We recently connected with Citrine LaCroix and have shared our conversation below.
Citrine, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is an on going series called ‘Love Your Self’ that started in 2015. The series features a motif of hand drawn hearts in a rectangular grid. The explicit message of this work is to love yourself. The hearts intertwine in an interconnected way that reminds me of personal growth through continued life experiences and illustrate how many little things make up a whole. This theme is present in most of my works of art and is my signature style inspired by graffiti. The idea for this series came about after graduating college, giving up graffiti to create in a less risky environment, leaving my first official job and realizing if I don’t work for my career as an artist it might never happen. At the time I was realizing a lot about myself and how to put myself out there in a way that cultivates growth.
With the Love Your Self Series I signed up to participate in ArtPrize 7. This is an art event that takes place in Grand Rapids, MI. I got accepted into the city wide show, found a location to showcase my works and fund raised for the ‘Love Your Self’ series. I created two panoramic paintings that were 5 foot by 12 foot canvases spray painted, hand painted, and glitter adorned hearts in a full spectrum of color from red to violet. I built Another 4 foot by 6 foot painting with spray painted hearts in the back ground of ‘Love Your Self’ painted in cursive script. These paintings were HUGE and I built them with the help of my father. The message needed to get across in an encompassing way.
Along with the panoramic paintings I created a small series of smaller paintings for people to purchase, a jewelry collection and a screen for screen printing t-shirts and up-cycled clothing.
The large scale paintings were suspended from the ceiling of a building next to Van Andel Arena that was being renovated at the time. Come to find out this used to be the building my family’s hardware store used to operate out of. It felt like I was in the exact right place at the exact right time. It turns out this would be one of the last times I’d see my uncle who passed soon after. We were able to exchange some meaningful words that have never left my mind and continue to fuel my drive. My whole family came out to support me. My life is forever changed.
The entire series sparked a new wave of my art that is still very much a live today. My dream to start my own business had taken on a new life and has been fueling my craft ever since. I just finished a 23 look fashion collection featuring a smaller version of the original ‘Love Your Self’ hearts which I spent hours screen printing onto yards and yards of fabrics. The message remains the same. Love Yourself and you will reflect and extend that love out into the world. Without this foundation you won’t be resilient, easy to take advantage of and might not treat others with respect. To love yourself is to love everyone. To love yourself is to respect yourself and others. To love yourself is to know your worth. Keep going!
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.
Hey! I am Citrine, a creative force of nature and believer in the way of making things by hand. My family is from Michigan but I’ve lived all over the US. I have a BFA from University of Michigan and am building a life long legacy of art ranging from photography, paintings, jewelry, clothing, and hand made lifestyle. I am inspired by nature, hand making things, color, and people.
Photography is my first love. I dove into film photography in high school, There I learned how to shoot film, roll film canisters, process my film, and develop images from negatives. This inspired me to get deeper into art, photograph people, and lead me into a journalistic style. I LOVE natural light. My preferred style is editorial portraiture and journalistic event photography. I just love natural light and candid moments.
During my time in college I was not enthusiastic about learning studio photography. I was majorly let down by the film program being removed from the curriculum and I did not connect with any of the digital photography professors on campus. I decided instead that what I learned in high school was enough, opting into finding paid photography gigs on campus.
I decided to shift my focus to something else! Pivoting into metal work and jewelry design. This reminded me of my childhood making memory wire bracelets and selling them at a park. Another memory surfaced of digging and scavenging for rocks every where I went. When I learned to weld and solder is when I discovered a deep connection to jewelry that lay dormant from my younger years. I always made and sold jewelry but it wasn’t until college I realized how far I could go with the process.
Post college was when I decided to get more official and consistent with releasing jewelry collections, eventually taking a collection to NYFW in 2018 with a local fashion designer and then again in 2023 I made my own fashion collection adorned with all my hand made jewelry for Michigan Fashion Week. My goal with this work is to open my own studio and retail location with my partner Craig. We both share a love for metals and gemstones. It is our ambition to become gemologists, facet our own stones make our own beads, and work with metals on a much deeper level.
