Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cultivate Creations. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cultivate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Cultivate Creations was born out of two sister-in-laws – turned friends (Eva and Kelsey) who both have a passion for creating. We both decided that we wanted to pursue a small creative business together, when we both realized that we liked to create things by hand. Eva had been crocheting and creating macrame for fun, and Kelsey loved doing DIYs and making apothecary, like soaps and bath soaks. It was on Christmas when we both were gifting our handmade goods, when we thought, why not join forces and post our products on Etsy! Although we decided to start a small business to sell our products, for us it was also just a way to get together, create, escape from our busy/stressful full-time jobs, and have fun while doing it. Cultivate Creations has become our creative outlet and we have been able to incorporate some of our mutual passions along the way such as sustainability, nature, and wellness.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Cultivate Creations started as a creative outlet for two friends who love to make things by hand. Cultivate Creations sells handmade products for self care and items for your home. We sell a range of handmade products for your home including macrame plant hangers, wall decors, coasters, plant hangers, and pottery. We also sell handmade products for self care using natural ingredients such as candles and essential oil sprays. For all of our products, we use natural and sustainable products that are good for you and the planet. We are most proud of the impact that our small business makes on our environment. Through using recycled materials and offering refill programs, we have been able to encourage sustainable practices and minimize waste. We have also started to embark on engaging the community by hosting clean ups, where we have partnered with other local businesses to offer prizes for people who participate and help us make a positive impact on the environment.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Having a small creative business can be challenging in a world where we have cheap, mass produced products that we can purchase with the touch of a button. As artists who create handmade products, we need to take into account the time spent and effort that goes into making our product into our prices. It can be tough to compete with other big brands that offer similar products at a much lower cost. What a lot of people don’t realize is the impact that fast-fashion and major corporations leaves on our environment, and how sometimes the production of products is even unethical. It is important for society to be aware of these impacts and educated on the footprint that these big brands leave on humanity. If you can’t support a businesses financially, another way to support artists/creatives is to share their products by word of mouth or through social media. Artists/creatives heavily depend on exposure to thrive in their business, and a simple repost, shoutout, or tag on social media can go a long way!

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

Cultivate Creations is passionate about taking care of yourself and the planet. We try to embody this in the products that we create to inspire others to pursue self care and taking care of our planet. We both were working stressful jobs when we started Cultivate Creations, so a lot of the products that we made were created with the intent to manage our stress and create a calming environment. At the same time, we try to live a low-waste lifestyle, so our products aim to minimize waste and use of plastic, which is harmful to our environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.etsy.com/cltivatecreations
• Instagram: @cultivate_creations