Interviewee:
Casey Jones (She/They)
In your words… Tell us about your organization, business, initiative.
I’m Casey of Witch City Art, also known as WiCA! During the day, I’m a paraprofessional at a therapeutic school. The rest of the time, I’m an artist. My goal is to make things that make myself happy because if I’m happy my customers will be happy.
Alongside tabling, I wholesale to a few stores and this opportunity has allowed me the time to think of new and creative ideas. I work a lot with polymer clay, paint, photography, digital art, and other 3D and 2D mediums.
Tell us a bit about you and why you do what you do? Share your passions for your business, initiative, organization.
My goal is to create things that make me happy. When working 2 day jobs, I need to make things that I’m passionate for to keep my sanity. WiCA scratches the creative itch and pushes me to grow in the best ways.
In the future I hope to be more involved with the community and hope to give back to it when I’m in the place to do so
What role do you think your business plays in supporting a more creative community? OR your community in general. (Bonus! Why do you think a more creative community is important?)
I take what I learn when creating art to the art class in my school. I also show my older students how they can take their skills and make money from it. Many students only know the “starving artist” trope and I want to show them that you can succeed in art and that can look very different for each person.
What was the last book you read OR What was the last video you watched that made an impact on you?
I recently read Inside Out by Terry Trueman. The book is from the perspective of a schizophrenic teenage boy. While no two experiences of mental illness are the same, it was extremely impactful to get a glimpse of what this person is going through. Reading books like this helps me be more understanding and empathetic to those around me.
What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you or your business?
Almost every product contains a cat hair!
Creative Collective is a group of economic development strategists, small business supporters, activation specialists, and believers in the importance of the creative workforce. We foster growth, sustainability, and scalability for small businesses, creative thinkers, organizations, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Learn more and join Creative Collective at www.creativecollectivema.com/join
