Sherri Chandler has always loved to draw and be creative, maybe because she grew up with a pretty creative family. Her mother and grandmother made jewelry, quilted, painted, drew, made cakes and did some sewing, gardening and embroidery. “I just grew up doing all of them,” Sherri says, “and a little bit of ceramics and toll painting. I just assumed that all women do that, but they don’t.”
It wasn’t until later in life — and after some travelling — that Sherri decided to invest in herself when it came to her natural talent. As an Army wife she was transferred to various locations in and out of Texas and eventually to Giessen, Germany in 1988. Two years later and living back in Virginia, Sherri began to explore how to further her education.
She thought the health field would be exciting, so she started studying the curriculum and degree plans from several schools. “After reading all of the descriptions for every class, I found a bunch of stuff I didn’t want to do like poke people with needles,” Chandler says jokingly. That’s when she decided to pursue graphic design.
“I love the idea of creating something from nothing, which is what I think art is. You’re able to produce something out of your head. It can be writing, painting, sculpting . . . but it starts within a person. That’s the base of how I view things,” says Chandler. “I can see the possibility of some little something that could be something wonderful.”
Coupled with a love of retail, Sherri brings an acumen for marketing to each project. “I took a retail management course. I like the advertising side of retail. I can tell people why they want to buy that.” But it’s even more than that for her. “I really enjoy being able to find a specific feature or a turn of phrase about a product or service and spotlight it in a way that makes people sit up and take notice.”
Sherri eventually got that degree and moved back to Texas on New Year’s Eve in 1993, always planning to stay 5-10 years and move to a larger city like Austin. It hasn’t happened yet, but it may once her husband, ex-military himself and director of purchasing for Lubbock County, decides to retire. Until then, it seems her clients all over Texas and New Mexico—and her customers from all over the world on Etsy—get to enjoy the possibilities she brings to life.
If you’re interested in seeing (or buying) more of Sherri’s designs, you can visit her Etsy shop.
by Robbye Appling