Van life and hand-painted stickers create a successful business for the artist – Saint George News

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Ivins –Living life on the road as a full-time sticker artist wasn’t one creator’s original plan, but she’s taken a chance and grown her business to more than 130 stores nationwide, with designs sure to draw you in.

Artist Candice Larson at Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, date not disclosed  Photo by Kadis Larson, St. George News
Artist Candice Larson at Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, date not disclosed Photo by Kadis Larson, St. George News

Candice Larson, artist and owner of Candice’s Creations, says she has never taken an art class. Although she had no previous painting experience, she has done many other arts over the years, such as leatherwork and basketry, and has built her own cottage. She started drawing ten years ago and hasn’t stopped since.

“At first I didn’t think I was an artist,” Larson said. “I thought you had to do certain things to be an artist or to paint. Like you have to do landscapes or be a painter, and I was neither of those things.

She began attending farmers’ markets and art shows, selling hand-drawn designs on cards and other paper goods. One day she decided to turn her drawings into stickers and was shocked by the response. She started with 10 designs and continuously added more sticker designs. As the sticker business grew, she ditched her paper products and went full on stickers.

Larson said she started planting and selling her stickers to a few local businesses outside of the weekend market. As she found her stickers in several stores, she said the business owners loved the hand-drawn designs, which set them apart from anything they had in their stores before.

Custom Utah sticker design painted by Kadis Larson shown, location and date unspecified |  Photo by Kadis Larson, St. George News
Custom Utah sticker design painted by Kadis Larson shown, location and date unspecified | Photo by Kadis Larson, St. George News

When the epidemic hits and her life changes, she decides to take her life on the road, living full-time in her van and selling her stickers to stores across the country.

“That’s all I did last year,” Candice said. “I live in my car and travel. My Stickers are now available in eight states and many stores. I am very blessed and it has been very successful so far.”

Larson said her stickers are currently sold in 130 stores across the country, including Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nebraska and Hawaii. She continues to grow her business as she travels and visits each store to speak personally with business owners.

The stickers created by Candice are currently featured in 18 different Utah stores from Spanish Fork to St. George. Originally from Spokane, Washington, Larson said she lived all over Utah before Van’s life and loved the entire state.

“I think Utah is one of the best states,” she said. “Being in the desert – I love the desert – but I also love lakes and mountains.”

Enjoying life on the road, Larsen is currently based in Colorado and continues to travel the western United States. She plans to go to Grand Teton National Park next, and says she’s going there because the tourists mainly buy her products.

“I’m going to roll with the sticker thing,” Larson said. “As long as people buy stickers, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Larson said she often receives messages on social media asking how she got the life she has now. She is happy to tell her story and give tips and tricks to others.

In her experience, Larson says the first two things people look for in running a small business are confidence and quality products, and she offers “the best sticker you can have” in terms of quality and design.

To view available stickers, visit Kandis created website. Follow Larson Instagram To follow her adventures on the road.

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Copyright Saint George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.



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