Meet Catrecia Martin: Artist, Creative Director & HBIC

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

Hi Catrecia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I have my heart and mind, set on doing something, I jump headfirst into the deep end, and fully submerge myself into that project. I’m a person that likes immediate gratification, so I believe that’s why going full speed works well for me. I also call myself a Crafty Rebel, so there’s that! Challenging myself to just dive in – even with small tasks – makes me feel like the end result is near, and that part of it excites me. Despite a few frustrations – and curse words – that come along with figuring things out as you go, some of the best decisions I’ve made in my life have started with big risks. Moving completely away from my family to another state, starting a career that I had no experience with, and starting a business during a pandemic are all risks that most people will find intimidating. All of these risks have made me who I am today and ultimately have resulted in the success of my business. Sometimes, you just have to trust God and have a little faith that he’ll order your steps in the way you should go. When it doesn’t work out, just remember the lessons you’ve learned from your failures and apply those experiences to the next thing! Eventually, you’ll hone in on your craft and find your niche. The goal is to work with what you’re meant to be in that moment of your life. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always been a creative person and have been called the “Black Martha Stewart” by many of my friends. Crafting, whether it’s in the form of wearable art, grazing tables, cocktails or mixed media projects is a form of meditation for me, and it comes so naturally, it didn’t occur to me that it wasn’t that way for most people. Crafting allows me the opportunity to express my creativity, as well as the financial flexibility to achieve my personal, and family-life goals. My two loves are cocktails and crafts, so it made sense to me to join the two and host not only my girlfriends but to use the opportunity to host a few new friends as well. Since the start of the pandemic, I was forced to use my creativity to rethink my business and in October, I picked up my earring making tools and went to work. From then, my business just took off. I started getting request, after request about customizations, characters and it has just snowballed into what it is today! I’m still relatively new and learning new skills every day, but I’m loving every single minute of expressing myself creatively through wearable pieces of art.

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.
Ok, bestie! I’ve always enjoyed nature and one of my favorite places to visit in Atlanta is the Botanical Gardens. The exhibits are always fantastical, and pure magic when lit at nightfall. Not to mention, that’s where my fiance proposed, so the gardens are sentimental to me. While we’re at it, we might as well grab a City Pass, so that we can hit up the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola (strictly to film them while tasting the Beverly soft drink at the end of the visit. Yuck!), Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Zoo Atlanta and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The City Pass gives you access to all 5 for 30-days, but a week is plenty of time to hit up one a day. It’s a travesty if we’re dining anywhere other than Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours, Two Urban Licks, The Southern Gentleman and at least one Atlanta-style brunch spot, with Dj, included. My choice for brunch would be Ms. Iceys Kitchen & Bar. All serve great drinks and are a good time. If beer is your thing there are more than a few breweries in Atlanta also, like Sweetwater, Monday Night, and Scofflaw, or you can walk the beltline and pop into any restaurant or bar along the way.

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?
With the encouragement of my very small circle of friends, family, and my amazing fiancé, I officially launched Crafty Rebels in October of 2020, despite an active pandemic. If it weren’t for them pushing me and motivating me, I would have never launched. With their kind words of affirmation, I picked up my earring making tools and tried my hand at jewelry making fearlessly, and feeling completely supported – even without having ever made jewelry before. I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career if it weren’t for them.

Website: www.craftyrebels.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/craftyrebelsco
Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftyrebels