Today we’d like to introduce you to Syndee Holt.
Syndee Holt came to polymer clay as a means to maintain her sanity. A single working mom of two little boys and a whole tribe of “bonus” kids AND a full-time job at UCSD. Polymer clay quickly added several independent contract designer jobs to her workload. She authored “Polymer Clay for the First Time” and became a columnist and editorial advisor for Expression art magazine as well as contributing over 100 polymer clay articles to numerous other books and magazines in the U.S., Great Britain, and Japan. Art/craft television shows have over 35 segments of Syndee’s projects.
Over 26 years later, she is still enamored with the clay table. Although she has retired from the “real job”, she is now the Sculpey Brand Ambassador, writing and traveling all over the world to talk about the product. A co-founder of the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild, she also counts many other guilds as her family guilds to as well, including Oklahoma Twisters, Ohio, New Jersey, Arizona and Orange County Guilds.
We know Syndee Holt as the Sculpey Brand Ambassador, traveling the world to teach, demo and share her enthusiasm for polymer clay. Syndee is equally as well known for her gorgeous photography. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Brooks Institute of Photography. She combines her 26 years of polymer clay experience with her 40 years of professional photography experience to show us some amazing science and art.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Time management can be an issue for a busy woman. For me, the key was to spend quality time with my kids and family where I focused just on them. I often planned our activities but made them seem like they were spur of the moment “adventures” – which to little boys is the BEST! I was the mom who walked every one in the beach in the evening after work in the Summer for a quick swim before dinner. I was the Band Mom, the Kendo Mom. And I cherished every moment of it because it was NOT work.
I do struggle to keep in touch with my neighborhood friends. I won’t lie, there were many times I was working on a deadline in my garage and I could hear my friends having an afternoon get together. But I cherish the moments that I can spend with them and I think that they are more special to me for that reason.
So, how did I carve out time for my design work? When I was working full-time, Sunday was my workday. So, I planned a dinner that could be made in the slow cooker or simmer on the stove while I worked. It was easy to do the laundry while I worked since my studio IS my garage.
My kids were (and still are) my best critics. They helped when I needed a second hand for my camera and, most importantly, as my best critics. I will never forget the time I asked my youngest son, Koji, what he thought of a piece that had languished in a corner of my worktable for several years. Since I’m driven to complete projects, I finally finished it one day. I asked him what he thought about it FINALLY finished. He made a very stern (and sad face) and said, “It looks like someone worked very hard on it… someone about 8…” Yikes! Rough, but true!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your business story. Tell us more about the business.
I work in a medium called polymer clay, which is a low fire clay (275 degrees in a home oven – no kiln). You think of it, we can probably create it. It’s an extremely versatile medium. I love working for the American brand company. I love showing other artists how they can use the material and all my quick tips I find while I create it.
I also love to show them how to take better photos of their work because of my photography background. Part of what I do for my company is to edit both the text and the photos submitted to them by artists for their social media. I create the SEO for their projects and blogs as well.
Social media is a huge part of this medium – we all talk, learn and show off our work on social media all over the world. Those of us who teach the medium travel all over the world to teach at the various guilds and groups that are formed.
I am known for “stupid simple” design (my term). I don’t believe that you need to suffer for your art THAT much. We are the only ones who understand the hours that can be put into a design. I had so little time in the working years (I’m retired from UCSD now), so my designs had to be quick, strong, clever and effective.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I was always so proud of my working mom and it was a given that I would work and raise a family as well. I have two super-strong daughters-in-law now. I’m immensely proud and supportive of their careers and goals.
Most women are excellent time-managers. Even those that are ALWAYS late know exactly how late they can be before real trouble and I think that they actually train us to accept their lateness. Time manipulators is what I think of my friends who have “time issues”. They might be the best time managers of all of us. Careers that reflect that amazing ability we have utilized our time are strong choices for us. When my boys were younger, I didn’t tell them to clean their room – I told them to take 11 minutes, 45 seconds to clean the edges of their room. Guess what? When you give ANYONE a task and the amount of time for the task – it gets done!
I also think social media is a woman’s domain. WE are the communicators, the coordinators, the educators, the glue that holds society together.
Politics is another rising area for women. More women are involved in the entire political process now and many more will soon be in those arenas. Again, WE are the communicators, coordinators, educators that hold society together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://synssculpeyblog.wordpress.com
- Email: synsnews@gmail.com
- Instagram: syndeeholt
- Facebook: syndee holt
- Twitter: @synsphotos
- Other: bit.ly/synsnews
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