Life and Work with Kandace Anderson

Kandace, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Today, I’m an artist, founder of the Estate Collective, an account manager in home furnishings e-commerce and former interior designer.

I’ve always been both right and left brained. I’m as obsessed with business and commerce as I am with everything interiors and art. I think that has something to do with me watching my Dad and Mom run a once wildly successful business growing up. My Dad made being a businessman seem so huge and so normal all at the same time.

On top of that, he was an artist. He’s incredibly talented though you’d have to know to ask him about his art or look closely to see his name signed at corner of the elegant painting of M.L.K. Jr. hanging in my parent’s foyer. I think I was always meant to reside at the intersection of art and business because of my folks.

I started my career as a buyer in the aerospace industry after studying supply chain management at the University of North Texas. I set my sights on the very job that I’d attained before even graduating and two years in — I was incredibly bored. I started designing spaces with a friend of mine and I was hooked. I’d like to say from there it was history but that would oversimplify the hustle, vision and killer support system it took me to get here. I quit a promised career, stepped out on faith, took jobs paying a morsel of what I’d made before, kept moving forward and most importantly: found joy in my work.

To be in a place today where I’ve found my place and am building a community of talented women around me through the Estate Collective – it’s the icing on the cake. Doing so through a foundation of our faith in God – that’s the cake. We’re creating something really special.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Were there struggles? HA! I spent all my savings after quitting my job cold turkey. I mean EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR. I applied for probably hundreds of jobs without ever getting a callback. I went an entire winter without turning the heat in my studio apartment to keep the electricity bill low. The struggles were real but the payback was better.

My advice is to define your support system and then lean into it. My support system is God, my husband, my family, close friends and colleagues who took chances on me. I do have to admit that I’m a self-motivated person; or rather, I’m faith motivated. When I stepped out on faith I knew God had something special planned for me, so I truly never worried. Living in my studio apartment, wearing about eleven layers of clothing during the winter all the while designing and painting, really leaning into my talent and getting to know myself, was one of the best times of my life.

Once I decided there was something better for me than dreading my 9 to 5, I just never gave up. I never stopped trying. I never stopped putting myself out there, forcing myself into spaces that normally I’d feel I didn’t belong. I didn’t necessarily know where I’d end up. But I knew where I wouldn’t be and that was most important.

The advice I’d give any person is: Believe. Hustle. Budget.

I’d advise women to walk into every space like you belong there and with the intention to decide who you are there. It’s easy to walk into a room and immediately gauge the inhabitants and how they perceive you. I try really hard to decide how I want to be perceived. I do not let other people define who I am or what I can do. I do not let other people’s notions about me dictate my performance. When I have something to bring to the table, I bring it.

Ladies: Bring it.

Please tell us about Kandace Anderson art (@kandace.creating on Instagram) & The Estate Collective debuting at Flea Style on November 3.
Just thinking about my work makes me so happy! My work is defined by abstraction, both the absence and presence of color and my desire to build satisfaction through balance on canvas. I’m constantly seeking a certain balance. It’s like my paintbrush and I speak our own language. Only we know when the sentence is complete.

The invisible agent to every single piece I paint is the interior I imagine that it inhabits. I’m forever seeking balance in interiors so before I paint, I first seek to envision my space. I consider the type of space, who inhabits it, the textures, fixtures, furnishings, how it’s navigated, the quality of light, just about everything. I paint in my mind the space before I ever paint the canvas.

Usually, I’m imagining a space that Kelly Wearstler would design or at a minimum, appreciate. I adore her work.

What sets me apart is I only seek to satisfy myself. When I painted for others in both the literal and figurative sense, I created nameless and faceless work; things that could have been created by any person. There was one particular job where I did a few commissioned pieces in a space in Deep Ellum that was exquisitely rich in texture and interest. Shortly after that project, I painted, for the first time ever, pieces for my own home. I found my voice then. It hasn’t shut up since.

Who have you been inspired by?
I’m inspired by my Mom. It took me a long time to realize that the care she takes in maintaining the order, cleanliness, and beauty of her home has been a huge factor in my constant search for balance. It seems she has always known exactly what her home needs. She’s understood how important it is to feel safe and calm in the spaces we inhabit. That made a huge impact on me. I don’t think she knows that.

I’m inspired by Kelly Wearstler who is relentless in creating works that speak to her huge voice and aesthetic. She is such a boss!

I’m inspired by Tracee Ellis Ross who taught me that my (eventual) big beautiful hair was meant to be worn as a crown and so is my personality. Also: #abgoals

I’m inspired by Nikki Giovani who speaks and crafts a story with a cadence so decadent it drips off the pages of her works. There is immense beauty in how she uses language.

I’m inspired by Terry Gross and her ability to listen without judgment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.estatecollective.co; www.kandaceanderson.com (both sites are unposted; will post in line with article release)
• Instagram: @kandace.creating; @estate.collective

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