About Us

         

Our Focus:

Hello! I'm Mary Lessing, the founder of Sparrow Design Co. Apparel. This brand was created to help people share their love of Jesus with strangers, friends, and family. If you are like me, you might find it awkward to share your faith in an organic way. I found out pretty quickly, from having very visible, faith based tattoos, that people are curious. They are much more likely to ask you about a tattoo or a shirt than to just bring faith up. Our apparel is meant to be a tool in this journey, to start a conversation about faith. It doesn't need to be weird. Just be yourself and be honest. I'm giving myself this advice as much as I am suggesting it to you.

You may also be curious about our brand name and logo, the sparrow. My husband Jon and I have always held onto the verses about the sparrows when things got difficult. Matthew 6:25-26 says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more than they?"

Isn't that a beautiful image? Even in times when we feel forgotten or in despair, God cares about our needs. I'm very thankful for that fact. If you are facing hard times today, this verse may be for you too.

My Journey:

I grew up in the tiny town of Sims, IN, a bustling metropolis of 300 people. My artistic journey began as a kid, always creating things. I spent lots of time crafting things out of "trash" and drawing. When I moved to middle school and high school, I still hadn't lost my love for art, like most of my peers. It seemed like all my friends were heading in the direction of a "real job," but I never really saw that as my path. I wanted to be an artist.

I started attending Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN, in the fall of 1999. I decided to major in illustration and painting, and my dad made me major in art education as well, so that I could have a "real job" too. I quickly realized that art education wasn't for me because I hate public speaking. Watching videos of me speaking was a horrible experience...I was so boring! I kept up with the education studies though since my parents were helping pay for college. I spent most days till midnight in the art building and then I would start my other less important subjects.

I graduated in 2002 with great plans for impacting the world with my art. I just knew that God would use my talent for his kingdom. I got married to my husband Jon that summer. He was a graphic and photo major at the same university. Upon leaving school, I was very naive, and I grossly underestimated the time that I would have to spend in a room alone, toiling over my work. In college, people would stop by and visit and chat about what I was working on. The cold reality of solitude hit me. I wasn't making small paintings that I could finish in one afternoon. Some of my pieces took 100+ hours to complete. I felt defeated a bit because things were not rolling how I hoped they would in my career. I was working at Wal-mart on 2nd shift while Jon finished up school. We were flat broke too, as a newly married couple. 

Jon and I spent many years struggling as a couple to find work we loved. In addition to both working full time, we were scrappy at finding side gigs to stay afloat, but nothing major. I especially struggled to find meaning in the work I was doing, as my work rarely sold at shows. In 2010, we started our family. By 2012, we had two boys, Silas and Levi. I began to wonder if painting was worth the cost of the time I was missing out on with my family. 

From 2014 to 2018 I spent time apprenticing as a tattoo artist, and ultimately working at a shop. The first shop I apprenticed at had many talented artists, but it was a hostile environment. I left that shop after 9 months, thinking I would never do that job again. I got sucked back into tattooing in January 2018. That shop was not a good fit either. I did grow as an artist during that time, and I got a little more confident chatting with strangers. Having to small talk for 3+ hours is a very interesting experience. Once again, I found myself wondering if God would ever allow me to use my talents. I felt discouraged.

Fast forward to 2020, we found ourselves somewhat forced into homeschooling. The boys and I found that we liked it better than traditional school. It gave us so much freedom to do what we wanted in our day. In 2024, we are still on our homeschooling journey but now we live in Anderson, IN. My boys are 12 and almost 14 now, and growing up too fast for my liking.

I spent so many years being busy, it seems so odd to slow down. Homeschool is definitely a slower pace of life that I had to adjust to.  I found myself wondering how I could be a part of the greater commission of God. I see so few people. Of course, I try to shepard my boys in their relationship with Jesus, but I was wondering what else there was. The slowness of life also got me to start dreaming and thinking again about art. 

One afternoon, during homeschool, I was chatting with the boys about ways they could start working and saving for college. They mentioned drop shipping products and selling things. I mentioned t-shirts. Both boys liked the idea and began discussing the types of things they could put on the shirts and ways they could sell them. I thought it was a great idea. Sparrow Design Co. Apparel was born out of a simple conversation and 20+ years of me searching and desiring to use my talents for the kingdom of God. Whatever happens with this brand, I know my boys and I will learn a ton along the way. We hope that our products will be a blessing to you and those around you.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I'm excited to take you all along for the next part of my journey.

From my family to yours, God Bless!

-Mary