My name is Hayden! I’m an artist, reseller, and mother.

I’ve been painting for 10 years and just started branching out into other forms of wearable art! I love painting, sewing, and upcycling clothes, shoes, jewelry. Pretty much anything! Sustainability and recycling are so important to me. And I’m so happy that I can be a part of making old things new, or just giving them a new home. I just try to take it day by day. Creating new things for the world, taking care of my mental health, and being the best mom I can be!

 

• How long have you been reselling?

  • Only for about a year! But have bought secondhand almost my entire life

• What got you into reselling?

  • I moved from Texas to Illinois last year & was blown away by the abundance of secondhand stores. I joined Depop as a buyer, but always knew I had an eye for it and I was looking for something to occupy my time (as I went from working 50 hour work weeks to being a stay at home mom) I just went for it! It wasn’t til after I started reselling that I learned about all the benefits of shopping second-hand, the horrible realities of big fashion companies, and how fun it can be to give old garments new life.

• Can you go into those benefits and horrible realities? I don't think it has as much awareness as it needs to!

  • Hundreds of pounds of clothes are donated daily! Contrary to what people that haven’t done the research may believe, there are not enough people in thrift stores buying things to keep up! Clothes that don’t sell in thrift stores end up in landfills and oceans all over the world. 80% of clothes you get rid of are destined for landfills. Where they can sit for 200 years. As they decompose they emit “methane” which is extremely harmful to the environment.

  • Of course, going to thrift stores yourself is always encouraged, but I also love to buy from other resellers. It’s a great option if you don’t have time to spend in secondhand stores all day looking through racks, you can look for a specific item you’re looking for and get it delivered to your home, washed and ready to live a new life.

  • I advocate for this not only for the benefits to the earth, but when it comes to big brands and fashion companies, they do not pay their workers a living wage. They constantly violate human rights & labor standards. Effecting women and children. Where they eventually are dealing with all kinds of abuse. If the clothes are cheap, the workers are NOT being paid a living wage! Anyone interested in further facts should definitely look into cleanclothes.org (@cleanclothescampaign)

  • Clean Clothes Campaign even has a brand checker, where you can see if a brand is paying their workers a living wage (most are not, and living wage doesn’t always mean great working conditions) These brands are always being performative, speaking on equality for sales. While abusing and taking advantage of women and children.

• How did you find out about all this?

  • Initially from infographics from other resellers on Instagram. The younger generation loves to come for us saying we’re “taking all the good stuff” and they are severely uneducated on the topic.. There will always be too many clothes. Always. I’m not only a reseller, but also someone who depends on thrift stores for every day items and clothes/toys for my son. I can guarantee the items I’m looking for and sourcing are not what someone school shopping is looking for. Not that it matters. After this backlash to the reselling community, I decided to do my own research which is where I found Clean Clothes Campaign which always keeps me informed.

• Do you use the Clean Clothes info when buying from thriftshops?

  • I support basically all thrift shops! In my opinion, there is no wrong way to shop secondhand (thrift, resale apps, reworked pieces) shopping locally is always awesome, but Goodwill provides jobs and does great stuff for the community as well!

• But are you influenced at all by the Clean Clothes Campaign when shopping second hand? So do you still avoid brands that don't use humane practices even when you are buying secomd hand? (If that makes sense lol)

  • I personally don’t reach for a lot of big brands with my shop, I focus way more on vintage and nostalgic finds. But if I see a pair of vintage Levi’s, I’m getting them. (Big brands like Levi’s and Nike are guilty too. Not just fast fashion) I don’t feel like doing this is directly supporting these companies, if anything it’s just another plus of thrifting and buying second hand. If you can’t live without big brands, you don’t have to!

• I love that approach. Especially because by the time it is second hand, you are supporting local or small economy.

  • Exactly! I love everything about it and plan on living this way always and urging others to the best they can as well!

• Did you ever have a time when you felt the societal pressure to feed into the machine and buy brand new things?

  • Absolutely, growing up of course I always felt out of place in school. I wanted the super expensive Hollister shirt, like everyone else. I grew up school shopping secondhand. I will never forget finding my first good finds there! It totally changed the way I saw things at a young age. By high school I realized I could find trendy things secondhand. If you can’t let go of big brands even places that buy clothes like Platos Closet, are a better option.. By the middle of high school I had found my style and didn’t care what people thought, I wanted the granny sweatshirt. And it just got more fun from there!

• That's so admirable! It takes a lot to go against the grain!

• So what do you do with your reselling? Are you modifying things or selling them as-is?

  • Both! It just depends on the garment and how I’m feeling! If it’s a great vintage piece I’m definitely going to sell as is! When I rework something, usually I’ll have an idea and then go find what I can to make it happen!

• How do you apply your sustainability to your artwork?

  • Art supplies can be tricky, but I try my absolute hardest to make sure everything at least gets put to use (Making pieces using leftover embroidery scraps, or making earrings with them) I also love to pick up old wall hangings and paint over them when I can, I actually did this for a commission the other day where I didn’t want a traditional square/rectangle canvas. So I just kept my eye out til I found the perfect thing. Just another way to get quality for less money, and again reducing/recycling!

• How long have you been selling your artwork?

  • On and off for about 6 years. I say on and off because it took me a while to find where I fit in within the art community. I started trying to sell my big original works, there’s not as big of a market for it. It was discouraging, when I made my move across the country last year I decided to put all of my big canvases for sale for cheap just to get rid of them. When I got to the post office and found out it cost $50 to ship a large painting, it was even more discouraging and I lost a lot of money, but I didn’t give up! I just switched my direction, and started selling the prints of my art! It makes it accessible to basically anyone who wants a piece by me. I also started doing affordable commissions on smaller canvases and it has been going great, when roadblocks come up I just assess what I’m doing and move forward to keep creating & making my art accessible.

• What is your all-time favorite medium?

  • Acrylic painting all day every day!

• Why is that?

  • With acrylic painting, there is plenty of room for error, which takes the stress out of it. It’s so easy to transform or cover-up. So it’s totally relaxing! Other mediums I work with like clay and embroidery aren’t as forgiving. Which I think just makes the process much more serious. And sometimes it should just be fun!

• I never knew that about acrylic painting! When did you first fall in love with it?

  • 2013 I did my first acrylic painting, I had mostly done pen drawings up until  then and decided to try it out, I instantly fell in love and basically never stopped painting after that

• That's fantastic! Everyone needs some art in their lives.

• Is this your only job other than being a mama?

  • I supplement income with doing grocery delivery, but would like to keep growing to be able to only sell art and resale!

• How do you find the balance in your life to do everything?

  • Honestly, it’s so hard! I just breathe and move on to the next thing to move forward, just like anyone else I always wish there was more time. Being a mom is my number one priority but I feel like in order to be my best self and the best mom I can be I have to work on my art, myself, and keep creating and working.

• How many cubs do you have mama bear?

  • Just one! One year old

• Oh wow! Do you have help at all? I interview a wide variety of Goddesses lol

  • Sometimes! My boyfriend and I have been together 6 years. However, he works 6 days a week. So we just all help each other the best we can.

• That's amazing! Oof 6 days though. That's rough.

• So how do you intend on expanding your "brand"

  • My main plan is to never stop creating. Honestly, I never thought I would even make it this far, I feel like my dreams have come true just having people able to have pieces of my art in their homes. I don’t have a super long term plan, as I just take it day to day to stay sane, I know that as long as I do the work, and put all of the effort and love I can into what I do, it will just keep growing. I truly believe this!

• In the midst of all the crazy, how *are* you staying sane?

  • I’ve always struggled with my mental health, it wasn’t til I really dove into what I love that I started feeling better.  It’s a wonderful balance now that I have my son I can think beyond myself and be strong for him, while still doing what I love. I’ve found even on my worst days if I can force myself to accomplish one thing, I’ll feel better. Whether it’s something as small as cleaning up the toys or doing the dishes, making time for my art, or taking care of myself by eating or taking a bath. I regularly make to-do lists of small things, whether it’s for the day or the week. It’s helped me so much.

• So how are you selling your creations?

  • Through Depop! I also do commissions through Instagram and Facebook. I always thought I wanted to grow my following to be able to open my own site, but Depop is so awesome it allows so many people to see your creations & items, so your social media following doesn’t matter!

• Would you still consider creating a site later down the road? I've never used Depop before, what is it?

  • Depop is an app for people all over the world to sell clothes! It’s basically the only place I shop besides thrift stores, and I also sell there. It wasn’t til after I started reselling that I realized I could sell art prints and custom works on there. It just makes it even easier to have a wide variety of people shop my art.

  • And yes I would absolutely still consider a site! I just think it’s so professional and something I’d definitely still like to do if I’m ever put in the position to be able to!

• It does take a LOT of time, and i know if you have e-commerce it costs money, not to mention buying the domain name.

• Where do you get your inspiration for your art?

  • Yes! It’s not ideal for me right now but I’m hoping for it. Depop also takes a percentage of every sale you make, so I think it may even out over time. 

  • Just like anyone else I truly take inspiration from my life around me and music. Most of my later paintings I find extremely uplifting and joyful, but also have some of my favorite paintings have come from a very dark place. I also just love playing with color and dark bold lines and seeing what it creates!

• What is your advice for aspiring artists unsure of where to start?

  • To just start, anywhere. Everyone is so different but not giving up is all that matters. If I gave up every time that I wanted to, or felt discouraged I would not be where I am now and be able to call this a job. It took years of work to start selling my art even on a small scale. It could be faster for others or maybe more slow. Just put what you want in the world always no matter what anyone else says!

• And what advice do you have for our readers about how to stay positive, especially during this time of extremes?

  • I think all we can do is take it one day at a time just like always. Adjusting to this new normal can be so hard for some, understandably. If you work from home, that doesn’t mean you should spend every minute working! While working and trying to stay motivated is important, it’s all about balance. Be sure and take time to relax! And now more than ever, I think we should be purchasing our needs through small business. All kinds of local spots are offering no contact pick up/delivery and we all need to come together as a community and help each other.

• Hayden, thank you so much for spending your time with us! How can our readers follow your journey and continue to support what you do?

  • Thank you so much for this whole experience. Truly so awesome and means the world to me. Every person that even looks at my art is already supporting me. And sharing is caring! A free way to support the art you like is to share posts or show your friends, our next potential customers may not even know it yet!

  • Really thank you again, this is my first time doing anything like this and it means a lot. You asked things I would have never even thought to answer, which makes me look within myself! You’re seriously awesome

• Awe thank you! It has been an honor

• I love lifting people up and supporting small businesses

• Which is why I do this, because if I'm not in the place to purchase goods I can at least support artists by getting the word out.

• Now all I need is a headshot and some pics of your favorite pieces you've done!

 

Follow her on Instagram: @artandthriftmama

Check out her Facebook page here.

And buy her creations on her Depop page, here.