Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Mayer.
Hi Sasha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been interested in drawing and storyteller. I’d tell my parents I wanted to be an artist and a writer, and while they loved that idea for me, they would remind me that I also needed to make a living, ha! So I went to design school in Boston “ MassArt” to be a Graphic Designer. This was a profession that was practical and hopefully would be fulfilling too. Although illustration was my true love, I figured I could do design and “go back to it one day after I “built a comfortable career”.
After school, I moved out to LA for an adventure and immediately started designing in the children’s entertainment industry. In a few years, I ended up designing packaging for the doll division at Mattel. I LOVED working on dolls because each doll had a background story you could work with, and creating the packaging was like creating a window into each doll’s story. The Barbie Collector dolls were some of my favorites, so detailed, and I could be creative with the packaging!
The most exciting thing that happened at Mattel was that I helped to invent, pitch and sell-in a new brand called Monster High. This brand was just a spark of an idea in 2007, but it has since become a multi-billion dollar success for Mattel. The original idea was drummed up by a friend of mine in packaging, Garret Sander, who had the idea of doing dolls of “Monsters we all know and love, but in Highschool”. He told a few of us friends/co workers about the idea and we all knew immediately it was something special. We were all attracted to the storytelling element of a doll like this, and who doesn’t like monsters! We brainstormed, drew up the dolls, created names and characters and pitched the idea to management. Management flipped—they saw a hit. And it really really was. Once the pitch was done, many many people got involved in making that brand such a big success… But I loved that I was there at the very beginning.
After almost 10 years at Mattel, I started itching to work on my own and create my own stories. So I left Mattel in 2015 with the idea that I would do freelance design and I’d learn how to write and illustrate children’s books. (Children’s books seem like the perfect medium for me—a way to combine my lover of both storytelling and drawing!) I got very lucky. After one UCLA course on children’s book writing, I met a few amazing women. We all became part of this powerhouse writing group called—(yes we’ve given ourselves the name)—the Creative Beasts. Together we took more classes and started meeting every few weeks to critique our writing. What’s amazing about this group of six women is when we met, no one had sold a book yet, or even had an agent. Six years later, almost everyone in the group has sold (at least one) book!
A few years ago it was my turn. I’d been working on my book dummy “Squash”. I was dragging my feet about showing it to an agent. I was intimidated, I’d worked on different versions of this book for about 5 years before getting up the courage.
During the pandemic things went into full gear, I had a little more time to work, noodle, and rewrite… and I got up the hutzpah to send it out. The second agent I sent it to said she wanted to represent me… I was flabbergasted and of course over the moon.
Two years later the book is sold and it’s part of a two-book deal with Penguin Randomhouse. The first one: SQUASH, THE CAT comes out in the summer of 2023. The sequel I’m working on now, and it comes out in 2024. Honestly, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do this. To be able to do this, get paid, and share my stories with children everywhere, that feels like a dream come true.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles:
Leaving my corporate job– the golden handcuffs– for a freelance life took a huge amount of strength. I talked about it for many years, planned, got scared, held back, and finally made the leap with the help of my husband and good friends. But it was scary because I was raised on the belief that the best situation was a stable that paid. I had two kids, insurance, 401k, with my Mattel job. And my husband worked for himself, so there was no cushion. However, after years in the corporate world, I felt like my soul was slowly being deflated. Mattel can be a great company, but I had dreams to do something on my own, explore my own creativity, see what I could do as ME… not just a packaging designer. I am SO GLAD I made that leap but it was definitely not easy.
Even after I finally left, it was hard. I felt lonely. I had worked for a company that was all “go go go 24-7”. Hundreds of emails, hundreds of meetings weekly, lots of people all day every day. Suddenly I was alone in my home office. Who was I? It took many months and years of adjustment.
Other struggles: Not believing I had what it takes to write. My confidence improved with a lot of moral support from my husband, writing group, friends and community. I knew I had things to say but I didn’t know if it was really worth sharing. Putting yourself out there as a creative is never easy, it takes a lot of egos to keep going… a lot of “faking it to make it” self-talk.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a graphic designer, writer and illustrator.
I’m most proud of my childrens book coming out this summer called SQUASH, THE CAT. I wrote and illustrated it. It’s sequel comes out in 2024!
I love working for and with children. My drawings are loose and whimsical, the writing is simple, but I’m all about capturing big kid-like emotions in my writing. I want to explore the feelings kids are dealing with day to day and help them manage their big feelings through my stories.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m a total psychology book nerd. I am constantly reading books and listening to podcasts on neuroscience, attachment science, mental health, etc. I sometimes toy with taking on becoming a therapist as a “later in life” career. HA, another career switch!
Contact Info:
- Website: sweettoothdesign.com (design site) sashamayer.myportfolio.com (illustration site)
- Instagram: @sashamayer.draws
