Building a sand castle is one of the most universal childhood experiences. Putting sand in a bucket, flipping it on its head, and then praying the sand stays intact as you remove the bucket is a moment most of us can identify with. And if you’re Janel Hawkins, founder, owner, and master sculptor at Sand Castle University, you’ve taken this basic human experience and built your entire art practice, career, and life around it.
Located in Hawkins’ hometown of Gulf Shores, Alabama, Sand Castle University offers sand sculpting classes and installations to help spread the love of the art form. Hawkins’ journey to sand sculpting and opening her own business has always been guided by her innate and infectious passion for it. I recently had the joy of talking with her directly about her journey, her business, and the life lessons sand sculpting has taught her over the years. Our conversation is below, edited lightly for clarity and length.
How did you first get into the unique art of sand sculpting?
I grew up on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, but I had never built a sand castle. I did that thing where I flip over a bucket and get frustrated and go play in the water, so I had no sand sculpting experience. Then I went on my senior trip in high school to the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, and I saw my first ever professional sand sculpture. I thought it was really cool and I took photos, but I didn’t really think anything of it.
I went off to college in Florida, and as a broke college kid I needed a job. I went onto Craigslist, and there was an ad for a sand sculpting apprentice. It said, “No experience necessary, come try out.” And I thought that was cool and crazy so I applied there, and then found it on every other site the job was listed on and applied to them all. I really, really wanted to get the job! So I tried out, and I got it! I was with that company in Florida for three years before I decided I wanted to do my own thing.
How did you parlay that apprenticeship into a full-blown business and your livelihood?
There wasn’t a sand sculptor in Gulf Shores, Alabama or on the Alabama coast at all, and I missed home anyway, so I quit and I dropped out of college. I was going into my senior year and I dropped out, I moved back home to Gulf Shores, and I started up Sand Castle University. Sand sculptors usually stay in one spot and make a business out of sand sculpting, or they do the circuit where they go all around the country traveling as sand sculptors, and I knew I didn’t want to do that. So I started teaching classes as a tourism activity since we’re a tourism-based economy down here. That allowed me the space to pay my bills and I didn’t have to become a great sand sculptor right then, I could organically work through what kind of artist I wanted to be and what I wanted to focus on with sand sculpting. I was low and slow starting the business; I was 22 when I started, I had no idea what I was doing, fumbling my way through business ownership and being a professional artist.
And then COVID happened. So it was 2020, and our beach had been closed; in the middle of Spring Break they closed for two weeks when COVID first hit. I was freaking out, as most people were, and I had a truckload of sand delivered to my house. I started sand sculpting in my front yard on a pile of sand, and live-streaming it on the internet and making videos. That’s how our social media first started.
At that point, I thought my sand sculpting gig was over; it had played itself out when COVID happened. But when we opened back up, the state of Alabama recommended us as one of the safe activities because our classes are private groups and they’re outdoors. Then I was dealing with a flourishing social media career, as well as my business going from zero to 100; I worked 72 days straight that year. It was the first year I hired employees, I quit all my other side jobs, and realized that this could really be something.
How did that sudden growth land with you?
I had a lot of guilt, because my business was flourishing in multiple ways during this obviously terrible, traumatic time for a lot of people. So a lot of my friends were getting let go, and I’m over here trying to hire them to come build sand castles with me. I had to work through a lot of guilt and came to the conclusion that at least something good came out of it, for someone; at least a small business and an artist was able to find some type of silver lining to the obviously terrible situation.
A lot of my friends were getting let go, and I’m over here trying to hire them to come build sand castles with me.
Not to mention your business offered joy and a creative outlet to people in an incredibly dark time when those things were in an extremely short supply!
Once at the beginning of 2021, I came into a class and there was a young kid there, and the family was like, “You’re the first person outside of his family he’s ever met because of COVID.” I love working outdoors. I love the collaboration of nature and art— I can’t work in a studio. I’m not an indoor person at all. I’m not a computer person. So seeing other people understand that they love what I do for the same reasons I love it via COVID was really cool to see.
Can you elaborate on the classes you offer at Sand Castle University?
We structure it very similar to a university, which is actually hilarious considering I dropped out of college, but then I called my business Sand Castle University. It’s an irony that still haunts me to this day.
We have Sand Castle 101, Sand Castle 201, and Sand Castle 301. 101 is an hour-long beginner sand castle class, where everyone makes their own thing— we have different options: turtle or birthday cake. Then our Sand Castle 201 is two hours, and it’s more of an advanced class; we have a sand castle option and a creature option. We also have a sand castle showdown class which is a competition-style class. Then our 301 class is our new option this year that’s a three-hour long advanced class where people have to have some type of sand sculpting experience, whether it’s with us, with another sand sculptor, or on their own.
I dropped out of college, but then I called my business Sand Castle University. It’s an irony that still haunts me to this day.
Who are your typical students?
