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On the Cover: Sharon Lee Clark
from Issue 31
On the Cover: Sharon Lee Clark
Groomed as an artist from a young age to continue her mother and grandfather’s legacy, Sharon earned a B.A. from UCLA art school, a Masters of Interior Architecture from UCLA/Cal Poly, and worked as an interior designer at Michael S. Smith.
In 2012, Sharon founded Krane Home to share her modernized interpretation of Korean Art with the Interior design world. Her art and decor are beloved by homeowners and designers worldwide and her work has been featured in every major design magazine.
Contact Sharon
I grew up in Los Angeles, CA, and since my dad was a doctor and my mother was an artist, there was a high expectation for academic excellence in our household. I was also always encouraged to pursue my early affinity for fine art; their dream was for me to be the first in the family to attend art school. My parents sent me to all the best art programs: Oxford, England, to study plein air painting, Summer school at Pasadena Art Center, a summer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a summer in Spain at the Universidad Complutense. Once, I even had a Disney animator tutor me at my house! I know it’s because of them that I have been able to create and establish a career for myself as an artist and designer. My parents are immigrants from Korea, and I am thankful to them beyond the depths of my heart for pouring all their resources into me my whole life. There were times when I was embarrassed by my heritage, but I learned to harness what is unique and special about me, which is my Korean culture.
I will always be eternally grateful to my parents for allowing me to fully embrace life as a young artist.
My art practice has been an exploration of my identity as a Korean and an American since high school, and it has created a profound and never-ending, meaningful art practice and life for me. I was awarded the school prize in visual arts at Harvard Westlake High School. That was a turning point because it made me feel like I had become a real artist. I wore it as a crown of confidence (along with being voted best dressed, ha!) In all seriousness, fashion was always a massive part of my creative discovery as a child; and still is today. I would go thrifting with my older sister, and together we poured through piles of clothes to figure out what spoke to us aesthetically; unbeknownst to us then, we were building our brands.
My mom is incredibly inspiring because she is an accomplished and accredited Korean folk art painter, talented pianist, florist, and arts philanthropist. Although I wanted to become an artist my whole life, I needed to discover myself after college and rebelled a little by pursuing set design and interior design. That led me to a Master’s in interior architecture and a job as a designer at Michael Smith while they were working in the White House for the Obamas. It was a challenging training ground, but I am forever grateful because I learned everything I needed to know to start my own company in 2012.
I started with a solo art show at the Korean education center that sold out, encouraging me to follow my dream of founding a home decor company based on my artwork. Krane Home was born in 2013. It’s been ten incredible years of married life to my wonderful husband Max, creating two beautiful boysConrad and Warner - (I joke that the wallpaper boom coincided with my baby boom!) and slowly and consistently coaxing along my business and art career simultaneously.
My dad would always say: ‘life is a marathon’ - keep showing up, continue with your routine each day, and take action toward your goal. One day you’ll achieve whatever you want.
I was born with determination and persistence that almost borders on OCD! My mom and dad taught me to go for things I never thought possible because they might just happen to me! The desire to hustle and the sheer force of will to succeed (by an immigrant family and their children) is a superpower. Everything I have done so far is because I took a risk, even though I knew I could fail hard. My parents taught me that you can’t dwell on failures. You have to keep going.
I was born with determination and persistence that almost borders on OCD! My mom and dad taught me to go for things I never thought possible because they might just happen to me! The desire to hustle and the sheer force of will to succeed (by an immigrant family and their children) is a superpower. Everything I have done so far is because I took a risk, even though I knew I could fail hard. My parents taught me that you can’t dwell on failures. You have to keep going.
THE EARLY YEARS
As a child, I remember going over to my grandparent’s apartment. My grandfather was an artist in Korea. He painted movie billboards for the American soldiers to earn money for medicine and food for their families during the war. He could buy penicillin with the money and saved my uncle’s life. My grandfather’s passion was drawing and painting. He had a disability, so he did not attend college in the US like his brothers and sisters. Instead, he stayed behind on the family ranch with all his beloved animals and would paint them constantly. He was so good at drawing animals. One day, I told him I was so bad at drawing horses. He taught me some techniques, and I still think about his advice today. He was the one who taught me how to sharpen a pencil with a knife, which made for a better sketch. The art inspiration in my family didn’t stop there. I remember our dining table covered with paintings in progress on which my mother was working. She is one of the best artists I know; she is talented beyond measure. Her commitment to each completed piece inspires me whenever my brush touches a surface. I have many of her works in my home and even offer several as art prints on my website.
LEARNING THE BUSINESS
I have studied and worked as an artist my entire life, but I wanted to put my entrepreneurial spirit to work. When I was little, I would craft flowers to sell to my mom and her friends. At 16, I started a company selling jewelry to local stores. I knew I didn’t want to sit in a studio and make paintings alone. The idea was to develop a product to replicate that showcases my paintings and art so people everywhere could learn about and appreciate the modernized Korean art I paint. I studied interior design because I was very interested in how art and decor come together to create a home.
After a tenure as a designer at Michael Smith about 11 years ago, I decided to strike out on my own. I had a solo art show at the Korean education center, and from these sold-out pieces, I created a wallpaper line called Krane Home. The company quickly gained popularity amongst designers for its bold, unique patterns and saturated colors. Each design motif symbolizes something in Korean art: Cranes for longevity, Peony flowers for abundance and wealth, Tigers for protection, Monkeys for luck and Lotus for purity
Designers and homeowners loved the meaning behind the patterns, and I loved sharing that with them. We added fabric by the yard to the line, and art prints, pillows, and a baby line. I’m very proud of what I have created; each homeowner who has chosen Krane Home knows that what they selected will never go out of style. After all, I named the company after the Crane, which in Korean culture is the most potent symbol of longevity; they live an average of 30 years (up to 80 years) and mate for life. I wanted to call it Crane with a “K” for Korean as a nod to my life mission to share Korean art with American families.
