By Katie Vaughn
A sticker can pack a lot of power. Just ask Allana Randall, whose art career started with one.
Randall had just moved back to Madison after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in late 2019 while living in Taiwan.
“While in treatment, I did a lot of drawing and painting when I felt up to it,” she says.
The week before her final round of chemotherapy, she designed a sticker — featuring a colorful group of succulents and the message “cancer succs” — and had 10 printed for friends. The reaction was so positive, she opened up an Etsy shop and launched Ten by Ten, named after her favorite stationery shop in Taiwan.
Today, Randall creates cheerful stickers, as well as painted glassware, totes and other accessories that she sells at markets and pop-ups across Madison and the Midwest, in addition to painting murals. She also runs her own biannual markets, the Ten by Ten Collective, which bring together makers who each contribute proceeds to a cause of their choice.
While her cancer is thankfully in remission, Randall continues to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and has donated more than $15,000 through her art.
And her upbeat designs create opportunities for connection, especially for those touched by cancer.
“I hear people say my designs are cute and joyful,” she says. “It’s fun to make people smile and I hope people feel safe and heard in my space. I hear so many stories, and it inspires me.”
To learn more, including where Randall is selling next, follow along on Instagram at @tenbyten.art and @10×10.collective.
