Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Maddox.
Hi Caroline, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For as long as I can remember, art and yoga have been at the center of my universe. Though it wasn’t until 2021 that I decided to return home to Georgia and recalibrate my life so I could teach yoga and make art again full-time. I have always been creative, but in my youth, I was primarily focused on dance and music, which led me to yoga at the age of 17. It wasn’t until college that I found the visual arts and later clay while studying abroad in Cortona, Italy with the University of Georgia. After my first class with Brad Miller, I fell so deeply in love with ceramics that I came home and added studio art as a major so I could continue making work while pursuing a degree in art history.
Upon graduation, I shared with my parents that I wanted to go to school for an MFA in Ceramics but was encouraged to consider an alternative path, so I enrolled in graduate school at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. After receiving an MA in Art Business, I began my career in museums that took me away from making art but provided access to incredible works of art, artists, fellow art enthusiasts, and professionals in the field that I learned from, built relationships with and worked alongside for over a decade.
While in graduate school in New York, I also continued studying yoga and deepened my practice with a guru who encouraged me to become a teacher. I became certified in Sivananda yoga (RYT-200) in 2009, which focuses on promoting a healthy yogic lifestyle through breathing, self-study, diet, asanas, and meditation. Shortly thereafter, I opened a yoga studio with a business partner but had to close it because I needed a salary to support my growing family.
While pursuing a high-stress career in museums and a Ph.D. in Art, I balanced life through my yoga practice and scratched my creative itch through weekend painting sessions and flower arranging with my daughter. All the while, I knew in my heart that something was missing from my life. Once I returned home to Georgia and intentionally slowed down, I decided to teach yoga and embrace my creativity with a full and open heart, which meant finding a place to work in clay. For the past two years, I have gone through a rebirth of my creative spirit, spending every waking hour either making pots, thinking about my next project, or teaching and practicing yoga. I also recently became certified in Trauma Sensitive Yoga and Yin Yoga to enhance my ability to help others heal through this practice that has transformed my life.
Sharing both yoga and art with the world brings me fulfillment and a sense of purpose. I have become more present and found inner peace and a deep appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me. My highest goal is to convey this in my work and help others find stillness and gratitude for nature and the simple pleasures in life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an art student was challenging because I had no experience in painting, drawing, or sculpture before taking classes in college. My first drawing class was totally humiliating. I did not have any skill, nor had I cultivated an eye for seeing things as they are. Every critique was brutal, with my drawings falling far below others in the class. However, after class, I would take them home and rework the surface for hours on end until I had something that I was proud of. Eventually, I learned how to draw and made an A in the class because I was persistent, but my confidence was crushed through the process. I always felt like an imposter and never considered myself an artist. When I found clay, I regained some of my confidence, though it was also new for me. Learning how to throw on the wheel was very challenging, and it broke my heart when my teacher would cut my pots in half to show me that they were uneven. However, I loved it so much that I would completely lose track of time while attempting to throw functional forms on the wheel into the wee hours of the morning. It was the process of making that I loved.
Once I began pursuing my career in museums, it became incredibly challenging to find the time and space to make things, especially in clay. Ceramics is time-sensitive, and it requires a dedicated space and special equipment. I also did not feel like I knew enough to set up my own space yet because I had very little experience in firing kilns and mixing glazes. For over a decade, I was not able to resolve this issue due to the level of commitment that was required for my work, my family obligations, and the pursuit of my Ph.D. Then, during the pandemic, my life took a turn. Through the encouragement of a friend, I joined an international group of artists who met online called TMFA Community. It was such a warm and welcoming group that I felt like it was a safe space to reengage in making work and sharing it openly with others. My first drawing workshop with this group relit my passion for making art, and I decided that from that point forward, I had to make the time to create again. It wasn’t until I joined this community that I began considering myself an artist.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create functional porcelain objects that I hand-paint with underglaze and carve. My work is inspired by what’s growing around me, so designs change seasonally. My practice in art is connected to my yoga practice. I intentionally find beauty in my environment, such as flowers that I then draw from life and later paint and carve onto my ceramic objects. Through this mindful practice, I connect with nature, and I am reminded to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me and to slow down and be present in the moment.
I also teach Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga at a local studio in Athens called Feel Free Yoga and Wellness, and I offer private lessons through my website. I am currently finishing my certification in Mindfulness Meditation, and my goal is to offer Slow Flow, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and meditation classes online soon through my website.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can buy my work or take yoga classes with me through my website at www.carolinemaddox.com. You can also find my work at Southern Star Studio in Athens and at local markets such as the Athens Farmers Market. Sharing my work with others on social media is also an incredible way to support me as an artist and a yogi. I am also open to art collaborations, commissioned work, teaching yoga to groups and for events, and collaborating with others who work in healing and wellness to offer retreats.
Pricing:
- $500- $800 for Large Vases and Lamps
- $200-$500 for Large platters
- $35-60 for cups or vases in a variety of sizes
- $40-150 for bowls or plates in a variety of sizes
- $50-75 an hour for private yoga lessons
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolinemaddox.com
- Instagram: @carolinemaddox
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=4921424&mibextid=avESrC