Painting is one of those things that I have never been formally trained in but intensely enjoy the process. It is also another one of those things that resonates with my younger self in a way newly discovered. Middle school I had two AMAZING art teachers who had me working on the most amazing art projects with the right amount of encouragement and the freedom to dream BIG. One teacher in particular had me painting a GIGANTIC painting in the hall way of school, painting murals with her around our city and even allowed students to paint with her on theater sets/backdrops. It was Graffiti that got me back into painting and it was graffiti that taught me style. Although I was giving some family members heart attacks because of my creative hobby, I would never take those memories and experiences back for anything. I learned so much about life, people, and the world during those times. I met so many incredible people who are so talented and deserve the world in those times. I sincerely wish everyone I met along the way well.
Now a days I just want to paint larger and larger works of art including a couple more murals. My most recent painting series came about during the lock downs of 2020. Inspired by a photograph of kelp flowing underwater. I randomly found these photographs while searching the internet about the idea of Symbiosis. I’d thought about symbiosis while making jewelry with the gemstone Emerald. These photographs immediately made me want to be surrounded by this intense feeling of relaxation and chillness that emitted from the colors and tendrils of these underwater life forms. My paintings became aqua-delic pieces that emitted an energetic and serene vibe to any room. This series has been displayed on Mackinaw Island, ArtPrize, Village Arts Factory and Downtown Detroit.
I am most recently claiming the title of fashion designer. I think subconsciously this has always been a dream but is the most recently actualized. The journey has been incredible so far and my imagination is FLOODING with ideas for collections and looks I can make. This ties all of my favorite things into one full picture. My main focus with my art work, in any medium I create in, is the emphasis on hand making things. Making things ourselves slows down the process and rejects this mass produced industrial line we have been moving in globally. I philosophically believe in hand making things. This process teaches us about ourselves and who we are. I am spiritually connected to hand making things too. I know there is a societal need for all the ways that hand making things and tapping into our creative minds heals people and brings us together with ourselves as well as one another. We have to remember what is humanly possible. We have to remember we are human.
Before all these clever factories were built to manufacture everything, human hands had to make things using tools and some machines. This is why I love to hand sew, hand make, paint with brushes, use the tools that facilitate our lives meaning something more than buying everything made by corporations. This cycle literally robs us of everything we are and the very meaningful work that is human work. We need artists, they make things with purpose and we can feel that in the work. We deserve the experience of creating something with tools and our own two hands. There is energy in everything we make.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Two books come immediately to mind! One – Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence G. Boldt – helped me break free from conventional thought about careers, jobs, and the work place environment. This book gave me the confidence to be different and move differently when it comes to what I do to make a living. It gave me the green lights to keep going and deprogrammed the western way of working all the time doing tasks that don’t mean anything to you or add any other value except money to life. I’ve always needed something more than financial benefits from working.
Two – The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian – This is just a wonderful reference on crystals. It just ROCKS when it comes to history, culture, crystals, and living the lifestyle.
Lastly, never forget the value of your own words, thoughts, ideas, drawings, and pictures. Keep writing in those journals and keep drawing in those sketch books. Don’t be afraid to be different. You will surprise yourself with your writing and it helps you remember where you’ve been / who you are. Don’t forget to add dates so you can look back at where you came from year to year.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Lately, and this may change over time, what’s been most rewarding about being an artist and creative is making things with my own two hands. Having a grasp of the entire process is not only rewarding but incredibly satisfying. Especially when tackling huge goals from start to finish. There is just nothing like the feeling of making something from start to finish. There is a lot of personal development in this process. You learn things about who you are and how you work while creating your ideas. There is a lot of learning from your failures and gaining skill through the iterations of things that show your growth while building your resilience.
There are times when I feel like giving up, throwing in the towel for good but then I remember this is who I am. There will always be that idea in my head that I just have to bring to life that will always draw me back into being an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CitrineTangerine.com
- Instagram: @citrinesworld
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citrinethejeweler/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmrWPWZvudhUkiG11FKl0Q
Image Credits
Never give up but also give yourself the time and space to heal and grow from your process. I find it is a good thing to step back from your work for a while after completing a big project. Give yourself time to rest and stay inspired. <3 Thanks to everyone through out my life who has assisted me with growing and learning. If we’ve ever crossed paths thank you! I am so grateful for my family and my wonderful partner who is always here for me. Keep growing, keep going, keep learning, keep shining. <3