The true pursuing of dreams can be related to instances wherein one retires and decides to chase a career involving their creative endeavors. A woman in La Porte County, Sandra (Sandy) L. Young, arrived at the relaxing stage of retirement, and with that arrival, she has recently been making noise in the Region, assisted by her brilliant artistic vision.
The journey didn’t start in Indiana, though.
“I actually grew up in Central Illinois and went to a small rural high school called Jamaica High School,” Young said. “I’ve been in Northwest Indiana since 1990, having started out more in the St. John Township area and ending up over here in La Porte County.”
Now, Young’s entire focus lies within her efforts toward a specific passion of hers: writing.
“At this time, I am a writer. I retired as the Vice President of the Unity Foundation in La Porte County to write full-time.”
As a writer, there are various inspirations that influence talented minds like Young to go after the innovative wits inside the mind. Before taking to the bold decision of getting after lifelong pleasures, however, Young has had an extensive run with all sorts of unique experiences.
“I will say that, having based my debut novel, 'Divine Vintage,' in Michigan City, was a gratitude to La Porte County. That’s partly because I've done more than 75 theatre shows throughout the area,” she said. “And working with so many wonderful individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life, like my time with the Unity Foundation and being executive director of Healthy Communities of La Porte County for 11 years, have been very impactful experiences, and I’d say they have led me to structure my book how it is.”
Young’s book heavily involves vintage clothing, a love she has possessed for many years and expressed through creative pursuits. That exploration of one’s internal muses is necessary for writers of any field, something this new author has harnessed with ease.
“Around the time I was moving to Indiana, I started getting into the theatre. There, you're wearing a lot of different costumes, and I admired the uniqueness and beauty of vintage clothing. I started checking out stores, going to state sales, getting great bargains at that time. Eventually, I amassed a small bedroom’s worth of clothing as a collection,” Young said. “By this time, people see it as an art form, like I do.”
There are abundant worries when it comes to the effort that seems to be demanded of any fresh desire with art. Another boost to one’s ideas and aesthetic imagination are influences from established artists. Young got lucky and discovered Catherine Lanigan, a seasoned novelist, residing in La Porte County with over 45 published pieces.
“Lanigan read an early version of some of my work and encouraged me to turn 'Divine Vintage' into a full novel. And that gave me the momentum to believe in it, even though I put it down over the years and came back to it here and there. Here we are now, and I've been able to get it published by a small traditional publisher. I'm not self-publishing, and a big part of that was having an established writer be supportive of me early on,” she said.
Circling back to vintage clothing, Young’s fortune has extended to having coincidental friendships with Julie Berry, owner of a vintage-inspired clothing boutique called You-nique Bou-tique, and Roseann Phillips, an avid customer of the boutique and fan of the aged raiment. Through this relationship, the promotion of the new novel has been fluid.
“They are both lovely ladies, and I have known Roseann through Arts in the Park," Young said. "She's a very dedicated volunteer with that organization. With Julie, several years ago, we realized that we had this interest in vintage clothing and the arts. They realized they both knew me and were talking about my book coming out."
“I thought this would be such a great opportunity to support my book, with its emphasis on vintage clothing," Young continued. "Their store and their lines have a feminine, vintage-y feel, and we thought to combine it with these launch parties, and it was just so much fun. We had the first launch party and had maxed out RSVPs with 30 people. On April 5, we’ll be hosting a second party where I'll speak for a little bit and read a few pages. I will have books there to sell and sign. We'll have refreshments. It'll be a really great celebration."
The future is bright for Young, but that emphasis shouldn’t solely be polarized to these recent developments.
Apart from writing, Young is a busy woman. Her leisure time is poured into volunteering effort and plenty of other selfless services.
“I'm really into volunteering. I am the president of the Arson Park Organization for La Porte County. We put on a series of free concerts each summer,” she said. “I've always been very involved in a lot of volunteer efforts, which stem from my beliefs in giving back.”
To further explore the wondrous mind of Young and learn more about these launch parties, you can find her website at https://sandrayoungauthor.com/, where you can also purchase her novel.