Meet The Maker: Jenna Caring
Jenna is an art teacher and the multidisciplinary artist behind Featherhead Studio. Her primary focus is metal and jewelry making, but she also works in clay as well as printmaking and produces mixed media sculptures. Originally from Sarasota, Jenna now resides in Orlando, where she has become deeply bonded with her community by organizing one of Orlando’s biggest annual art bazaars and from many years spent in the Orlando service industry as a bartender and baker. In talking with her, we find out why she wanted to create Veer Collective and how she connected with metal…and even about her time in the circus.
First things first. Dogs or Cats?
Dog person forever.
What led you to becoming a jewelry maker?
My High School had metalsmithing classes and that was my introduction to jewelry making. My teacher, Mr. Garland, was a pirate. I’m serious. With the exception of his beard, he didn’t present as a pirate immediately, but his studio within the classroom was covered in photos from years of dressing up at Gasparilla Pirate Festivals. It was his thing and I found it endearing, but he scared the shit out of me initially. He could be surly and strict, but I loved his class. After we got to know each other better, I could maybe get him to give us a hearty “Arrrr,” but that was a rare occasion. He'd have to be in a really good mood.
I liked the new challenges that working with metal presented and I LOVED all the tools and using a torch. It was the first time I felt fully confident in my abilities from the work go. Metal made sense to me somehow and unlike drawing and painting, I could successfully accomplish the ideas I had in my head. By my senior year, I had officially entered Teacher’s Pet territory. My pirate teacher would let me work at his jewelers bench and trusted me to use his professional tools. Nothing else existed for me when I was at that bench and twenty-five years later, I still feel the same when I'm at mine. After I graduated high-school, I started collecting tools and teaching myself.
What do you like most about making jewelry?
I think it’s interesting to see how people accessorize and it’s really special to be able to contribute to that. One day, at my local grocery store, a woman walked past me wearing a pair of earrings I had made and sold at an art market a few weeks before. It made me really happy to know that she had woken up that morning, picked out her outfit for the day and then chose to adorn herself with my earrings.
Which materials fascinate you the most besides metal? Are there any materials that you have not worked with but would like to try?
Metal was a game changer, but I also love creating in clay or any material that I can work three-dimensionally. When I was a kid, my mom worked for the artist John Chamberlain as his landscape designer. I often think about wandering the grounds of his studio and observing those large metal sculptures in progress. I haven’t done any large scale welding, but that really intrigues me. In 2019, I took an intensive metals workshop at Penland School of Craft, where I was re-acquainted with lost wax casting. I'm hoping to add that equipment in my next big studio investment....there was a casting joke in there for my fellow jewelry nerds.
What has your biggest challenge been while building your product line and brand?
I've struggled with brand identity, a lot. By that, I mean, I don't think I have one yet. My ideas/materials/designs/tastes/whatever are all over the place all the time. I've had a hard time focusing on designing a specific cohesive line. All of the jewelry artists I admire have such an identifiable style. I can be out in the wild and meet someone wearing Rockhaus Metal or Sandy Rubin, for example, and I know instantly that it's their work.
What hobbies or interests keep you busy when you’re not creating your art?
I love a good nature adventure, but mostly I cook and bake. I’ve worked as a personal chef, baker and bartender and I even make the occasional wedding cake and cater events. During the pandemic quarantines, I started selling baked goods and dinners to-go. I would advertise the menu to my friends on Instagram and people would come pick it up on my front stoop. It started as a little side hustle to keep busy and make some money since I was completely out of work, but I ended up getting so many orders that I was in the kitchen all day almost everyday. I’ve always daydreamed about opening a little bakery or café, so this scratched that itch a bit. Feeding people brings me a tremendous amount of joy.
What does Veer mean to you and what made you want to create Veer Collective?
VEER, to me, means being flexible and willing to change course. Since 2015, I’ve organized a beloved annual artisan market in Orlando called Grandma Party Bazaar. Before I took charge of the event, I was a vendor for a handful of years. It was the first market I ever sold my art at. It's a super quirky event and is truly the (Grand)Mother of the local craft market scene in Orlando. I enjoy curating the vendors and discovering all the amazing creative makers in my community. It’s a HUGE event and provides these artists a great audience to share their craft with and when they tell me they sold out or had the biggest sales day they’ve ever had, it makes me really happy and proud of the work and heart I put into the event. I wanted to provide a similar nurturing platform online and that’s how VEER was born. Molly and I want to spotlight the talent in our community and offer an ever-changing shopping experience where people can get unique handmade items all year round. In addition to our website, our brick & mortar shop, located in The Milk District, has been open since October 2023.
Finally, share a fun fact with us about yourself.
LOL, I was in the circus when I was a kid. Sarasota is a famous old circus town. In the 1920’s, it became the winter quarters of the Ringling Bro. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Clown College was built in the 60’s, but before that, the youth circus was born. It started as a highschool gym class in 1949 and by ‘52, The Sailor Circus was on its way to being a full-fledged performance troop. It’s an after-school program for students ages 8-18, it was really fun. I mostly did basic tumbling and stationary trapeze routines. Minus the animals and fire, we did almost everything adult circus troops did. High wire walking, flying trapeze, clown skits, group acrobatics and cycling, juggling, Spanish Web…it was a unique experience. It’s still operating under its permanent Big Top right next to my highschool and the kids perform exceptional routines to sell-out audiences. So, there you go, I was a performer in The Greatest Little Show On Earth. Although, I don’t have a single photo to prove it, so you’re gonna have to take my word for it.
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