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

Indica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

The idea for The Wheel was proposed to me by an acquaintance at the time, William Thomas, in the fall of 2022 while we were both performing in mutual friend Mary Shoen’s dance piece for her local artist residency. Will and I had met that spring performing together in another one of Mary’s pieces for Naropa University’s School of the Arts Concert, where we were all in the undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies program together but rarely crossed paths. Will and Mary were later that May chosen to perform a song at our graduation ceremony, and I was selected as the student speaker for the occasion. Through that experience we formed a bit of an unspoken agreement; recognizing that each of us was driven to continue making creative work and pursuing our individual dreams of artistry post-grad as musicians, performance artists, writers, and dancers alike, we started to form the beginning days of the collective. After completing Mary’s piece for Rooted Residency Boulder, Will and I really started scheming about what it would look like to create an artist collective. Now, a year later, we’ve collaborated to create a team and a company that regularly plans and produces successful, local events to give our artists the opportunity to network with each other and support each other’s creative process while also making money off their talent and vocations. Throughout the process of getting The Wheel rolling there was definitely some hesitancy in really going for it and making a business, but I’m learning anything worthwhile requires taking risks and sometimes you just gotta jump.

Indica, 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?

Yes! My name is Indica Gaess; I am an interdisciplinary artist specializing in dance and cofounder of The Wheel Collective, an artistic community rooted in contemplative process. Our mission as The Wheel is to foster a community of artists grounded in contemplative creative process, which can flourish economically while nurturing a culture of service and meaningful work. We strive to create a supportive environment where artists can bear witness to each other’s growth and receive public recognition for their creations, allowing them to establish a sustainable creative entity that can pave the way for future artistic endeavors. Currently, we operate as an event production company; we plan and provide opportunities for artists of all kinds to recieve compensation and public recognition for their work in the form of performance, vendor booths, promotion, etc. in collaboration with local businesses such as Heady Bauer and Junkyard Social Club here in Boulder, CO. We have plans to expand in the new year to include an education branch and start offering classes and workshops to the public, as well as an online marketplace to support our community. At the end of the day, we are really aiming to inspire a culture that values meaningful work over profit pursuits, whether that be artistic or otherwise.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Honestly, there are so many pieces of writing and film that have influenced me personally and artistically, but in terms of The Wheel I would say I have been most deeply influenced by watching individual artists and creatives I’ve found online through Youtube, Instagram, etc, build their own brands and businesses. A few people that come to mind are Shayna Klee (The Purple Palace), Chelsie Diane (Poems and Power), Renee Stills (Embodied Astrology), and Gilberto Gomes Leal (Amenti Movemeant & Theatre). Some of these people I have followed since I was in high school, some I found within the last few months, but the common thread is all of them are highly driven and humble while also deeply valuing community wellbeing. They have informed the way I approach achieving my goals in life and how I show up for other people while achieving those goals, teaching me the value and importance of community– how to make people feel seen, heard, taken care of, supported, all of it. Much of my entreprenurial philosophy is based on community thinking and structure; even in my “solo” pursuits I deeply value the support I have from my friends, family, coworkers– without these resources I wouldn’t have the energy to create at all. It really does take a village. Audre Lorde’s “Erotic in the Everyday” speech is also a big inspiration, as well as Diane DiPrima’s “Rant” and Anna Fusco’s “A well spent life.” And the movie Almost Famous, in a more aesthetic way anyway.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’m thinking of this quote from John Steinbeck in “East of Eden where he writes, “You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” I think that is the most rewarding part for me– getting to experience the gift of people connecting with my work and understanding my way of seeing the world, my experiences, etc, and vice versa feeling so seen in other people’s artistic expressions as well. As a dancer, every time I get to experience a new persons’ choreography it feels like they’re handing me their heart to hold. I am so grateful for the trust consistently placed in me to embody strangers’ emotions and experiences and for the opportunities it gives me to form intimate connections with said people I may not have had the chance to otherwise. The Wheel operates on the same principle- bringing people together to share creative space and form relationships with those they otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to connect with.

Contact Info:

• Website: The Wheel: www.thewheelart.com, Indi Rose Artistry: https://sites.google.com/view/indiroseartistry/home
• Instagram: @thewheelart_ and @indiroseartistry
• Facebook: The Wheel Collective

Image Credits
@aly.cav @gracecreativestudios @jordan.groth