We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caylea Barone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Caylea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I’ve been creating forever, truly, since I was old enough to hold a pencil. My formal training is in drawing, painting, photography, and music. I’ve offered commissions for house portraits, pet portraits, tattoos, and custom artwork since middle school. However, I’ve been distinctly challenged by clay and pottery — during college, I spent a whole semester trying to throw a mug on the pottery wheel (unsuccessfully). Fast forward to the summer of 2020, I was supposed to move to Costa Rica for a Fellowship. Because of the pandemic, however, I was conducting interviews over Zoom and doing an extensive literature review from childhood bedroom in NY. I unexpectedly had time on my hands.
Like many, I was distraught and furious over the murder and harm of innocent people of color that summer. I remember pressing my family daily— about implicit bias, racism, white supremacy—and getting in heated conversations about what we can do, should do, and must do. At the same time, I felt obligated to redistribute my wealth to impacted communities as well as the victims of police brutality and injustice. I started researching where I could donate and organizations, bail funds, and grassroots collectives that needed support. How could I make an impact beyond my actions and encourage others to join as well? This drive coupled with my need to find some relief by flexing the creative side of my brain inspired me to start my project.
I became interested in the social entrepreneurship model, in which the customer is both educated and rewarded for their transaction. The education component comes through a percentage of all profits donated back to the community and the sharing of that mission with the customer. The reward is the product they invest in and the maker they support. In all my creative endeavors, I had never seriously tried my hand at making jewelry and working in clay. I thought that earrings were a fun accessory people would be interested in buying. When a customer wears my earrings, they often spark a conversation and can thus share our mission and impact. That word-of-mouth growth has helped tremendously to both strengthen our impact and keep supporting the visibility of organizations that advocate and advance social and environmental justice goals.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a maker of lightweight, slow-made, and sustainable clay jewelry. My social-impact model allows me to create artwork while giving back and fostering social change. I create everything myself by hand in Virginia and have made more than 1,000 pairs of earrings, hair clips, and necklaces to date. For each pair sold, I donate 30% of our profits to nonprofits advancing social and environmental justice on a monthly basis. Sales recently benefitted the Southern Environmental Law Center, Indigenous Advocacy group NDN Collective, and Fair Fight to name a few — supporting their work eliminating racism, empowering BIPOC, protecting our climate, and promoting justice and dignity for all.
All earrings are handmade in my home studio in Alexandria, VA. I sustain this creative pursuit through a love of unique, statement jewelry and a desire to do good and give back. My inspiration comes from playful shapes, natural textures, and warm earth tones. If you’d like to request a custom design or see something new added to the shop, please leave me a note on my “Contact” page. I’d love to work with you!
I also enjoy creating in other disciplines as a multi-media artist and sustainability advocate. When not making earrings or painting a commission, I work full-time as a Project Manager for a renewable energy development company. I hold a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Art & Art History with an emphasis in Studio Art from Colgate University. And, this fall, I will start law school at the University of Virginia with plans to work in climate law and policy in Washington, DC. However, my goal has always been to be an environmental lawyer and an artist — and it’s working out well so far.
My work has reached customers in Puerto Rico, London, Poland, and most states in the US! My background in environmental studies informs the procurement aspects of my small business and in reducing my footprint. We are plastic-free, the emissions for my supplies are offset, and I am continually looking for alternatives to reduce packaging waste in my business and help other entrepreneurs in my community.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
It is important for my work to not exist in a vacuum. We believe in the power of positive social change and as a small business, we know that change starts at home. Our products look good and do good for the community. And a huge part of that is sustainability.
Sustainability is a way of life, a mindset, a practice. My intent is to continually reduce the footprint of my venture, and as a result, I have phased out all plastic in my packaging and shipping. Earrings are shipped on a recyclable cardboard earring card inside a burlap jewelry bag, meant to be reused for regifting or small-item storage! Our corrugated cardboard shipping boxes are fully recyclable as well. Apart from the shipping label on the package, Made by Caylea earrings come plastic-free. I am continually on the lookout for new swaps that will benefit my customers and our planet, most often by reusing and upcycling past materials, incorporating scrap clay whenever possible, and using a low-waste production, wash, and assembly method. I order nearly all my materials through small businesses and suppliers on Etsy, which offsets the carbon emissions from transport for every order, too.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I’ve been a regular at weekend Farmer’s Markets in Alexandria, Virginia and a vendor at dozens of pop-up craft fairs, art festivals, and maker events. I joined a local artist co-op in Virginia as well and have found great community through my participation in that group (Made in ALX). So, I basically work around the clock — but it doesn’t always feel like work. It fills my cup, and spending so much time creating out of my comfort zone in different mediums has anchored me to my sense of self. Interacting with new faces and sharing my story and my why has got to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my work!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madebycaylea.com
- Instagram: @madebycaylea
- Facebook: @MadeByCaylea
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cayleabarone/
Image Credits
n/a, I took all of the photos