WEAR THEY ARE: Brittany Sodora Leonor of Sage Glow Studio

Living genuinely. Celebrating imperfection. Making memories. Embracing wear you are in your life and how you live. Welcome to WEAR THEY ARE: A Snapshot of Fearless Females and How They Got There– a series where all of these concepts come to life through the stories of women who’ve embraced them firsthand.

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do (through both my work as a publicist and this blog) is the unbelievable kick-ass group of women I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. I have never been one for girl-on-girl pettiness, nor can I fathom existing in a world where women don’t band together to build each other up. You know the saying “It takes a village”? Well it does. I don’t care if you’re a stay-at-home Mom or a CEO- you didn’t get there alone. And you’re not alone now.

When I created Wear You Are Now, I wanted to build a place for like-minded women to gather and gab about the topics near and dear to our hearts. I wanted to expand the village. A village filled with women who are working hard in their field, making a name for themselves, and supporting each other along the way. And with the launch of WEAR THEY ARE, a new monthly series- we continue to do just that.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Brittany Sodora Leonor, Chicago based graphic designer and artist and Founder of Sage Glow Studio. Brittany is a visionary and creator in the truest form (seriously you guys, check out her work) with an entrepreneurial drive that proves everyone who ever said “you can’t work for yourself” or “being an artist isn’t a real job” oh-so-very-wrong. Inspired by the nighttime sky, the desert and West Coast vibes, Brittany spends her days creating visuals for brands, blogs and bare walls with a hint of hippie. As the pencil, sketch pad and computer behind Wear You Are Now‘s logo, and a dear friend to boot (I used to give her haircuts back in the day- more on that later), I was beyond thrilled to sit down with Brittany for her side of the story.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR OWN COMPANY? TELL US THE STORY BEHIND SAGE GLOW STUDIO.

I feel like the dream to start my own company has always been inside me. Ever since I was little, I imagined my grown-up life to be out of the ordinary. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going for (I wanted to be everything from a model to a singer to a professional surfer), but I knew I wanted it to be different.

My freshman year of college I took an Entrepreneurship class because I needed a half credit. At the time I was planning on transferring to art school when my professor gave me some good advice that I think every creative should hear. He said if you have talent, you have talent. Art school won’t teach you that. What you need to know is how to sell yourself and run a business. So I took up an entrepreneurship degree and landed a great internship at a then, very small company. I learned so much about business, marketing, PR, sales and manufacturing. It’s also where I taught myself graphic design, to fill an internal need, and what sparked me to see a career switch in that. It was great experience and I loved the people, but knew it wasn’t where I would be forever.

A few years ago, the pull to branch out on my own and really focus on creative design work was at an all-time high. I knew I needed to quit my job and go for it, but let me tell you, it was probably the hardest decision of my life. No joke, it took me about 3 years to make my move. As a perfectionist, I was terrified of failure and my fear literally paralyzed me. After a lot of thinking, praying, tears and long talks with my husband Josh and my parents, I finally pulled the trigger. I talked to my bosses (who were incredibly supportive, and still are), set an end date and began the entrepreneurial journey. The name Sage Glow Studio came to me late one December night and I bought the domain on NYE 2015 while Josh and I were out to dinner.

My only regret? That I didn’t take the leap sooner.

WHAT DOES BEING A FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR MEAN TO YOU?

It’s empowering and humbling. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to be my own boss – it makes me feel like I can do anything and love calling the shots. I know being a female business owner wasn’t an option at one time, and I’m thankful for those who have paved the way. I feel knitted into this bigger community of women who are all out here making the world a better place through our work.

Because of that, being a female entrepreneur also means that I carry a certain responsibility to support others on this path. As women, we face a lot of unique challenges and stresses, and I think we should strive to create little communities where we can all feel safe and supported. Most of my clients are women business owners and I try to not only help them by designing a logo or making illustrations, but also by being their cheerleader. The female voice is so important and if I can help make it stronger in any small way, I’ve succeeded as a female entrepreneur.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEEDS OF YOUR BUSINESS WHILE STILL LEAVING TIME FOR YOURSELF?

It’s a constant experiment and something I haven’t perfected. To be honest, I learned what was not healthy at my last job – I pushed myself because I thought it was the thing to do and the burnout negatively affected every aspect of my life. Because of that, I’ve been super conscious about making this a marathon, not a sprint. Could I work 15 hour days again like I used to and grow faster? Sure. But part of the reason why I wanted to be my own boss was to actually live a balanced life.

A couple of concrete tricks that have helped me are:

-I don’t respond to client emails after about 6pm. With my work there’s literally no emergency that can’t wait until the next day and it establishes that I’m not reachable 24/7. I think that’s healthy.

-Being a stickler for making dinner every night. I actually enjoy cooking and it forces me to leave the computer at a certain time to cook and then eat dinner with Josh. We usually hang out for a bit then finish up anything outstanding for work before going to bed at a decent hour.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE WORD “FEARLESS”?

It’s being afraid but doing it anyway. It’s stepping outside of what is comfortable, knowing full well that things are going to be challenging but knowing it will be so rewarding. It doesn’t mean being 100% prepared (no one ever is) or having all of the answers – please don’t ever let that hold you back from your dreams.

WEAR YOU ARE NOW IS ALL ABOUT MAKING MEMORIES THROUGH THE LENS OF WHAT WE WEAR. WHAT ITEM IN YOUR CLOSET IS YOUR MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION? WHY?

My 9 year-old Chanel sunglasses. When I bought them, my friends thought I was turning into a snob and I’m sure a lot of other people had thoughts too. What they don’t know is the backstory. In college I was very into fashion history and fell in love with Coco Chanel. She was independent, unconventional, resourceful, smart and creative – all the things I aspired to be. Wanting to have some part of her legacy, and perhaps absorb some of her traits, I promised myself I would own a Chanel piece by the age of 21. Sunglasses turned out to be the only thing I could safely splurge on. To me, they became a tangible representation of all things #girlboss and a constant reminder that if Coco could build something from nothing, so could I. And despite being very out of style (think Lauren Conrad circa “The Hills”) I still wear them to this day.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING FASHION MEMORY?

Oooh, this is a good one! High school was a weird time and one of the phases I went through was semi-punk, rocker girl. I wore a lot of tight local band or cartoon t-shirts, baggy jeans and Vans, complete with one of my dad’s old ties as a belt. And just so you can complete the visual, my hair was cut into a long pixie with professional purple highlights. The hair was actually cute – but the outfit choices? Really could have done without those.

IN THE THEME OF EMBRACING WEAR YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE, IF YOU COULD GIVE THE 20 YEAR-OLD VERSION OF YOURSELF A PIECE OF ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Stop being so afraid! Looking back, most of the challenges I faced in my 20’s were fear-based: people will think negatively of me, I’ll look stupid, I’m not smart enough. And most of the best decisions I made were those that seemed scary but I knew would ultimately be just the risks I needed to take.  I would have had a lot more fun (and developed a lot less grey hair!)  if I had only stopped worrying so much.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ON A TYPICAL SATURDAY NIGHT?

Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods! It’s a joke with our friends and family that we spend a lot of our Saturday nights grocery shopping and then back at home with some pizza and Netflix. When we’re not grocery shopping, we love going on dates to a new restaurant or having dinner with friends. Basically, anything involving food!

If you want to keep up with all things Sage Glow Studio, which I recommend you do because seriously SWOON over her artwork, follow along on social (@sageglowstudio on Instagram and Facebook) and head to SageGlowStudio.com for more.

Build your tribe. Wear you are now.

xx

Natalie

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