Meet Sandra Maldonado | Latina Resin Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sandra Maldonado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sandra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a mother of two young kids, I felt that all my time went into being a mom. andworking full time in childcare was the other half of my time spent. I felt that I needed a creative outlet to learn a new skill that I could fall in love with and make it mine. With all of my energy being used as a mom and employee- I needed something that would motivate me to prioritize myself and my creative outlet.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from other resin artists are my best selling custom dominos. I incorporate pictures, logos, important dates or names into a personalized domino set for anyone. This makes my dominos 100% unique and non replicitable. My biggest challenge as a small business owner was figuring out how to manage working a day job, being a mom and managing a small business owner.. I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet, still a work in progress. I think everyone should find something that keeps them sane, that makes them proud of themselves and makes their creative outlet spark. My brand represents a mom who was struggling with depression and finding herself. Finding something that encouraged me to continue working on myself as a person and small business owner was exactly what I needed out of my “normal/average” life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Staying local to Sonoma County I would make sure we go walk historic downtown Sonoma while we make a few stops to do some wine tasting. We would head forty minutes up north and make sure to walk pier 39 in San Francisco and tourist shop. While in SF we would make a few stops, union square to do some more shopping, the mission for some authentic Mexican, Guatemalan or Salvadorian food for dinner. Another day we would drive out to the coast and enjoy some real clam chowder in Bodega Bay, stop at the taffy house to satisfy our sweet tooth. We would head back to the city to enjoy some site seeing at the Japanese Tea Garden and walk around the De young musuem.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The community I come from is huge on small businesses. Becoming a part of the small business community was a huge part of my consistency in creating with resin. I wouldn’t have believed in myself enough to continue creating and thinking I could make an actual income with my handmade items. I’ve met some life long friends through this community- some who have mentored me, some who have helped me with constructive criticism, some who are there to hear me out with my small business struggles and can relate. I owe a huge part of my success to them.

Website: CositasContreras.com

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