We recently connected with Caprice Woods and have shared our conversation below.

Caprice, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I have always considered myself an artist at a young age. My first job was working as a muralist for the city of Cincinnati where I participated in a beautification program of blight buildings. Whenever I’ve tried to work a regular job, I felt stifled and depressed. I like being creative and creating in various ways that expressed my interests, passion or even activism. For me being a creative is an essential for my life. I often think that I should go after money or success in the matter of status but I know creating is where my heart is. My hope is I become more confident in my ability to create events successfully and evolved into a place of not just contentment but understanding that my art speaks for itself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My initial introduction to clothing swaps was thru Halima Cassells, a Detroiter that hosts a clothing swap called Detroit Free Market. I enjoyed the swaps but often as a bigger person didn’t find clothing that worked out for me. I asked her if she mind if I adopted the idea for the plus size community. My sister, Ciara Jackson and I decided this would be a good opportunity to celebrate curvy and “fluffy” body types. Fluffy Gals Clothing Swap was born from there. It group for plus size or “fluffy” gals to swap clothing evolving into an online shopping experience for customized thrifted pieces.

I am most proud of the community that it has developed over the last 7 years. We went from a little event to recruiting models for our upcoming projects to even myself modeling in fashion shows.

I think what sets us apart from other swaps have a niche market and looking forward to celebrating Fluffy Gals and expanding to Hunky Fellas.

It is my hope to developed a site for customize clothing boxes for Fluffy Gals and Hunky Fellas.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a creative and business owner, I learned that there’s no perfection. Things happen, how you respond is the testimony of your resilience and strength. I used to feel like a failure because my company happened blown up or taken off. However, I have community and offered lots of opportunities like this one, where I can encourage someone to keep going.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think it’s my life’s work as a creative to showcase how people who creative and often struggling with mental illness can prevail. I think it’s possible to be a creative with circumstances that push you to create more vibrantly. I want to be an example how showcase all beauty inside and out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluffygalsdetroit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluffygalsdetroit
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XpEXZSEB0zhBai39JhSso