Feb. 8, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Tyra Payne decided to share her love of art by starting a new business, Adorned Acrylics. She began by asking people if they wanted sports portraits, and her business has since grown to include portraits of singers, acrylic sound plates and abstract paintings.

Payne started out advertising on Snapchat and Instagram. Through Facebook, she became connected to regional makers who invited her to attend events like Black Expos and crafting events. During the summer of 2021, she had a pop-up shop at La Luna Cafe in Sioux Falls.

She started selling acrylic sound plates, which consist of a personalized picture on glass and then painted with a chosen song in the Spotify layout.

“Those were a huge hit,” Payne said. “That’s probably what got my business the most attention.”

Payne was inspired by ads she had seen for similar products and really enjoyed the personal touch afforded to the buyer. People are able to choose their picture, time stamp and song.

Later, she added abstract paintings made by herself and her mom. A painter as well, Payne’s mom had abstract paintings that they placed for sale through Adorned Acrylics. The duo continues to create more abstract art to sell.

“It’s cool just to have another edge on business and be able to provide a different demographic art for people,” Payne said. “Not everyone is looking for a portrait.”

What she has been studying at DSU as a business marketing major has helped her as she continues to develop her business.

“It’s been cool to take things from the classroom and install them into my business,” she said. Social media and e-commerce have enabled her to try things to see what works for her and what doesn’t.

“I like making infographics and videos and little ads for my business,” Payne said. “I think those are really fun, and I learn better ways to portray them in classes.”

Lessons from promotional marketing allowed her to understand what draws people to businesses and keeps them as customers.

“The theme of your business is really important, and learning how to captivate your customers is something that we learned and something that is really important to keep a good business going.”

It is not just the classes that have helped Payne but also the professors.

“My professors have set me up well to be able to know what I’m doing,” she said. “I don’t really have a ton of questions diving into it because they’ve set me up pretty well.”

One of those professors, Dr. Michael Roach, stresses the importance of networking when starting a business so you have extra resources if you need them, Payne explained. His push to have students start businesses if they have an idea really motivated her.

As Payne built her business, she went to the downtown Sioux Falls area and visited businesses to introduce herself, forming connections with higher-ups in the arts society in Sioux Falls.

“It was really beneficial, and I don’t think I would have done that if I hadn’t been in the classes that I am,” she said.

As a full-time student and student-athlete, Payne doesn’t have as much time to dedicate to Adorned Acrylics now, but after she graduates this spring, she hopes to create more time for it. For now, she’s taking only commissions and hopes in the future to open her own studio and gallery storefront in a smaller city.

To see Payne’s work or contact her visit Facebook or Instagram at @adornedacrylics.