Meet Caroline Foley

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caroline Foley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?

Two years ago I was the head writer for a popular animated preschool show. We were nearly done with writing the 4th season when the company was purchased by a large conglomerate and our show was placed on an indefinite pause. I found myself job hunting in a market that was, to put it lightly, very troubled. After 6 months I stopped looking for a job but I was still dealing with a lot of self doubt. I had attached my value as a human to whatever studio I was working for at the time and after 15 years of working in the Animation industry that correlation had become very deep. Thankfully I had recently started therapy, which was helpful, but I had a lot of work to do. So I turned to ceramics as a form of art therapy. It was a nice way for me to get reconnected with my creativity outside of animation, and after some time I didn’t even want to return to the industry. I had restored my value as a human and an artist and decided to pursue ceramics full time.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I started Tiny Lion Ceramics not only as a way for me to establish myself as a ceramic artist but as a way to highlight a cause near and dear to my heart: helping cats. It was something I was trying to do with my animation career. I had experience selling and developing kids animated shows and was in the process of pitching a preschool show all about compassion and pets, but at the same time the animation industry was crumbling from the changing landscape streamers had brought. I decided to scale down my show concept and make it independently, but animation is extremely time consuming and expensive so I found myself struggling to get my small show moving. As an artist, I naturally express my passions in my work so it wasn’t long before I found myself making ceramic pieces that appealed to other cat lovers. I started donating pieces to cat rescue charity auctions, participated in markets that were attached to adoption events, and even started advertising that a portion of proceeds from every sale would go to help the foster cats my wife and I were caring for. I found that people were excited not only about my cat themed ceramic pieces but that their purchase would help a cat in need. I have found incredible joy in not only making ceramics but sharing my passion for helping cats and connecting with likeminded individuals. I currently sell my pieces at local markets and on Etsy but I also recently acquired a shelf space at Catnip Coalition, a local shop in Burbank that also values helping cats in need. Right now I mostly make and sell cat figures and whisker keepers (a cute way to display your cat’s fallen whiskers that’s totally practical and not weird at all), but I am planning on making more items such as cat themed cups, dishes, and other kitchen necessities. I am also slowly working in my other recently discovered passion, which is gardening. I’m very excited about it! As well as vending at new local events such as the Jackalope arts festival and Cat Con in Pasadena.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me, I think the three most impactful qualities/skills to have were understanding my value (both creatively and as a human), following my gut, and having the ability to take risks. I think understanding your value is a difficult one to master because sometimes you just need a job and unfortunately a lot of creative jobs these days are undervaluing artists. It’s exhausting to give all your creative energy to a large company only to receive a paycheck that’s barely enough to live off of but sometimes that’s the reality you have to deal with, especially when you are young. I think this is something that takes time and a lot of self love. Following your gut is more something I think you are either born with or you develop through self reflection and meditation. To me, if something doesn’t feel right I just steer clear. And in order to take risks you have to be ready for all possible outcomes. When I decided to leave animation it was very scary, but it didn’t feel wrong. It’s the industry I had known for 15 years, it’s what I went to school for and am STILL paying off student loans for, but I knew that trying to stay was no longer a viable option. It was like trying to decide between getting squished by a boulder or jumping off a cliff, and I decided to jump. Thankfully, I landed on my feet, but I still have a big mountain to climb to get back to where I was financially. I think if you are ready to take a big risk it’s good to have a backup plan and lots of knowledge about the risk you are taking. Don’t just jump blind. I was already making ceramics as a hobby when I decided to turn it into a business/career. I’m still learning a lot about the business side but it’s something that I know I can improve with time and practice. And with a little research I found a lot of craft markets I can vend at. I think if you have a career/business idea that you can’t stop thinking about or are extremely unhappy in then it’s time to take a leap, just don’t forget to do that research and take some time to meditate on it.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I have to thank my incredibly supportive wife for giving me the encouragement and strength to pursue this career change. I literally don’t know what I would do without her. I’m a survivor and sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, but it’s so nice to know this time of transition won’t be filled with grief and struggle. Instead it’s filled with love and positive communication. It’s also nice to have less financial worry, which has been an immense help in keeping stress down. We still have to budget, but we get by alright for now and I love the life we have together. I feel the healthiest and happiest I’ve been in a long time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Carolinefoleyanimation.com
• Instagram: @tuffwaffles
• Other: Ceramics insta: @TinyLionCeramics

Image Credits

Elyssa Ruiz
Caroline Foley
Lyvia Martinez