Meet Carly Haynie | Muralist, Designer, and Illustrator

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

Hi Carly, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own business has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, but in my early 20s it always seemed just out of reach. After graduating college, I worked for a couple of different companies where I observed both a successful business that was professionally operated and a struggling business that was not operated professionally. Seeing both extremes first hand taught me so much about things that foster a successful business and the things that can prevent it from thriving. During this time I also did free lance design work on the side, which gave me the opportunity to apply the positive things I was observing with my own personal clients. Throughout the past 8 years I have grown my client base and added to the list of services I provide, which gave me the confidence to finally step out on my own and create Carly Haynie Design Co.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Art has always been a huge part of my life, in many different forms. As a kid, I consistently chose crafts over dolls. As I got older, I started acting in plays at the local theater, and even got to be a part of a few commercials. As a teenager, I took art all 4 years of high school. By then I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and went on to earn a degree in Communication Design. Over the years, I have been and continue to be heavily influenced by artists like Warhol and Lichtenstein. Their impact on my art is seen in my graphic style and use of bright colors. Over the years I have evolved my style and brand into what it is today, which comes to life as things as small as a logo for a local business, to as large as a mural on the side of a building. Getting to work on such a wide variety of projects for such a wide variety of clients has not always been easy, but it has taught me so many important things about running your business in a professional way, and making sure you walk away from the project with a happy client.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a sucker for a cool bar, good food, and shopping for antiques.. so those would all be a must. Our week would definitely include stops at Fire House Gastro Park for coffee or cocktails (they do both!), Montgomery Street Antique Mall to find some old treasures, brunch at Cork & Pig Tavern for their black truffle pizza, 4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge for the coolest bar experience, and maybe even hit up Globe Life field to see the Rangers play.

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?
I owe the biggest shoutout to my parents for their unwavering support. They have always cheered me on, no matter what I was doing. My mom takes it a step further and helps out in anyway she can. From always being there when I need a gut check, to assisting with painting murals and washing brushes… the woman does it all!

I also own major thanks to my hometown of Corsicana and the people from there. Their support from day one allowed my portfolio to grow, and helped me gain the experience and confidence I needed to run my own business.

Website: www.carlyhaynie.com

Instagram: carlyhaynie

Image Credits
Adrian Gooden Justin Williams