Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Gharis.
Hi Caroline, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
A couple years ago, in 2022, I wanted to celebrate my own pride with a nonbinary door wreath. I wanted a gorgeous wreath like the wreaths I grew up with and knew in Texas, except rather than traditional holidays or plain rainbow, I specifically wanted a nonbinary wreath with fruity yellow lemons. So, I hit up Google, and once I started googling, I realized that was a much more specific idea than I’d previously thought… so I decided to make my own nonbinary wreath with yellow lemons and a whole array of pride wreaths. There should be representation beyond generic rainbow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hahaha! No, the road has not been smooth for this autistic nonbinary artist who grew up in the Bible Belt. Since moving to California in 2018, I’ve encountered both the pandemic and the 2023 film strikes. Previously, I worked in art departments for film and television. Though I love the work itself, the environment is extremely unregulated. I was amidst potential unionization when the 2023 strikes halted work. I had been working on my wreaths for almost a year by then, and I took the strikes as a means to fully pivot my creative voice into caroLINES & DOTS.
Separately, learning I’m autistic has greatly improved my quality of life as of late. Prior knowing I was neurodivergent, many day-to-day struggles I was discombobulated by. I often wondered why I felt incapable of regulating myself through situations others seemed less derailed by. I often wondered why language and communication has always evaded me in specific ways, while imagery comes through extremely strong.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Hi, y’all! My name is Caroline (they/them), and I’m the artisan behind caroLINES & DOTS. I’m a shop-creating hand-tiled disco and home decor. The shop brings colorful, maximalist designs to life and contains a range of works, including art originals and prints, disco canvases and frames, wreaths, & more! Commissions for all 1-of-a-kind custom disco text canvases are available through the website caroLINESandDOTS.com. Many shop works contain a Queer & Autistic focus.
I’m a creative machine who loves music and whimsy. I’m most known for my disco tiling. I’m really proud of my skills and the glass cutting I do that’s involved with patterning text to canvas. My incorporation of disco text and putting images on canvas through glass cutting sets me apart from traditional silver disco.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I came out as bisexual and nonbinary during 2020 & 2021, as well as discovered my neurodivergence. Prior to then, I wasn’t involved in any community. Pivoting my work and becoming involved in community has positively changed my life. I finally feel a deeper connection to a majority of people I interact with now in the spaces I work and exist. Learning I was autistic led me to become involved in the disability community. Autism is a disability. For me personally, I consider it a dynamic or fluctuating disability because how much and the ways I feel affected by my autism can differ day to day. Finding others like me has helped me understand myself and make me feel less alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carolinesanddots.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolines_and_dots/
Image Credits
Chessa Mehlman
LezzChaseLight
