The creator of The Coy Collection Ceramic Art will bring a smile to your face – Wired PR Lifestyle Story

Home, High School and Family

Born in Oakland, California, Johnson and his family moved to Oceanside before landing in Texas in his teens. He describes his style as a kind of incident, like a dichotomy in his childhood homes. He explains,

“My style is loud. It’s colorful. Colors, lines, textures, and shapes appeal to me a lot. There is no formula. “

Johnson grew up in a home that fostered instability and confusion. His father was in the military and this disconnected him from his family for a few months. The school was based on numerous groups of friends, studies and explorations. And yet, despite his love and learning for people, he found himself angry and disappointed with his family dynamics and lack of creativity at home. These uncomfortable feelings led him to build an arsenal of skills that helped him cope with independence.

I asked Johnson more to explain how his childhood informs him of his current job. When he grew up, it was forbidden to wear makeup, paint nails or put on sports braids, anything that was considered artificial. He would go to the stores, buy earrings, deconstruct them, and then match the styles he wore. Johnson explains why the Coy Collection has been so successful,

“My inner child is an ode to oneself. I think that part of me is the most interesting. My inner child is truly prosperous at this moment in my life. I am just a vehicle to help him hear his voice. The Coy Collection is a tribute to my past. My ceramic arts my inner it gives the child space to create and move forward. “

How he ended up in Pottery Art

One of the reasons Johnson initially sold earrings, along with his teaching job, was to fund the art of pottery. He needed a lot of equipment to improve the level of production. After studying pottery at university, he knew the danger. Some friends questioned the validity of his career in pottery. Johnson told me about that experience,

“I was very disappointed. People all over the university were yelling, “How are you going to make money?” “How will you be an artist like that?” ‘Maybe you should try to do something more profitable.’ Initially, I started teaching the art of stability. I loved my kids, but parenting and politics were my kryptonite. ”

Johnson has a deep need for experience processes. He recently bought a dozen canvases to study painting and engraving as other media. He is also a chameleon in his art practice. There is nothing calculated in his process. Everything is out of the wrist. Curious about how he came to smiling faces and printed cows, I wonder about his brand identity. He says,

“I don’t draft. I go with the flow, and I ask. I don’t think I have a clear brand identity but I do have a style. I ask myself the basics: is it bright? Is it bright? Loud? Beautiful? Those are the driving forces behind my creation. “

Build confidence and say no

Johnson and I began to value society. In unusual areas, it can be difficult to embody trust and navigate spaces that attract high-level offerings. Johnson has “his stuff together,” to the point where he feels he’s doing great. Although he has been approached by big brands and celebrities, he does not have to rely on them to succeed. Many of them have hidden agendas that are not beneficial to Johnson. I asked him how he filtered the customer. He said,

“I’ve started to have more internal conversations. When people approach me, I critically ask myself, ‘Is this appropriate? Do I care? If “no and no,” my answer is obvious. Collaboration is key. I want to work with customers, no for to be able to constantly invest in customers, myself, my creativity and my brand. ”

Summer 2020 and Black Lives Matter

This part of the interview sparked thoughts last summer when our society cared about the Black Lives Matter, even though the movement began in 2013. Smallholdings of black property grew tremendously (including mine) when we suddenly and assertively started helping people. new paths. On the one hand, it was fulfilling, and on the other, it was disappointing. While many of our businesses continue to evolve today, as we move forward in the summer of 2020, we are moving away from black lives, black education, and black equity. It’s as if horrible events are needed to spark interest.

Johnson and I had a close relationship as alternative perspectives on the subject proliferated. Johnson’s Instagram audience had 900 followers for two years until last summer, when his account rose to more than 20,000 followers until he was tagged in one of his posts. I reaffirmed that my commitment was greater than ever. Johnson continued,

“The spotlight was very damaging because it put too much light in a short amount of time. On the last day of May I tagged her in a message before I went to bed. I woke up the next morning with 300 requests for pottery. It was productive. I literally went from 0 to 300 … no space … or no oven. Growth was greatly appreciated, but great willpower was required to accomplish this. I know that not everyone had the resources or the skills, because the savagery continued and our entry vessels were overflowing with messages from people we had not heard in a century.

Johnson’s response was clear in the face of unexpected (sometimes) misguided attention. Prices went up,

“My mugs started at $ 30. So I asked myself, ‘How do you create a narrative around that Moe is buying these things? ‘People really needed help, to buy faster than they could buy, so they could say they supported the Black-owned business. That was my answer. I went to college to study pottery. I didn’t find my ceramic art on Pinterest. So if you want to own one of my fine arts, you have to pay the price. I found that, despite the higher rates, I continued to sell. The help was more authentic, as they appreciated me beyond my skin color.

Racial identity and smiling faces

Racial identity quickly became the focus of our conversation. Although Johnson identifies as a black woman, she is not the only identifying feature about her. And if you look at his work without knowing the face behind it, you would have no idea that he is black.

“… I think that speaks to the transcendence of my work. I pull myself out of the web of oppression to the point where I’m creating things that don’t symbolize pain. My work recognizes pain without being fully embodied. Smile faces, in hand-drawn imperfection, are a way of celebration. “They’re symbolic of the sticky-faced stickers we don’t pick up. Even though space is hard to live in, we’re still here. And we deserve to be congratulated for that, perfectly and truly. I don’t know. I think it’s very easy. If you don’t accept black work, you don’t have to.” Do it right, without guilt, or don’t do it at all. “

Honesty and trust

I made an effort to get to the details of Johnson’s life, such as his favorite book, drink or preferred way of eating. His answers were quite correct and he said with a huge smile:

“I don’t read, I drink water and occasionally gray tea because it smells like fruit loops and I love bagels.”

So, we got into my toughest question pretty quickly: If you talked to yourself 10 years ago, what would you say?

“I would tell him to trust his answers. I was forced to make the discovery but all I had to do was trust myself if I had the answers. “