Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Yarbrough.
Hi Michaela, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Sure! I like to say that I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. When I was in 4th grade, I started a friendship bracelet business! We called it “Leave it to Weavers” and we sold them during lunch. It was encouraging to see my teachers believe in me at that age. Art and business have always interested me, but I couldn’t figure out how to blend the two until I went to college and discovered graphic design. I attended Texas Tech the fall of 2012 where I originally thought I was going to double major in studio art (for drawing) and business. My advisor suggested I could try to apply for the school’s graphic design program and offered that I could always go back to studio art if I didn’t like it. I ended up loving the class and that’s when it clicked, and I realized I could use my art in a commercial way and make a living designing brands, advertisements, and packaging. I was accepted to the design program that spring and graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in business in 2016.
After college, I was waiting for my then-boyfriend (now husband), Miguel, to graduate from Tech, so I worked at a small advertising agency in Lubbock where I did a lot of graphic design work for local bank and grocery clients. It was then that I set up my second business and first LLC, a bakery called Bakehouse Le Doux where I sold French macarons at the local Farmer’s Market. It was a great creative outlet but was a lot of work with a day job. I would work my 9-5 and then come home and bake until midnight. I operated my bakery for 6 months until Miguel graduated, then we moved for his job in 2018 to Dallas.
In Dallas, I got a job as an Art Director for a larger ad agency. Agency life was fast-paced, and I quickly found that I wanted to do more illustration in my work and have better work-life balance. Instead of restarting my bakery, I decided to start an art Instagram account as a creative outlet that gave me more time to illustrate and wasn’t as stressful as standing and baking all night. Around this time, an opportunity arose for my dream job as a packaging designer at H-E-B, a beloved grocery retailer based in San Antonio. I applied and got the job, and we moved to San Antonio shortly after. I was 6 months into my new job when covid hit. I was luckily able to work remotely through the pandemic, but I came out of it burnt out and looking for more creative freedom in my work. By 2022, I was doubting myself as an artist and questioned why I was no longer happy with the work I did. I knew I needed to make a change, but I was afraid to jump ship completely. And I considered starting another side hustle, but knew how much work it would be having operated my bakery. I decided to ask for a year unpaid sabbatical, which H-E-B was kind enough to say “yes!”
During my sabbatical, I was able to travel and reconnect with my art. I started my third business, this time naming it after myself, “Michaela Made,” in hopes I would be able to do some side freelance work while I was on sabbatical. In January of 2023, about halfway through my sabbatical, I participated in my first market in Austin. It went incredibly well, which gave me a huge confidence boost. I also found that the maker community was incredibly welcoming, which encouraged me to continue participating in market pop-ups. I came out of my sabbatical feeling recharged, but I had a decision to make go back to my day job or take a leap and work for myself. The decision felt natural, having done this for a year, so I decided to go full-time business owner as of July 2023! I now run my art business full-time in Dallas and sell my work on my website and at pop-ups in the area.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. I have struggled with mental health and identity along the way. I’ve mentioned creative outlets and burnout a couple times, so that has been the biggest challenge in my creative journey. Growing up, I learned that it was safe to have a day job, so I always thought I would work corporate most of my life even though I had an entrepreneurial spirit. In corporate, I found myself burnt out from meetings when receiving strict or unhelpful feedback that limited creative freedom. I struggled with the metaphorical “golden handcuffs” of a day job when the pay was really good, but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. The thought of leaving a safe day job was a risk. It challenged my preconceived idea of what success, and a career could look like. However, after taking my sabbatical and giving myself space to explore creatively, I ultimately found mental clarity and freedom working for myself. Plus, finding a good therapist helps as well!
I have also been challenged coming to terms with my AAPI identity. I was adopted from China when I was almost a year old, and I’ve lived in Texas most of my life. I like to call this “Asian Imposter Syndrome” when you look Asian, but might feel straddled between your Asian and American culture. I didn’t think much about my heritage when I was younger, so most of my exposure to Asian culture was through vacations or other AAPI friends in school. In grade school, I had a tutor who was from Taiwan and liked to bring Asian treats to share, like White Rabbit candy, and that was how I was exposed to that. I have since been able to reconnect with my Chinese heritage through food and movies, and a lot of that influence is reflected in my work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I own an illustration & paper goods shop called Michaela Made based in Dallas, TX. I create digital illustrations on my iPad and print and sell them as postcards, stickers, and art prints on my website and at pop-up markets. Being adopted, a lot of my work features Asian-inspired imagery from the food and films I grew up with like Studio Ghibli, White Rabbit Candies, and food packaging. Drawing inspiration from these different mediums into my work helps me reconnect with my Asian heritage. A lot of my work is also based from my 100-Day Project I started in 2022 and in 2023 I started selling my illustrations from my project at markets. My company is a woman-owned, Asian-American, small business.
I am most proud of my freedom to create my own brand and make a living from my art. It really means a lot when someone purchases my art for their personal spaces or for their friends because it means it connected to them in a personal way. What sets me apart from others is my dedication to do what I say I will do. I am willing to learn something new or ask the question and figure it out.
How do you define success?
To me, success means slow growth, where I continually get to learn something new. Working for myself has allowed me to do that. I would also like to see my company steadily become self-sustaining using multiple income streams; that would be pretty great, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelamade.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelamade.it/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelamade.it
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelayarbrough/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC70Q6kLu4nDvuwU1JXiXMjg
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@michaelamade.it
Image Credits
Kelly Zhu Photo
