Connect
To Top

Meet Lacye Brown of Dr Apples, LLC in Decatur

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lacye Brown (Apples).

Lacye A. Brown was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She began doing art when she was little and continued to experiment with various forms of art throughout her life. It was a healthy outlet for expressions and creativity and became her first love. She went to college briefly and focused on writing but became disinterested in the field when she received harsh criticism from her professor in college. While in school, she had a part-time job and created handmade purses to sell to colleagues at work. She took a break from college to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Lacye directed her attention towards becoming a visual artist making contemporary large scale pieces. Although she knew she enjoyed the art genre, the contemporary scene wasn’t interesting to her. She noticed miniature sculptures and became interested in sculpting. She decided to go to school for business. While in school, AppleHead Toys, LLC was created in 2010 to sell her miniature sculpts. She watched countless online videos to learn various techniques and gain inspiration. Eventually, she formed her own style while experimenting with various techniques from other artistic genres. AppleHead Toys was a means to officially run a business focused on the arts. Since then, she has sculpted, sewn, and grown in various talents.

During major life shifts from divorcing, becoming a single mother of three with no support and taking a step back at where she was in her life, she realized she was at her lowest of lows. She didn’t believe in anything, considered herself a true atheist and had no goals for herself in life. It was April of 2014 when she had a spiritual awakening. This new phenomenon intrigued her and she became focused on bettering herself and learning about spirituality. She made a promise to live the most authentic life for her as was possible and strive for the things she desired without settling for mediocrity. She took on various jobs to support her children financially. Spiritually, she became intrigued and introduced herself to various spiritual experiences and became knowledgeable, attuned and certified in Munay-Ki Rites, Ayahuasca, Reiki Master, tarot, hoodoo, distant healing, and many other teachings. Along with these spiritual experiences and growth, she had to earn a living to support her three children on her own. She worked in the front office at a prominent tattoo parlor in Atlanta before working for a billion-dollar corporation, where they trained her as a certified travel agent. She traveled the world for a year. After traveling, she realized something was missing. She hadn’t done art, one of her greatest loves, in two years. So, she quit her corporate job and dedicated her life to living the best life she could create. This would include working for herself and utilizing all of her artistic talents to earn a living. She wanted to be her own boss and never make money for another person again. She briefly worked as an assistant at a wellness facility to pay for expenses, now as a receptionist. Make no mistake, her love for traveling was always there but art came first. Along with her initial company AppleHead Toys, she managed to create a spiritually based company, LAB Shaman, where she could utilize her spiritual talents and the Dr. Apples franchise where she could incorporate her artistic talents. She was able to take all of her skills, lessons, and experiences she’s had to bring Dr. Apples to life.

After creating the character, she began writing his back story and dedicated her time and efforts to showcasing the magnificent world of Dr. Apples. She fell in love with Dr. Apples because she could apply her life’s lessons and crafts to articulating his story. She wanted to apply all of her spiritual, emotional and life experiences to make a cohesive universe. Now, she enjoys using all of her talents to materialize his world via art, literature, business, elixirs or whatever pops up. Know that everything created from Dr. Apples’ world comes from the soul of a creative’s heart.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing about my journey to where I am today has been easy. I have been an artist all my life. I started a company while I was married but it never really “took off” how I anticipated. I felt like I was supposed to be in the art field but I never found my footing.  I felt like I was burning out and running out of ideas. I was a stay-at-home parent of 3 great little persons (seriously, they are amazing). They were young when I became a single parent overnight. It was perplexing, to say the least, trying to gather your bearings and build an artistic empire. My entire world crumbled. I had limited work experience, no college degree and no person to call and get a job immediately. I had no money coming in and none coming in the near future but a home and 2 cars to pay in a few days.

I took on (what I didn’t know at the time), a door-to-door “job”. I laugh at it now but THAT was a stressful and short-lived time. One day when I was stationed at a dangerous location, I called in to report someone trying to attack me, when my manager didn’t care and the boss never called to check up on me, I never returned. A friend sent me to a tattoo parlor where I worked in the front office and back area.

