Life & Work with Amanda Zindler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Zindler.

Amanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story I have been drawing and painting all of my life in Austin, Texas.

Growing up, I really enjoyed watching cartoons. When I was 9, The Powerpuff Girls made their first appearance on tv. Immediately after watching the first episode, I ran to my room, gabbed my markers, and drew the three colorful-big-eyed girls that I had just discovered. I had never seen anything drawn like that before. It was just so inspiring. Shortly after, I found anime and wow. That animation looked outta this world! The eyes and the way the hair was drawn, just stunning. The rules that I thought we had to follow, of making people realistic were now off the table.

I drew quite often during grade school but after high school, there were hand fulls of years where no inspiration took place. Up until three years ago, when I had my first child. While I was pregnant, I began to draw again and it was amazing. I even made and tried to sell prints of my art, only one sold. It was a little discouraging but I did get a few commission orders which was cool. Another year past and baby number two had arrived. Even though I was exhausted with two young children, I was inspired more than ever. I decided to dye some clothes for them. And boy, did they look cute in the colorful designs that happened so naturally in the fabric. I couldn’t stop after that. I Tiedyed even more children’s clothes and baby onesies for them.

My husband was all for my imaginative idea and encouraged me. I decided to make a small business out of it, and that business needed a logo. My oldest child is obsessed with dinosaurs and I like dinosaurs so heck, I know other children love them just as much. Boom, I drew and designed a genderneutral trex with a friendly smile and a friendly wave. It’s name is Ty Tyrannosaurus! Now as for the businesses name, I started to think – babies and kids cry quite a lot.. especially at the ages of my children. They also look super cute in tiedye. Thus, Cry Dye was born! I learned how to screenprint all on my own so I could put my trex on my colorful hand dyed garments. It was definitely an interesting process. Learning to screenprint and Tiedye all at once. I had never really dyed anything seriously before last year nor screenprinted.

My progress, amazes me. I’ve come such a long way in just under a year. I even started making prints of my art again! I haven’t given up, trying to get my art out there in the world. I mean people are wearing it on their backs! It’s an amazing feeling. Folks other than myself are really enjoy what I’m doing. You know, that makes me really happy. That other people like what I created.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am a full time stay at home mom, I take care of my three and one year old children. It can get a bit crazy around here! Especially during the pandemic, being isolated more than I’d like. You know being with young children all day is not so bad, but it does get overwhelming, and does not help with anxiety.

My Tiedye biz has really helped me mentally, I mean I’ve always struggled with anxiety and depression but connecting with other folks with my art has been really wonderful and helpful to me. Being a stay at home parent is really lonely honestly. Even though I’m almost never alone, it’s just not the same as being able to have a full on conversation with an adult. Being yelled at and getting frustrated by a small human trying to communicate the best they can daily, can be over stimulating. We are in fact able to communicate with each other and it’s gotten easier each day. As my children learn and grow, they help me grow alongside them!

In my dying world, that leaning process is continuous! I’ve found that the things that I think are mistakes and flat out ugly, surprisingly people fall in love with it. I’m just like really? You like this?! Sweeeet. I’m trying to be easier on myself and just let it flow when it comes to learning. I know we all have room to grow if willing, and I’m all for it.

Hand dying is just so unpredictable. You never know how the garment is going to wash out. I literally have to wait 24 hours if not longer to reveal it to myself. It needs to sit that long so the fabric gets fully saturated with color. When I wash and air dry the stuff that I made, and see the finished product, it’s a wonderful feeling. Especially when I just obsessed with the results.

Making my home life, being a mother, homemaker and making my business work is pretty tough at the end of the day. I’m really limited with the time I put into it. Prioritizing time for my babies, gorgeous husband and myself. The only solid business time I get is the weekends, and or when my husband is home and is able watch our babies. Not only is free time an issue, I don’t always have the materials needed to to said project on hand. I always make sure to tell my clients, give me a few weeks to get their order fulfilled. Generally people understand and I’m so grateful for that. Communication with my clients is huge. I let them be apart of the process by keeping them updated and pretty much building a relationship with them. I just think that helps me be a successful entrepreneur and keeps people coming back.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a creator. Illustrator. Textile artist. Painter. Entrepreneur. Mother. Wife. I am a renaissance woman! I currently specialize in hand dying my products at home. I started off with just regular unisex tee shirts, toddler/ kids shirts and baby bodysuits. As of this spring I started to branch off into crop tops and biker shorts. My favorite things to wear actually, crop tops and bike shorts. My use of color on them varies from purple to pink, to neutrals but I’m always testing out new colors. See which is a crowd favorite.

I mainly do ice dyes. It’s pretty much become my trademark. The outcome is just breathtaking. There’s so many ways you can apply the dye. So many ways you can fold material. The possibilities are literally endless. Each time you get a different result. All are one of a kind, just like you and me! And you know, you just can’t get the vibrant colored Tiedye that I do on clothes in a department store. I know the price difference is extremely out there. But come on, I’m proud of my work. It’s practically a painting!

For retailers, they catch on from what’s going on in the internet, and Tiedye is hot right now. They are sort of competition for my art. They sell cheap Tiedye printed shirts at big named stores for ten bucks, but 100 if not more people are already wearing it. I put so much love into my work that I can’t undersell my vibrancy.

Aside from tiedyeing, physically I’m known for my blue eyes, bangs and eyebrows. I love my tiny bangs and Spock brows. Even out in public when wearing a mask, that’s literally all you see anyways, coincidentally haha. Notably I do favor graphic eyeliner and makeup. It’s just so much fun!

I’m really into one line illustration drawings of flowers and portraits nowadays. It just comes so naturally and the outcome is so organic, I love it. The abstract feel, it really reflects off and incorporates my dyed stuff because a lot of the shirts I have dyed look like abstract paintings. The way that the colors flow and split off into different colors is just fascinating to me. I’m very passionate about what I do. I consider myself very, very lucky to be able to say that I do so. I look forward to what the future has in store for me because this is only the beginning.

Contact Info:

• Email: crydyeclothing@gmail.com
• Website: crydyebyamanda.etsy.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/crydyebyamanda
• Facebook: Facebook.com/crydyebyamanda