Meet Myan Duong – UX Designer, Jewelry Designer, and Pinterest Influencer!

Myan Duong is a user interface and experience designer that designs apps by day and designs jewelry and accessories by night. She was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota and currently lives in Austin, Texas with her college sweetheart. In her spare time, Myan can be found taking photos, doing home improvement projects, trying new restaurants, and “wasting her life away” collecting the best GIFs the internet has to offer. She’s also dreams of owning a frenchie. Myan’s love for accessories, beautiful images, and design has earned her over 365K Pinterest followers!

When did you start using Pinterest and what inspired you to make an account?

I believe I started using Pinterest in early 2010 and it was like the clouds of heaven opened when I realized how useful it was to me. I could finally have a place to save all the amazing internet obsessions I had in one place. Generally, I have a folder on my desktop of all kinds of crazy things I discover online, but there was never an efficient way to figure out where they came from. At that point, I was pushing it on everyone I knew like a regular Pinterest evangelist. Once it caught on, I was secretly patting myself on the back like I had something to do with it.

Why do you like Pinterest?

Pinterest allows me to take a really good look at the things I’m drawn to. After you pin for a while, you start to see your tendencies and things that move you. It’s pretty cool to have something tangible like that show you something so intangible. For a designer, I think it’s really important to define what kind of maker you are and how to hone in on that. Not to mention, I’ve met more people through Pinterest than I have any other social media which I think is totally unexpected, but really nice.

You have gained over 364K followers! Fantastic! So what makes your Pinterest unique?

I’m pretty much just as flabbergasted by that number as the next person. I’m not sure what makes it unique, my only hunch is that it might be the OCD I have when it comes to what and how I choose what goes on the boards. I like to think it’s really clear what each board is about when you arrive and causes a visceral response.

Myan and boyfriend Adam | Photo cred: Kyle Mills

Your Pinterest says you’re living in Texas. Very cool! What do you like about it there?

I don’t care what anyone says, Texas is pretty damn cool. Sure, there are cows chillin’ next to freeways and I see the occasional everyday man riding a horse downtown, but there is something really freaking awesome about how country meets city. People are so friendly it’s a little scary at first, but I don’t see the appeal of an unfriendly one. There are so many talented designers and artists in general here, not to mention we’re the live music capital of the world. I’ve lived here most my life and it’s never ceased to surpass my expectations in the great people and great places it has to offer… and I mean, Texas gave us Friday Night Lights, that speaks for itself.

Myan’s hometown – Austin, Texas

Tell us more about your Pinterest boards. What are your favorite boards to pin on and why?

Picking a favorite board is kind of like picking a favorite kid. It all comes down to what mood I’m in. Apt Sweet Apt is great when I’m nesting and To Wear is good for when I have the itch to shop. It all just depends on my many moods.

Your “To Gawk At” and “To Partay” boards are great! Great selections of pins. Tell us more about them and why you made them.

To Gawk At was created to capture really great installation art. I use it partly to inspire me when I’m trying to come with interesting ways to create jewelry displays. People find really incredible to make spaces completely surreal. I love looking at that board for that reason. To Partay is my “plan-everyone’s-wedding/baby shower/birthday” board. (My personal wedding board is secret, of course). I’ve been involved in my fair share of weddings and shower planning and this board is super helpful when it comes time to think of really fun, interesting party ideas for my friends and family.

Have you traveled much? If so, where and when?

Sadly, I can’t say that I’m much of a world traveler, but my last few trips to Marfa, Texas, and Seattle/Vancouver were super fun. I’m a sucker for quaint and unexpected places. Marfa is a must if you take any road trip. Vancouver is just beautiful.

My girlfriends and I went to Seattle and Vancouver on a bachelorette trip. It was incredibly beautiful in November. The leaves we’re changing (which we hardly see in Texas) and we did a lot of eating. The public market was super cute and we rented a car to visit Vancouver to eat some more (the bride was proposed to there). It’s such a lovely town, totokaelo is one of my fave shops and it’s based there also. The most memorable part, which may not have much to do with Seattle, was that we arranged to have a Hangover themed photo shoot at the hotel to commemorate our friend’s single days. We pretty much just created a ruckus all over the hotel. The pictures started off being really normal and progressively more and more ridiculous. So much fun.

Myan and her friends’ bachelorette ‘hangover’ photoshoot

What is your Pinterest aesthetic/style?

I’m really drawn to just pure, clean minimalism, but I have my bouts of peppering in some super random eclectic things every now and then. Japanese and Scandinavian design – I’m all over it.

Tell us more about your passion for design and style!

I’m sure every designer is going to tell you that they’ve aspired to be a creator their whole lives and I’m no different. I knew at a pretty young age that art school was going to be my route – let’s just say that math wasn’t my forte. After going from studying graphic design to architecture to product design, I finally felt like I found something that satisfied my design appetite. Now it’s infiltrated everything I do and every decision I make… “Is this soap good? Whatever, the packaging is cuuuuute.”

Tell us more about Hidden Vices. How did that get started?

I did a few retail stints after college because designing 24 hours a day was very wearing and I needed a mental break. Barney’s New York had a particular effect on me because I had beautiful, well-designed things to stare at all day. It had part in inspiring the decision to try my hand at making jewelry. It’s been an addiction ever since because it involves package design, displays, marketing, etc. It’s nice to have a different way to express my design ability, away from a computer. I just really love to make things… what’s better than making something I can wear?

Myan’s jewelry line, Hidden Vices | Photo cred: Kyle Mills

What are your plans and hopes for the future?

It’s hard to say. I love to do so many things… it’s safe to say that I’ll be making things until I’m old and feeble. I’d like to see how far I can take my jewelry line, while juggling other awesome ways to design. Teaching would be a great alternative to that too. We’ll see!

Connect with Myan!

Pinterest – Hidden Vices Website – Hidden Vices Twitter – Facebook Page – Instagram

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