It wasn’t easy adjusting at all. I had to deal with multiple people, with multiple personalities, all alphas and minimum pay all while growing as an individual. I also dealt with a female bully working there. I mentioned this briefly b/c at that time, I wasn’t showing the woman I had always assumed (or visualized) I had always been on the outside. I knew to stand up for myself but I wasn’t applying this lesson in real-life situations. I was shocked to be placed in that kind of situation. That issue quickly resolved itself & I eventually got the hang of things. I was still playing around with my art. I was consistent in showing my work in group shows in bars. I had a lot of time to work on my art working at the Tattoo Parlor. I eventually felt comfortable working there, that was when something triggered within me. That night, I filled out an application at a Fortune 500 company to learn how to book travel. I got the interviews, the start date and began working at one of the most difficult (yet rewarding) jobs I have ever experienced.

There was a lot of training, mistakes, and stress. I no longer had time to do art. I felt stagnant anyway. The joy when I created art dimmed if not fizzled. I was no longer inspired to do art but rather, I felt like a machine just doing things and calling it art. I felt a break (2 years) would do me some good. I didn’t know whether or not I would return to it but I knew I needed to experience life a little more if I wanted to feel inspired again. The mental pain working there was rewarded with travel perks. I eventually learned how to travel on a dime and I got to experience luxurious travel while exploring various countries on a budget. I never imagined me as a single mother even having this opportunity but I did and I took advantage of it. My love for travel grew & I began to travel alone and eventually to places where I didn’t speak the languages. At this point, I learn to trust myself within and not question my decisions.

During these few years in the corporate world, I delve into the spiritual side of things. I was curious and wanted to learn about chakras, yoga, the occult, almost anything that piqued an interest. I can’t tell you how many meetup groups I have attended. I’ve got stories. I created a spiritual-based business, LAB Shaman,  to help guide others into self-healing. I created healing and other forms of candles, dreamcatchers, sacred geometry & other aids to assist people. I was doing this simultaneously while working in the corporate world. Although I was finding some success doing this, I did not want to just do this. I felt like something was missing in my life and the image of  myself doing the same corporate jive for years to come frightened me. I wasn’t happy in the corporate world. I am an artist and I got to do art stuff. I was becoming increasingly stressed at work. Working there was a different kind of beast. Something had to change and the corporate structure wasn’t going to change any time soon. So, I left.

I took a 2-month mental health break. It was greatly needed. I didn’t feel like myself and I needed to zone out. I found a part-time job at a doctor’s office after a lengthy amount of job interviews. This was a short, scary, yet necessary experience to have. Scary in the sense I was working under an unorganized business structure.  Needless to say, I learned what not to do when running a small business. During my free time, I became acquainted back with art. I loved it but I realized I didn’t want to go back to that feeling of being stagnant again. I wanted to do something original and stick to being original vs themed pop-up shows. I wanted to test my skills. I had a few items in local bars so I removed them. I ended up in an oddities store. I did a few art shows and created Dr. Apples for those shows there. It was then when I began to expand the Dr. Apples’ universe. Creating art for the Dr. Apples’ universe came easily. It was fluid and I found that I could apply every lesson I learned artistically, spiritually, mentally & emotionally into the brand. I was excited about my art again.

From an employment perspective, the office where I worked was not financially stable so I left to work where I am currently as a receptionist. I am comfortable here. I don’t have the financial worries I had before that comes with freelancing. If I have concerns now, it’s about trying not to overthink a color choice for a Dr. Apples’ design. After work, I have the energy to invest in the Dr. Apples’ franchise as needed. Now, I’m able to reflect on all of the experiences I encountered with co-workers & bosses. I took what I liked, respected and I now apply it towards my business but I also reflect on the negative situations and I understand what not to do to in case I am in a similar scenario. The lessons are invaluable. A year later, I have planted all of the foundations for the Dr. Apples franchise.

