barbie at Mattel. I got all the way to the final interviews last month so I know my dream is very much within reach.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your little computer sketches come to life as a product on store shelves where you can see the joy on someone’s face as they buy your little brain child
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think I answered this in the previous question, but my college experience was a giant pivot. I came in as an architecture major and by the time I graduated I had done everything in my power to make up for time lost in the wrong major. I graduated with a minor in communication design, a Renaissance scholar award for my schooling in two completely different fields and several internships and projects under my belt. I went straight into a position as a creative lead for an ad agency and I really felt all of my hard work paid off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.saralynn.design
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynnv
