Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyson Sartorius.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My entire life, I’ve been drawn to anything that could scratch this deep-rooted, creative itch that I have always had. I realized very early on that if a task was not creative in some aspect, I would not enjoy it, and more so, I would probably fail miserably at it. In school, this realization led me to pursue art, singing, dancing, and writing where I felt the most successful and fulfilled. On the other hand, despite the best effort I could ever muster up, getting through subjects like Calculus or American History always made me feel like the derpiest derp that ever derped. Thus, when it came time to decide what career was right for me, I knew I couldn’t choose anything that was sans-creativity, and I also knew that I wanted financial stability (I love food too much to be a starving artist y’all). So, with virtually no information other than the fact that it was a creative field and could make a consistent paycheck, I chose to get my degree in graphic design.
Over the years, my career has evolved significantly from starting out designing a lot of small print pieces, to much larger intensive print and digital campaigns, all the way to what I do now, designing top-to-bottom brand identities and interior design concepts. I feel incredibly fortunate to legitimately LOVE what I do for a living, but remember that creative itch I mentioned? Well, it just refuses to stop itching. I spend my evening and weekends creating adorable and delicious treats, trying out new makeup looks or DIY beauty treatments, creating new decor for my home, planning parties, all of it! It finally occurred to me that I have built a life in which the vast majority of my time, in and outside of my career, is spent creating. So, I decided to create Type Aly to ensure that I always had a platform, one that was all my own, to explore whatever creative interests I felt drawn to, and then share all of my inspiration, ideas, successes, and even failures. My hope is that for the people out there like me, who are passionate about creating, that Type Aly inspires them and maybe even helps scratch their creative itch a little bit.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, in comparison to the sea of creative bloggers out there, Type Aly is just a little tadpole. Since I feel like I myself am still starting out, I can only give the advice that I try to remind myself of. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Celebrate the small successes. Focus on what you love about what you are doing and the reason you started, and don’t let the numbers and statistics cause you to lose sight of that. And the biggest one for me has been, don’t be afraid to ask for advice. It blows me away how forthcoming, kind, helpful, and welcoming the bloggers/influencers that I have met are.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Type Aly story. Tell us more about the business.
As I mentioned in my long-winded “story” answer, I don’t really consider myself or Type Aly to have a “niche.” I really just love all things creative in nature. Design, baking, beauty, parties, decor, you name it! I am proud of all of the content that I share, but I do get a special kind of pride when it comes to the brand concepts with an interior design that I work on. Those projects can last for a really long time, sometimes over a year, and involve so many many details. So, seeing it all come to life, in the end, is extremely rewarding.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
If you want to devote yourself to any one thing to get ahead… read about, practice, and observe communication. I truly believe that communication is a dying art. People are slowly forgetting how to read body language, how to think before they speak, and how to really listen. It is such a problem within companies to have struggled with communication, and I believe that you can be so much more successful, in your career and in life, if you can master that art.
Contact Info:
- Website: TypeAly.com
- Email: aly@typealy.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/typealy
- Facebook: facebook.com/typealy
- Twitter: twitter.com/typealy
Image Credit:
instagram.com/typealy
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