Those struggles were necessary stepping stones to get to where I am today. I know I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I don’t view challenges as something stressful now (sometimes annoying) but I try to see how I can learn from the experience to apply it to my life to make it better. These challenges also help bring out the woman I have always envisioned myself becoming. I am that woman today. I couldn’t see all of this developing in the thick of it but after I’ve had enough challenges under my belt, I’m able to recognize certain red flags and take the necessary actions and trust I have made the best decision for me. I can’t say I’ve been 100% accurate (ha ha) but I don’t have a long list of regrets.

I’m in a great place now. My kids and I are great. I have a wonderful relationship with them and I am working to grow the brand while living the best life for myself. I understand balance is key to accomplishing many goals. At times, you may need to focus strictly on a certain aspect but once that moment is over, it’s time to recalibrate.

Dr Apples, LLC – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dr. Apples, LLC was created in 2018. I created a 2-foot sculpture of Dr. Apples for an art show. After creating the physical character, I began writing his back story. I was amazed at the ease it was to tell his history. Eventually, I wrote a novella about him. It’s a lovely paperback book, “Dr. Apples: The Origin, The Eye & The Journey.” While I wrote, I created smaller sculptures from scenes from the novella and characters behind around the storylines.

What started as an art-based character, turned into a franchise tapping into apparel, literature, animation, and other genres which fit into the brand currently. We are not focused on a rapid expansion of Dr. Apples, LLC as of yet but all of these things seem to happen organically to get the Dr. Apples’ story across.

I am most proud of the execution of the ideas we are trying to convey with the Dr. Apples’ franchise. From art dolls to acrylic pins, the concepts turned into a reality, we can recall the early stages of them just being ideas and the steps it took to get the final product, you appreciate every item because you knew what it took to get there.

So, who is Dr. Apples? At this current time, Dr. Apples is a 95-year-old crazy senior citizen and I am his assistant. He is a witch doctor from New Orleans. He likes to play around with multiple dimensions, magick, and all forms of no good but you’ll quickly fall in love with him. He has a loyal pet piggy bank and he loves to donate his time during the weekends teaching the local kids how to make fig preserves. He’s a vegan. We are currently on the hunt towards finding his mother. She was kidnapped by fairies when Dr. Apples was a teenager. On the evening of his 16th birthday, his mother disappeared and was replaced with a doll which resembled his mother. Every year on his birthday, Dr. Apples receives a doll (from fairies) which has his mother’s essence. This year marks the 75th anniversary of his mother’s disappearance. Dr. Apples and I have honored this moment by having an art show in November. It will showcase the dolls he has received on his birthday. The show has been broken down into 2 parts: The first show, Nov 7-11th, at The Odd’s End in Decatur, GA during business hours, showcasing 35/75 dolls. The second portion of the show will be in 2020. It will be an amazing show. If you visit Dr. Apples’ Instagram page, you can see some of the dolls being created for the show. People will have the chance to see the dolls up close and learn more about Dr. Apples’ story.

The franchise tells the story of Dr. Apples in his youth, as a teenager and at his current age as me being his assistant. What sets us apart from others is the Dr. Apples’ franchise’s core is art-based. There isn’t a character nor story like his. It’s unique and the team here have the goal to tell as much of it as concise as possible. His story is meant to evoke thought: What is “good” or “bad” can be a matter of perspective. Understanding various perspectives allows us to grow and become better individuals. Everyone has a purpose in life and growth comes from the journey, not the finish line. We hope to share Dr. Apples’ story to the masses and recruit as many people as we can to join the cause of finding his mother.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I use to define success as generating sales & selling out of products. My perspective was only material- based. It wasn’t until I invested in this character that I understood success is every step taken to accomplish goals. I have short term, medium and long term goals. They all are equally important. I happen to celebrate smaller goals more than the bigger ones. Now, I define success as having a concept, planning the execution of the concept, defining the goals, achieving or surpassing those goals, thus, creating the final product. That is a success for me no matter how large or small the concept is. In terms of something like sales, I place that into long term goals. I have a business background and I care about financial logistics but that doesn’t define success for me as a whole. I appreciate the steps it takes for accomplishments. Every effort towards the Dr. Apples’ franchise adds value.

Pricing:

  • Collector Art Dolls Rage from $100-1500
  • Small Merchandise Rage from $5 – 50
  • Literature Range $10-70

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in