We recently connected with Caranne Ingram and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Caranne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
Long before I even started Celestial Roots, I had been making jewelry and selling it to local shops as consignment, or to my friends and family. The first thing I ever made that I sold to someone was a simple wire-wrapped ring with a crystal bead. I think I saw a tutorial on TikTok at the time and thought to myself “I could easily make that”. During this time of my life I was in college and I was living back home over one of my winter breaks. When I returned to campus after break, I sold so many rings to my friends and people all around campus. Looking back at it, this was a really pivotal time in my art journey! I was mainly doing this from my personal Instagram account so I really didn’t have a platform to market my art or receive legit orders quite yet. After I graduated college, my partner, Pat and I spent the summer as WWOOFers on Big Island, Hawaii. In between farming and exploring the island, I was still crafting wire-wrapped crystal rings! I even made a display for my rings that I brought to a local book shop to sell. At this point, I wanted to start a Instagram page to share my jewelry and connect with others doing the same. I also wanted to put a sort of ‘brand’ behind what I was making, since it is wearable art. From this, I started my first brand and Instagram page called ‘Hippie Drip Jewelry’. This is where I originally started marketing myself as an artist online, connecting with other artists, finding vending events and so much more.
Caranne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hi! My name is Caranne (Cara) and I am the creator of Celestial Roots Creations.
I create handcrafted goods using materials I find in nature and gardens! My art is heavily influenced by the tiny treasures nature has to offer. I market myself and my art solely on Instagram at this time. Right now I work with multiple different mediums but am currently obsessing over black walnut and acorn pendant jewelry. The technique I use involves both epoxy and UV resin. I also love creating wire-wrapped goods and embroidered hats.
The main inspiration for my art is nature! Being an avid plant lover and full-time gardener, foraging materials for my craft is one of my favorite parts of creating. I also have a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science! I adore being outside in the sunshine and dirt, surrounded by various different bugs, plants and critters. This is where I find lots of beautiful walnuts, acorns, flowers, insect specimens and other various natural elements I use in my crafts. I utilize a lot of sacred geometric symbols in my walnut and acorn art as well, such as the Seed of Life and Metatron’s Cube designs. These designs are meant to represent our connection with nature, to trust our divine timing and that all things are interconnected. Pinecone pendants are also a huge inspiration of mine and behind the design for my walnuts and acorns. I love fairies, forest folklore, toads and frogs so a lot of my brand’s vibe is centered around these things and I often use photos of frog ponds, mossy patches and flowers on my page along with my art. My goal is to be curating an original and unique brand voice and page aesthetic for my small art business.
Originally, I started out my art journey by crafting wire-wrapped rings, which progressed into earrings and other jewelry. Now I dabble mainly in 3 art mediums, resin (walnut and acorn pendants), embroidery and wire-wrapping. Along my journey, I rebranded my business from Hippie Drip Jewelry to what it is now, Celestial Roots Creations. This is my creative outlet! I find such joy in being able to market my art in a creative and different way. A lot of my page is focused around my nature findings and photos I take out in the garden. Throughout my art journey, I have also vended at many events! Sharing my art and bringing my setup visions to life are my favorite parts of vending. It’s always so great connecting with other creatives at these events, making new friends and supporting local!
I have made so many positive connections with other artists on Instagram after starting Celestial Roots! This past year (2024) was a year of growth for my brand. I participated in numerous collaboration projects with other artists online. This brings me such joy! I love co-creating with other women, seeing what we make together and how we present it is always so much fun and is very rewarding! It’s also so rewarding to cultivate long-lasting friendships online through making art.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
To best support artists and creatives, shop small and engage with them!
Shopping with your artist friends or with small creators online is the biggest way to support and create that thriving creative ecosystem! Personally, when someone buys a piece from me, it gives me the ability and motivation to keep creating! I am always pushing to shop small and buy things handmade. It’s way cooler to have one of a kind pieces of artwork for me, especially when it’s made by someone pouring their heart and soul into their craft!
As a creative who markets myself through social media (IG), virtual support is just as valuable to me as making a sale! It really helps when people interact with posts about my art and also keeps me motivated to share and create more.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist would be crafting something beautiful from something small. For me, a lot of my materials are things I have found outside. For example, I love repurposing black walnut shells and making them into jewelry. The whole process behind finding something in nature and giving it your personal touch is special to me! It’s also very rewarding to know I have many other creatives supporting my craft and who love my creations as well!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://celestialroots.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: @celestial.roots.creations
Image Credits
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