Kendra Dandy is the woman behind Bouffants and Broken Hearts based in Philadelphia, PA and the creator of our book club poster and bookmark for June (see here). She creates surface patterns, fashion illustrations, beauty illustrations and has a long list and range of clients from Anthropologie to wallpaper companies. I have been a fan of her work for years and love her very original style and quirk. It’s very much her own world. I’m pleased to share some of her thoughts in this exclusive interview.
Interview with Kendra Dandy of Bouffants and Broken Hearts
What do you usually all yourself? Artist? Creative?
I think both of those things are appropriate since they aren’t super specific. I do many different things including illustration and surface design for many different brands as well as my own personal artwork.
Do you think you have to go to school to become an artist?
Absolutely not. Especially now with lots of widely available information online, tutorials, and blogs, there’s definitely a way to learn skills that you’d need. Of course you would have to be very disciplined and highly motivated to do this on your own because there is no professor or class projects to keep you accountable. School can provide a very good structure and community, but you can definitely work at your craft on your own and find your way without it.
What’s your work area like?
Very messy and not at all instagram ready. I don’t have a separate art studio, I work out of my studio apartment so there’s not as much space as I’d like but it still serves it’s purpose.
What do you do when someone copies your work?
Unfortunately I have had a lot of experience with this. First, I reach out to them directly to discuss/see what their explanation is and if it can be resolved quietly and amicably. If that doesn’t work, depending on the case, I may post on social media about it. A little public shaming usually ends up getting the work taken down. Then I move on and keep creating!
How has social media influenced your work?
It keeps me up to date on the latest trends and it has influenced the speed at which I put out stuff. Sometimes that can be not so great if I don’t actually feel like creating anything but feel pressured to keep up with the algorithms and not get even worse levels of engagement on posts. I do like seeing what’s out there, making my own interpretations of trends and also the endless stream of inspiration.
