Today we’d like to introduce you to Toria Arkeketa.
Hi Toria, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma. My dad grew up there as well. My mom is from Decatur, Georgia. They met at a powwow in St. Louis and in 1992, a year after their wedding, I was born. My late father was an emcee and took me along the powwow trail growing up. I grew up dancing cloth and buckskin. These memories of dancing and traveling all over Indian Country with my parents is what inspire my creativity. My brand name is inspired by my dad’s drum group that he founded in the ’60s: The Redland Singers.
I moved out to Atlanta in 2012 just for a change of pace and to get away from small-town life and experience something new. I have held various jobs from a local bookstore back home to Barnes and Noble café once I moved to Georgia, as well as Gamestop, and briefly as a night stocker in a mall. Now I work at a boutique law firm in Midtown and have worked my way up from receptionist to database coordinator for the past six years.
During this time, I was mainly focused on just getting by and have now reached a place where I can be more creative comfortably. Clay was always my favorite thing to work with when I was in high school art class, so it’s something I have always gravitated to. I began looking into polymer clay and following polymer clay artists at the end of 2019. The following year I was still fascinated and wanted to try my hand at some designs that were floating around in my head. That’s how Redland Creative was born.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a learning experience for sure. Learning how polymer clay works, learning what types of polymer clay to use, how to bake it, and different methods to implement. Using different tools and learning which are most effective and thinking of new designs to try. However, the clay experiments are the fun part. It’s the business side of things that really makes my head spin. Building a website was fun but rough. I don’t know what happened to the brain I had when I would code MySpace themes back in highschool, but it wasn’t there when I was trying to do my business website coding. I’ve learned more about search engine optimization than I ever thought I would need to know and I still struggle with it. Taxes are just downright ugly. Currently, I need to learn to give myself the same grace and patience I give to other small businesses and not be so hard on myself.
It’s all been self-taught with a lot of googling and learning from other small business owners that are generous enough to share their tips. It can all be a little overwhelming at times and I learn something new everyday, but it has been so worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work at a law firm by day and make jewelry by night. With quarantine in 2020, a lot of people started to pick up on polymer clay art, which is great! I wanted to join in, but I also wanted to do something that sets me apart, which is what led to my Native Leaders collection. I make earrings in the likeness of prominent Native figures like Standing Bear, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and Sitting Bull. I want to expand this line in the future.
With my Native Leaders Collection, I wanted to share the story and the history of the original people of these lands. While the leaders represented in these earrings are some of the most well-known across Indian Country, this list is definitely not exhaustive as there are over 500 federally recognized tribes, all with their own unique cultures and histories. Growing up with a very traditional Ponca father and a history teacher mother, I was fortunate to grow up with a lot of historical knowledge. However, I can only speak for myself as a Ponca and Otoe-Missouria woman, and this does not mean I am a representative of all Indigenous peoples, tribes or cultures. I just wanted to create something pretty and informative of the people and figures I grew up admiring.
While my shop is primarily focused on cultural designs, that doesn’t limit me. I also love to create pieces that are inspired by what’s around me or themed for holidays. Designs can range from simple studs to large dangles. The magic of polymer clay is that there is so much you can do with it and mix with other mediums. By nature, polymer clay is very light but also very durable once baked, which is what makes them so good for earrings and jewelry. Everything I make is mixed, rolled, cut, shaped, sanded, and pieced together by hand. I make small batch releases as a one-woman shop.
What matters most to you? Why?
Being more open about mental health and the stigmas that surround it. My dad died two months before I graduated high school, and I went into a very deep depression that I didn’t get help with until almost eight years later. I finally realized I needed help so I went on anti-depressants that have helped me reach a better mindset. I still struggle at times, but I’m more open about it. I want to encourage people struggling to find help, whether it be pills, therapy or some sort of outlet, to reach out and do so. What helps is different for everyone.
Contact Info:
- Email: redlandcreativeco@gmail.com
- Website: redlandcreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redlandcreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redlandcreative
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@redlandcreative?lang=en
