Off to Work with a Mac, Garden Gloves and a Bit of Concrete

What do a dot com illustrator, garden associate and construction specialist have in common? In the case of Joey Young, they’re all the same person.

Joey is a garden associate in Atlanta, Ga., an illustrator for homedepot.com and a specialist in construction and concrete acid staining.

So how does someone like Joey take gardening, drawing and concrete staining and turn it into a career? It all started in high school when he drew a cartoon rendition of Macbeth for an English assignment. Joey, and others, began to realize he had a talent.

Working with his hands to create products of the imagination, Joey found an obvious fit in construction after high school. While working in construction, Joey taught himself the art of concrete acid staining.

Then, the economy took a nosedive and the demand for decorative concrete went with it. Joey moved from Michigan to Atlanta to be with family and took a job at The Home Depot as a garden associate at the Brookwood store (#6978).

For nearly four years Joey kept his artistic talent to himself while pursuing an art degree from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). Soon after graduating in 2010, Joey’s secret was discovered...

Visit BeyondtheApron.tumblr.com to read the rest of Joey's story.