Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Pineda.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been a creative person ever since I can remember, most of my family is artistic in some form and my mother always allowed me to explore that. I started painting at a very early age and have been involved in some form of art and design ever since then. I come from a Colombian family, my father actually still lives in Colombia along with most of my family. He is one of the most creative influences in my life. I grew up in Miami, Florida which is a city with a culture all on its own that is categorized by the diversity of its community. I have loved incorporating what I’ve learned and experienced into my work and creativity. I grew up basically speaking spanglish with the mix of cultures in Miami and it has always been so fun to me to be able to incorporate that in my work. I got an associate’s degree in Interior Design at Miami Dade College and then transferred to the University of Central Florida to get my Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. Once in Orlando I fell in love with this city. I love the community it has and the way it feels like a small town that pretends to be a big city. Once I graduated I had the opportunity to return to Orlando to intern for Walt Disney Imagineering. There I developed my skill and met so many amazing people. After being hired on, the pandemic hit and unfortunately I had to part ways with the company along with many here in Orlando. During the furlough I decided to pick up the sewing machine again and make some masks! I wanted to be safe and keep the community safe while also creating stylish masks. This allowed me to pick up my etsy where I had a small collection of Greeting Cards. Once The masks started selling I really starting putting a lot of work into getting Toast Paper + Goods off the ground and in the community. In March of 2021, I attended my first mini market and vended in person. I started selling masks, stickers, greeting cards, art prints and wall hangings. Being able to show my work to people in real time has been so rewarding and being able to speak to the community while vending has been such a joy. I’ve done about 8 more markets since then and have had such a blast at each one. Not just getting to know potential customers but also fellow vendors and learning about their small businesses as well. I like to create work that is inspired by the things I love. I love using spanglish phrases that I find funny and are inspired by what I saw growing up. I also like to create things based on my love for rollerskating and the peace of mind it has brought me the last two years. Now I find myself creating work that inspires me and spending my weekends at markets with the incredible help of my friends Amanda and Dena.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The pandemic affected many lives around this country. I was lucky to keep my health and my family’s and am very grateful for that, however I was part of the furloughs and subsequent layoffs by the Walt Disney Company. I loved working for Disney it was truly a dream come true. I learned so much from the incredible designers and creatives I met and worked with. I took this experience as an opportunity to work on my dream of having a small stationery business. It really opened the door for me to be able to create work that I wanted to put out and hopefully would connect with others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a graphic designer, I fell in love with graphic design during college while making my presentations for my interior design classes. I was originally taught fine art and had a background in painting and printmaking but being able to create work that was not only beautiful but functional was important to me. In high school I took Art in my International Baccalaureate program and the biggest lesson I took from it was that nothing should be an accident. The work you create, every aspect of it should have a meaning and purpose. Shout out to Mr. Wilson for that lesson. It was the most important one that has driven me in my career thus far. Now with Toast Paper + Goods I’ve been able to marry my love for designing as well as my love for creating art with my hands. I use different typographic styles and design work that I then assemble on pennant flags that I screen print myself, for example, or wall banners that I sew and assemble as well. I believe what sets me apart from others is my Hispanic heritage. I am incredibly proud of being Colombian and Hispanic overall. I have a whole second language to make jokes in and have fun with the work I create. I like to use the experiences I was raised on to connect with other people who maybe grew up speaking spanglish as well. I am the most proud of my work when I see it bring a smile to someone’s face. Being at a market and watching people see something on my table while walking by and watching their face light up when they see the “Pendeja Pennant” or even the “My Plants Aren’t Dead Yet” T-Shirt. I want my work to bring people joy in unexpected ways. I create designs that poke fun at life the way I like to poke fun at myself. Sometimes I take things too seriously but I’m working on seeing the humor in things and just enjoying life while we’re here. That’s what I want my work to emulate.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
For me finding a mentor was all about internships. My first internship here in Orlando was at Lure Design and it was one of the most amazing experiences I had. Not only did I learn the entire screen printing process, but being around Sarah, Jeff and Paul while they designed and learning from their experiences was invaluable to me. Aside from the amazing design influence, they taught me a lot about the Orlando area and allowed me to meet new people and see new things I hadn’t experienced being a college kid living at UCF. My second internship for Anthropologie as a visuals intern had me working under Eric Ward, where I was able to learn so much about creating art with any sort of material. Creating flowers out of book pages or snowflakes out of vellum and wood dowels. Finally my favorite professor at UCF, Victor Davila who was not only a mentor to me but also to so many in the design community here in Orlando. He truly cares so deeply about the design community and values every member in it. He makes sure you’re doing well and connects you in any way he can. Running markets has also been an incredible way to network. Getting to know other vendors as well as members of the community while chatting as these wonderful events. I’m grateful for the amount of people I have met around town.
Contact Info:
- Email: toastpapergoods@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/toastpapergoods?ref=profile_header
- Instagram: @toastpapergoods
- Other: sarahpineda.com
Image Credits
Sarah Pineda
