We were lucky to catch up with Regina James recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Regina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

The greatest measure of happiness has become the freedom for my time and creative energy to be used for myself and family. After spending 12 years in a corporate creative space and giving my all to a brand, I was let go from after a restructure. This was a pivotal moment for me to control how to restructure the weight of my career in my future. Despite financial comfort and consistency, I knew that I never again wanted to feel like my efforts and goals were in the hands of CEOs that did not know me personally. 6 months after losing my “regular” job, I became pregnant with twins. These two major life events dictated my new path. I spent the first year of their life being their 24/7 caretaker with no plans to put them in daycare but a need to help support my family financially and myself creatively. In the beginning of 2022, I started going back to school from home. An intro watercolor class was the catalyst to reignite the artist in me. That summer, I began creating colorful plaster paintings and started creating my brand. Later that year, I started learning pottery to add into my product offerings. The most important pillar for my brand and happiness is time well invested. There is a saying that if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life when really it should be if you do what you’ll love, you’ll work every minute of your free time to be able to keep doing it. And while the hours are long, the flexibility to both provide and nurture my family is priceless.

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.

Soda Pop Pottery is in an evolution of my creative and life experiences. I am driven by wanting to add color and creativity to the world that I and my children are experiencing. I believe small pieces of joy can transform space and mood. While I have been a lifelong artist, the discipline and skill that I have practiced for the shortest amount of time is the face of my brand. I found my love for pottery when I went back to school at 36 years old after losing a 12 year career and a makeup artist and educator and becoming a mom. I learned that working with clay required a technical and creative balance that satisfied my brain, heart, and hands. After a few semesters advancing my skill in pottery class, I bought my first wheel last summer. I spent my days caring for toddler twins and my nights focused on making. I use the forms that I make as a canvas for painting glaze in unique and colorful ways. Soda Pop Pottery uses retro inspiration and color combinations to offer modern wares. Markets and Social Media have been an integral part of connecting with fellow artists and collectors. I love the conversations and opportunity that organically come from these platforms. Nurturing a personal relationship and showing my humanity is what sets me apart from purchasing less expensive, mass produced pottery. One of my followers commented that “you aren’t buying a mug, you’re buying functional art.”

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

At this point in building a Social Media following and community isn’t an option but a necessity. My Instagram growth just skyrocketed with a viral reel after remaining stagnant at around 700 followers for a couple of years. The most important piece of advice that I could offer would be to show who you are (not just your art) and share your relatable experiences. In the age of not knowing what is real online and being flooded with consumerism, showcasing your humanity through successes and fails is what will connect your audience to you, which then connects them to your why and product. Show up consistently and know that what hits can be random.

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

After going viral on Instagram, I was shown a side of opinions that aren’t often expressed to artists directly. Opinions mostly about pricing and devaluing an artist’s work. If you have ever worked in the service industry, you may feel like everyone should have to be a restaurant server once in their life to have empathy for the experience. We need to take this approach for artists and give respect to their experiences and value. I want society to know how much it means when they purchase from a creative or small business owner. It’s not a drop in the bucket of profits, it is often directly going to a bill we have current supplies to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makeitrainbow.com
• Instagram: @sodapop.pottery