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

Laura, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, I was constantly creating: drawing, singing, dancing, etc. I was raised in a very poor family where while creative pursuits were encouraged, there was also an overarching tone that no one could make a living being an artist. Whether I realized it or not, this internalized belief stayed with me years into my independent adult life.

I pursued primarily visual arts in the forms of drawing, painting, and printmaking through middle & high school, and went on to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art for college. I absolutely loved studying art alongside a rich and diverse community of artists from all around the world. Unfortunately, I was only able to stay for one year as I realized that there was no way I would be able to afford the massive amount of student loan debt that I would incur by staying all four years. This reinforced the belief that I would never be able to make a living being an artist.

Heartbroken, I moved back to Georgia, and fell back into jobs in the service industry where I worked as a server and bartender for years before finding my way back to art. The years in restaurants and bars were incredibly hard on me. I was exhausted, unfulfilled, and I could never seem to get ahead enough to “get out” of the industry. I felt no fulfillment in that line of work so eventually, the universe made moves on my behalf.

I lost my job at the final restaurant in early 2022, and took a moment to re-asses my next moves. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to start some interior painting with a friend, which ultimately led me to the idea of mural painting, and eventually my building of my own painting & mural business, Oracle Painters.

Laura, 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?

My name is Laura Caffrey (they/them). I am a nonbinary muralist and small business owner. My business is named Oracle Painters, and we are a small team of pirmarily queer artists and painters specializing in interior painting, custom murals, faux painting, and wall covering installation.

While we do offer your standard “paint my living room” types of services, our passions lie primarily in creative projects. To this day we have designed and installed around 50 murals in and around Atlanta, most recently inside the Old Fourth Ward restaurant, A Mano! We have also worked in the illustration field designing custom illustrations for menus, musicians, and small businesses as well. We have our eyes set on leaning into mostly creative pursuits in the future.

With a team of artists at the heart of the company, we are able to offer custom designs in a wide range of styles. With most of us coming from the service industry before, we love working with clients directly to form good professional relationships. We want to make sure that clients feel safe with us in their homes and spaces, and that they feel free to ask questions and learn a bit about the process. No one should receive a quote and think “am I getting ripped off?” We are transparent with our clients and strive to price ethically and fairly.

There are a few things that set us apart from the plethora of painting companies in Atlanta, GA.
First and foremost, we are a small team of women and non-binary artists. In an industry that is male dominated, it is a big deal for non-men to have opportunities to work in the construction/contracting arena without the fear of sexism or exclusion. We come to the table with an eye for detail, and a pride in the work we do.
All of our painters are paid a liveable wage starting at $25 per hour, which ensures that the people working in your home, business or school are being paid enough to genuinely care about the quality of work.

I myself am an anti-capitalist at heart. Although being an “anti-capitalist business owner” may seem like an oxymoron, I take great effort to run this business in a way that aligns with my values. One way that is done is that the business itself typically does not turn a profit. After the overhead is paid, all of the remaining profit goes directly to the painters.

We really do love what we do, and we can’t wait to continue for many more years to come!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There is one core idea at the center of Oracle Painters that acts as my compass. The idea is that artists and queer folks in my community should have access to a good job, with good pay that allows them to de-center “labor” in their lives. The job should offer accommodations for mental health, disabilities, and physical limitations, and provide an hourly wage that would allow someone to live their life in between work hours. No one wants to work the majority of their life away. I want to run a business that is safe and enjoyable to work for, and supports each other and our local community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have definitely been through many challenges in the last 3 and a half years as a painter. The most difficult part of the journey for me was in the beginning of 2023. Prior to then, I had started a similar business with a close friend of mine in the painting industry. We operated as co-owners and managed a small team much like I do now.
We ran this business together for nearly a year before things began to go awry. Unfortunately, my business partner and I had a breakdown in communication and some disagreements in ways we believed the business should be run. It escalated to the point that the entire professional relationship crumbled and we began talking about dissolving our partnership. My plan was to buy out my partner’s half of the business and continue operating but unfortunately, I soon found out that my partner had been mismanaging funds for several months resulting in our business being broke.
This was a heartbreaking process that threw everything into chaos. I considered giving up and going back to the service industry, but I couldn’t bring myself to it. Luckily one of the painters, Avery, stuck with me and encouraged me to rebuild. With their help, I started the entire process of building a business from scratch and less than two months after the closing of the previous company, Oracle Painters was founded and we have been going strong for 2 years as of this June!

Although that was one of the most difficult experiences of my adult life, I am grateful for my resilience as well as the support from those around me that inspired me to try again.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @oraclepainters
• Facebook: Oracle Painters
• Other: Email: [email protected]

  Phone: 470-333-2201