Meet Jessica Cetrangelo | Ceramic Artist and Energy Worker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Cetrangelo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
When I pictured my future, I knew I could not do the same thing for the rest of my life. The goals of the 9-5, career, marriage, family, wash, repeat, next generation, was not for me. As time passed, it grew to knowing I could not spend the majority of my life working for someone else. It was a risky path to follow…not only is risk a massive piece of choosing to become an entrepreneur, but a creative business…that’s doubling down on the risk. For me, leaving the security of my day job was a huge step. I always had one or several side gigs going, (whether it was photography, yoga teaching, energy work). It was easy to ride on the edge without going fully over. To fully commit to my vision, without a career safety net was a tremendous risk. And, you need to continue risking to evolve and grow. Creativity and energy work is an intuitive and alive pursuit. It needs to move and change…allowed to unfold organically. There is a bit of courage and surrender needed to trust in that flow. The business becomes your baby and you can’t grip it too tight or it will become stagnant and rebel. Art requires a certain level of vulnerability – presenting a piece of you, then deciding how much its worth. It’s a practice to balance integrity and feeling like a human factory. To be okay with creating intentional one of a kind work. To not pressure myself into mass production. That I will continue to find my people. It was a huge risk when I increased my prices. Restated my value. It paved the way to align with my vision. The value of intentional living.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Art and creativity has always been a major part of my life. From New York, I have consistently participated in art education and creative programs. Going to theatre, shows, opera, museums, galleries, I really can’t imagine a life without the arts. I attended the Atlanta College of Art, graduating in with a BFA majoring in photography.
After school, I explored all over the spectrum including working in photojournalism, freelance photography, working for a major tech company, yoga instructor, kinesiologist, energy work and was a crime scene technician for 4 years.
These extensive experiences have greatly influenced my life and work. The study of the world, witnessing deep levels of humanity and the inner spirit has inspired a desire to deeply connect to the roots of our nature – gravitating me to clay. I love the tactile and unpredictability of the medium…that it involves your whole body. That it can become anything.
Through my work I endeavor to resonate a frequency of intentionality into the space. To promote the importance of mindfully creating an environment that brings awareness to our individual impact on the world. Using such a natural and physical medium as clay, embedding my hands into the Earth, and grounding within the self to create a conscious piece of art.
This journey was not easy. It took, (and continues to take), a lot of internal study to grow. As for lessons, development is not a straight line. There is an acceptance and compassion that needs to be integrated. To allow for the failures that lead to the stretch. To celebrate the successes, to give myself permission to be excited and experience that joy. And to encourage the success of others. The delight in seeing other artists and small businesses triumph. Seeing the community expand.
What I want the world to know is the value of intentionality. To practice being awake in the world. We don’t have to dumb ourselves down. To watch where we go on auto-pilot. To reconnect inside our bodies. Connect with the world around us. We are on this planet for a reason. Not to focus on escaping it..the after. But on cultivating the inner divinity that inhabits us all. That… leading us through evolution and completion.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The trip would include a visit to the Botanical Gardens, the one of a kind Georgia Aquarium, and the food anywhere along Buford Highway. What I enjoy about Atlanta is the intimacy of its unique neighborhoods, Cabbagetown, Little 5 Points, Candler Park, Decatur – You can just visit that corner of the city, experience the community and always find something to do, a show to see and somewhere good to eat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who have encouraged and inspired me on my path. My mother, Doreen who always welcomed my creativity and discovery. I was free to explore my curiosity without fear of judgement. She gave me beautiful and fantastic books as a child. My father would frame my artwork and display it in his office. It’s really later in life, things I thought was normal for everyone – I can reflect and see how special and fortunate I was to have these experiences as part of my upbringing. My great aunts – Rose Ferro, one of the first female builders from Rochester New York and Angelina Ferro, one of the first female child psychologists in NYC – both inspiring, determined and unstoppable. They too nurtured my creativity by bringing me to museums, shows…getting me creative antique gifts. My best friend since kindergarten Claudine and her family, particularly her mother Annette who took us to creative art programs and classes. A guidance counselor, when she found out I was interested in art school, Annette immediately sent me applications to all the best art schools. The head of the photography department at the Atlanta College of Art, Elizabeth Turk, who chose for the Gene Alcott travel scholarship, noticing and validating my time, work and time. My brother Joe who cheered me on with abandon at my first (and only), singing performance. More recently, I have clients who have believed in and supported me since the beginning of this independent journey. Leila, Sierra, Sterling, Rae, Nicole – for their consistent trust, vulnerability and evolution that leaves me awestruck and determined to continue growing. And my partner Tommy. Not only has he supported and encouraged me on this creative path, he motivates me to continue going forward. After a major transition that had me questioning who I was in my life, he gifted me a ceramics class. A piece of creativity, different than what I have done before, something I wouldn’t fully connect to a past life. Little did he know how far that class would go. I truly would not be where I am without him.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_angelo_pottery/

Other: jessangelo2113@gmail.com

Image Credits
The tarot cards are the The Weaver Tarot – Brit June and Blaire Porter