We have mostly tourists. We are a huge part of our community in Gulf Shores, and make sure that we give back. So usually the locals have their families come down, or they know people who come down, and they promote us through word of mouth.
The connection aspect of classes is something that will never get old.
And our students are all ages. Our average class is between five and seven people, and then at least two generations, but we’re even trending toward three generations in a class. The way that we structure our classes is group pricing, and that really encourages an entire family to participate, because it’s usually not any more expensive. The connection aspect of classes is something that will never get old. They’re all put on the same playing field; no one’s ever done this before. So like, little Timmy is teaching dad how to build a window because he’s good at that. It’s fun to see the dynamics within a class, and to be able to facilitate connection within groups like that.
When it comes to the craft of sand sculpting itself, what is it about the medium of sand that you enjoy so much? What sets sand apart from other mediums?
The first thing that drew me to sand is that the canvas is the beach. I grew up on a beach, and I absolutely love the idea of being outside, being able to look up and see the water, just the nature aspect of it. Like I said, I’m not a studio person. I don’t like being inside.
The other part is connection. I love public art. It’s almost a performance art when I’m sculpting on the beach; when I’m out on public beaches, people are more than welcome to walk up to me. And I like that it’s its own gallery. I don’t have to contact galleries, I don’t have to promote myself as an artist. I just get to go out and do it, and people get to enjoy it for free. It’s very community-building in that aspect.
People think that I’m going to be upset or that it’s some type of negative thing that my sculptures don’t last forever, but if I had a house full of three-ton sand sculptures, I would lose my mind.
And then I love that it’s temporary. I love that they don’t last forever. We love to smash our sculptures when we’re done, which started as an ode to our “Leave Only Footprints” ordinance in Gulf Shores. During sea turtle season, we want the beaches as flat as possible. Sea turtles have terrible eyesight and any type of disorientation will potentially lead to their demise, whether that’s a beach chair or a sand castle. So we started smashing our sculptures as a “save the turtles” thing, and then I just leaned into it really hard. Now I’ve gotten to the point where I will invite people that I see on the beach to come smash a sculpture. People think that I’m going to be upset or that it’s some type of negative thing that my sculptures don’t last forever, but if I had a house full of three-ton sand sculptures, I would lose my mind.
It makes me really put my all in at that moment. It’s only going to happen one time. If I want to do the sculpture again, if I want to continue this, I have to come out and do the entire process again. So I really hone in and focus on making it the best sculpture in that moment. Then on the opposite side of that, if I don’t like it, it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to last. So I get to play both sides of that coin.
That’s such a unique relationship to have to your work as an artist. And a healthy life philosophy too!
Choosing sand sculpting as a medium has made me grow as a person way more than I think I ever would have without it. I’m much calmer and more understanding and present. The fact that I’m able to be present in the moment, whether that’s with my sculptures or with my friends and family, is so nice.
Choosing sand sculpting as a medium has made me grow as a person way more than I think I ever would have without it.
Then the fact that it’s temporary caused us to really lean into social media. The way that I save my sculptures is I film and edit videos of the process and put it out to the world. That started as just me wanting to preserve them, and has turned into this other community-building aspect on the internet.
What are some of the main lessons you’ve learned from the sand sculpting art form and the philosophy around it?
I have a saying that just because it doesn’t last forever, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth doing. That’s something that I obviously live by as an artist and as a human.
It’s just sand castles, but it’s so much more than sand castles. Finding the balance in the middle of, it doesn’t matter, but it really matters as much as you want it to.
My goal is to essentially save the art of sand sculpting. I love walking on the beach and seeing other people’s sand sculptures and other people’s art; I think it’s so fun and so cool. And the fact that I’m able to kind of make that happen… I think I’ve definitely increased the number of sand sculptures in Gulf Shores, in Orange Beach, Alabama, just by being here.
My goal is to essentially save the art of sand sculpting.
What’s surprised you the most about your sand sculpture journey and career so far?
How much people care. I always did this for me; I blew up my life in order to come create Sand Castle University, and I made sure that it was for me. But then to have that full-circle moment of realizing that learning myself and knowing myself and doing something for my own joy and my own gratitude— people are drawn to that. I was going to do it regardless, and because I was going to do it regardless, we now have millions of followers. I have the entire city of Gulf Shores behind me. But even if it all went away tomorrow, I would still be out there building sand castles. It all came from the passion inside me, regardless of whether anyone cared or not, made people care. It was insane. I didn’t expect that at all.
Even if it all went away tomorrow, I would still be out there building sand castles. It all came from the passion inside me, regardless of whether anyone cared or not, made people care.
It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened in my life. When I first started, I was so afraid of everything falling apart. But now that I’m at this level of success, I know that if, for whatever reason, it did all fall apart, I get to do what I love every single day. And that’s all I could ever ask for in life.
The post Janel Hawkins Blew Up Her Life to Build Sand Castles, and Has Now Built so Much More appeared first on PRINT Magazine.