We recently had the chance to connect with Calethia DeConto and have shared our conversation below.
Calethia, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I feel like I’m being called into scale, not just in the work itself, but in how I show up around it. For a long time I treated my art like something I had to protect. I made it quietly, kept it small, and stayed in preparation mode because it felt safer than being fully seen.
Now I’m being called to let the work carry more. To build a real structure around it. To invite people into the process through workshops and shared creative time. To speak honestly about value, what it costs to make something, what it costs in time and labor, and what it means to rebuild after hard chapters.
The fear used to be exposure. Now it feels like an invitation. I’m choosing sustainability, visibility, and vulnerability.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Calethia DeConto, a multidisciplinary visual artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. I work primarily with lens-based media and cyanotype, using photography as both image and process. I often start with photographs from my own archive and translate them into physical work, cyanotype prints on paper and fabric, collage, mixed media, and installations that feel a little like constellations or field notes. My themes circle ecology, memory, and place, and I’m especially drawn to the quiet power of materials, repetition, and restraint.
I am creating a new chapter under the name Gently Wild. It’s part studio, part creative philosophy, and part community idea. I’m interested in making art that feels both grounded and a little magical, and in creating environments where people can slow down and make things with their hands. Lately I’ve been building out workshops and pop-up offerings, and working toward a sustainable creative business model that honors the real value of time, labor, and care. I’m in a chapter of expanding, showing up more publicly, and letting the work become a bigger container than it used to be.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a sensitive, resourceful kid who found peace in solitude. I grew up with a lot of change, and creativity was the one place that felt stable. I read constantly, made up stories, and built little worlds out of whatever I could find. I loved being in nature, exploring, noticing, collecting. Before I learned to be careful, before I learned to perform competence or chase approval, I was imaginative, intuitive, and free.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You are not too much. You are not behind. Keep making what you love, it is not a phase, it is your path.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that if I just held on and pushed through, stability would eventually arrive on its own. That I could endure almost anything as long as I stayed loyal to the plan. After the last few years, I realize stability is something you build on purpose. You have to choose it, advocate for it, and sometimes walk away from situations that are quietly draining you.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What false labels are you still carrying?
I’m still unlearning a few false labels I picked up early, like “too sensitive” or “too much.” I also slip into “not business-minded,” or “I’m not consistent,” even though I’ve built a whole life around making things happen. The one that shows up the most is “I have to do it alone.” I’m learning to replace that with support, structure, and letting people actually show up for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.calethiadeconto.com
- Instagram: @gentlywildstudio
