Conversations with Teryn Joy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Teryn Joy.

Hi Teryn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Craft Cult is a seasonal magazine and hobby kit started by a group of friends who wanted to bring crafting to people’s homes and use it as an entry point into timely conversations around sustainability and being a conscious consumer. As such, contents in our crafting boxes are sourced from small, independent suppliers in favor of big corporations (like Amazon, Walmart, or Hobby Lobby). We hope to turn our ethic and values into a movement of sustainable, community support by featuring intersectional artists and small businesses wherever we can to change the culture of overconsumption we find ourselves in.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As none of us are business majors and have no experience in starting a business from the ground up, it was a lot of trial and error in terms of bringing our vision to light. We played to our strengths: Kelly: organization and executive decision making; Brigitte: production and overview; Tyler: numbers and supplies lists; Teryn: art direction and craft brainstorming. All other decisions were made as a team and we just ran with it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve had a pretty eclectic career as an artist so far. Every year I seem to phase into a new project or job. I am a multimedia artist and painter. I’ve had odd jobs in the industry as a painting assistant for a well-known rockstar, built props for movies and TV shows in Simi Valley, taught painting classes in Long Beach, I’ve done murals for grocery stores and restaurants, I’ve even dabbled in designing movie posters. I rarely say no to a job, I enjoy learning as I go. In my own work, I like to create miniatures or little vignettes. I’m really obsessed with capturing a specific, cinematic point in time in still form. As if a single feeling or picture was taken from a theater performance or movie. I mainly incorporate paintings, collage, woodworking, and found objects in my work.

How do you think about luck?
I don’t think there’s ever been bad luck, just life lessons (which is very annoying and cheesy to say). There have been so many jobs I’ve had that rarely last a year due to a multitude of circumstances (although I’ve never been fired, so I’ve got that going for me); but each opportunity I have to learn, I’ll take it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://terynjoy.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: @teryn_joy