You have to be brave, bold, and be yourself. That is what will pave your brand aesthetic.
In the beginning, when I was developing my wallpaper collection, my printer hesitated to mix the colors I wanted for the wallpapers and hand-printed fabrics because they were too vibrant and too bright. One of them refused to incorporate the pink for my royal pineapple in pink. He said the shade of pink wouldn’t sell. Interestingly enough, these saturated colors, which weren’t on the market then, make my brand stand out. At this point, most designers and home decor lovers can pick out a Krane Home wallpaper in a room instantly. I also made it a point to create patterns unavailable on the market. While working at Michael Smith, I started organizing fabric samples in their showroom.
There was nothing, and I mean nothing, inspired by Korean art, and I was determined to create something unique and new from my culture. Our Tiger and Magpie pattern is bold, with 15-inch traditional Korean tigers roaming the handprinted rolls. When I was developing it, everyone warned me it wouldn’t sell. Well, it ended up on the cover of Luxe magazine and has been featured widely in numerous publications; when you’re a creative of any kind, you can’t pay attention to what others think will or will not sell.
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
When I first decided to start a textile line based on my art, several people told me not to bother because the competition was fierce and it would be useless to try. I’m thrilled I didn’t listen because I wouldn’t have created Krane Home if I had. I’ve experienced a lot of ‘nos’ on my journey, and I’ve learned that any successful person had to get rejected a ton before they came to those key ‘yes’ moments that helped propel them to where they are today. It’s not easy starting a business, but I will say that all you have to do is start. If you’re considering starting a business, I think it is one of the most brilliant things we can do for ourselves. Entrepreneurship creates independence and feeds our creative passion. There’s nothing complicated about starting a business. The hard part is the grind of it. Put one foot in front of the other even when you feel you’re moving backward instead of forward some days. But my husband and I always joke that the leaders and people at the top of each industry are simply the people who just kept going for many, many years. We say, “Ha! I’m still standing!” And that’s all that matters! One day you’ll find yourself on top of the mountain and wonder why you ever had those days where you were doubtful at all. Everyone has it in them to share their talent with the world in a creative way. As women, we need to encourage each other and bring women together to uplift each other.
If you have a business idea, don’t wait another day. Just start.
Hop on your city’s website and grab a resale license (if that is what’s required). Grab a domain name from any hosting site. Learn how to build a simple website yourself on YouTube and launch it. Create that Instagram profile today, not tomorrow. Focus on taking action to get what you want. It would help if you started building a customer base. Start making the product that you want and start selling it. You don’t need to have anything fancy. As long as your product and service speak for themselves, then people will come to support you. Once you have sales, you can use that toward building your brand. It took many iterations and slow building to get to where my company is now. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, even if it’s imperfect. Perfection is a kind of evil. I’m a recovering perfectionist, so I tell my kids daily, “Perfect doesn’t exist.” Waiting for perfection before launch is any entrepreneur’s biggest Achilles’ heel.
Being a boss is not for everyone; you do not have stability. Everything is up to you in terms of reaping what you sow. But on the flip side of that, entrepreneurship is perfect for you if you need to have more flexibility in your day (and if you’re a mom) and you get a thrill out of taking home every dollar of what you pour your hard work into. You will flourish. Don’t wait another day. Just start somewhere! Even if it’s not perfect.
SUPPORTING WOMEN
Everyone who knows me knows that I am a fierce collaborator! I am obsessed with meeting new women who are passionate about something. I am everybody’s biggest cheerleader, no matter what you do! If you are in my circle - which is very large on purpose - I am promoting you, encouraging you, and showing up for you. We should all do that for the women in our lives. There’s enough business to go around. We hear this constantly, but it is magic when we rise together! You need the help of your female friends and supporters to reach your goals. And, if you collaborate, chances are you’ll find yourself far and away past your initial goals, and you’ll catapult into the stars where we all belong! Finding strategic ways to collaborate and taking action on these ideas is vital to the success of women in business. I’m constantly thinking of ways to create excitement around multiple brands at once. Maybe it’s an event? Perhaps it brings in a charity that you all love to support! Maybe it’s a limited edition product? Perhaps you’re just going to plan a dinner with a group of incredible female entrepreneurs that should know each other! The guaranteed result is dynamic, magnetic, and catalytic when you get multiple strong women in the room together.
MY PERSON
My greatest supporter is my husband, Max. We are complete opposites in every sense of the word. It must be tough for him (as someone in Tech with an analytical brain who owns an IT Brokerage) to live with an artist! But despite our ‘opposites attract’ relationship, he is always the first person to support me, comes to my events, gives me fantastic business advice, and helps me with all of my Tech (such a bonus!) He gives me the emotional support I need at a hard day’s end.
Max, I love you and you are a huge reason why I am where I am today! All of this is for our family at the end of the day and I always joke that I am our retirement plan since I am going to be painting when I’m old and gray.
WHAT’S NEXT
My collaboration with my dear friend and superstar fashion designer (and fellow mompreneur) Ese Azenabor has set the bar high! Her couture designs are the ultimate canvas for my paintings. It’s everything to me to collaborate in a meaningful and explosive way with a fellow female boss lady and mom. This is a long-term collaboration and will extend far beyond the excitement of our runway show.
Fashion has always been a massive part of my life and who I am as a creative person and artist. I know that foraying into the fashion world in tandem with the best in the industry is where I want to be; I will continue to move toward the future. Of course, I’m always looking at expanding and building my wallpaper company Krane Home, continuing my career as a fine artist, and doing art shows collaboratively, which is all a lifetime endeavor.
