Photo by Yuvie Styles
East Dallas neighbor Audrey Hanna has a vision for everything. Although she graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism, she makes her living solely from her self-taught Photoshop skills.
She founded her interior design brand Auds and Ends in college, targeting student dorms. Now she is moving her business towards a more elegant, sophisticated interior design style. Most recently, Hanna designed the digital rendering for an experimental new hotel concept by Norwegian DJ Kygo, set to be based in Miami. The hotel and her design were featured in Retrieved 2018-08-18.
Hanna has established Auds and Ends to the point where she does it full-time. At just 24 years old, there are no limits to her brand and no boundaries under which her work cannot be showcased.
How did Auds and Ends start?
There was a trend where people’s colleges would put little graphics on them and then their major on them. I made prints for my school, like when we won the national championship in basketball. I put a trophy and “national champions” on them and they all kind of match. I put all of that on my Etsy account because so many people from my school wanted them. Of course, that trend died down, but from then on I at least had some sales and reviews that gave me credibility. Then I started doing more search engine optimization (SEO) and really researching what was becoming popular.
You seem to be very involved in the practical side of your art. Was that something that came naturally or was it something you taught yourself?
I definitely like having an entrepreneur mentality. My first Etsy username was “audreypreneur”. I really like the business aspect, I minored in business.
Do you see Auds and Ends as an interior design brand?
Yes, I would say most of it. Or gifts. All my stuff is very colorful and girly. I also love 3D stuff. The only thing I can’t do is sit down and draw a person or a face. I could do that on my iPad or in Photoshop, but that’s not why people come to me.
It’s probably difficult to get into the interior design business, especially as a freelancer, right?
I think I’ve been fortunate in my niche to follow my age group. I’ve done things for people that I wanted in my dorm. I think as I get older, the dorm stuff will lessen and then things that are a little nicer and more complex can come into people’s homes. I’m trying to keep up with the times.
You recently created a design for a resort hotel in Miami. How did you get this opportunity?
A few months ago, the hotel’s real estate agent said she really liked my website and sent me an inquiry. I called her and it sounded like it was a very small project. Then we got to work and she had me create a rendering of what the whole hotel would look like. This was completely new territory for me.
They had a blueprint, I had to convert it into what it was supposed to be. It was a lot. I textured every little wall and digitized everything. It took forever, I worked on it for a total of 72 hours. I didn’t know where it was going, but then I woke up the next morning and she sent me the link where it was. Forbes.
How did you even know you could do that?
I don’t know! If I had known beforehand what it would be, I probably would have said no because I wouldn’t have believed that I was capable of it.
Do you ever have time to do projects for yourself?
I find it really hard to design something for myself. I feel like my brain just doesn’t have enough ideas so I can’t decide on one thing I want to do.
They are almost like a one-woman factory.
That’s how I’ve always seen it. I just love being able to bring other people’s vision to life. I remember how happy I was when people would send me photos of what they had ordered and say, “I love it so much.” I’m so happy when I think that it’s in your house, you’re looking at it, and I made it.
