Meet Chantaya Adams | Resin artist

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

Hi Chantaya, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson that I have learned so far Is that if I’m not pouring into my business, it will not thrive. If I don’t get out there and work my business absolutely nothing will happen. I have seen this happen first hand, and more than once for the better half of two years. I would get discouraged and not work at all. This is not the ethic that breeds success. I grew up watching my mother run her own limousine service, and never once did I see her give up. So, I knew from a very young age that it takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication for a business to be successful. It is all about the effort you put forth. Now I am actively training myself to think about strawberry kitchen as a living breathing entity. With any living thing you must feed it, or it will not survive. I don’t want my business to starve so I’m beginning to feed it and nourish it more. The nourishment is the advertisements, the social media post, the resin, the molds, the creativity, the customer interactions, and most importantly the time I invest. I’m still learning from my business, and I know that the lessons will continue to come as I grow. I very much look forward to it all.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My chosen medium is resin. I love working with the material so much. It is so amazing to me, how two liquids mixed together can create such an amazing piece of art. I still shock myself with some of the designs I come up with! I’m inspired by so many things so when I sit down to pour a piece, it’s a process. The colors have to complement each other or my OCD will activate ha ha. I take the time to make sure every small detail of the mold is filled in; this not only helps in creating a cohesive piece, it also brings it to life in my personal option. One consistent truth that I hear from all my customers is that they have never seen anything like my work, and that is because I pour with so much emotion and feeling that it is palpable! I really think that’s why they keep coming back, that and my super awesome personality!  I absolutely love my customers’ reactions when they see my work for the first time! Most people get stuck at my booth, because they just simply can’t choose which piece they want to take home with them. Honestly that is what I’m most proud of. I love watching a person go back and forth between pieces! I’m always super excited to get out at events to show off my new creations. I thrive off my customers’ excitement. I literally have the best customers! They fuel my passion just as much as resin does. What also excites me is the future of Strawberry Kitchen. It has taken a lot of work to get where I am today. A Lot of learning and a lot of personal growth. I’m proud of the fact that my business has so much to do with my growth as a person. I’ve realized that it not only takes knowledge but guts to put myself and my craft on display. I will forever be grateful for the courage that I’ve developed while simultaneously developing my brain baby. As I stated before, the future’s so bright, I am super proud to announce that Strawberry Kitchen will become SK Designz! I’m rebranding because like all things in life Strawberry Kitchen has evolved. SK Designz brings together my love for home decor and design. I will be creating resin pieces that will not only add beauty and sophistication to the home, but it will also have practical uses such as a mirror, a key holder, and decorative silhouettes for your walls. I can’t wait to share my vision for SKD with the world! It is my hope that anyone who purchases from SK Designz will feel the absolute love and joy that was quite literally poured into every piece that I create! My craft, personality and heart, are the tools I used to spread love, light, and happiness to the world one pour at a time!

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.
Honestly I’m a homebody and I really don’t get out that much. However, I do have a couple of spots that I would go with my friends. Deep Ellum is always full of life. Deep Ellum has tons restaurants with excellent food and drinks. Plus the art on display around every corner is truly inspiring. My family has a few museums on our list of must sees. The African Museum of Dallas, The Perot Museum, The Dallas Museum of Art, and the Museum of Illusions.  Clyde Warren Park is a must as well. They almost always have an event going on and tons of amazing food trucks of all cuisines are posted up and ready to serve you. Also, I love the water so I would check out the many lakes surrounding Dallas. My personal favorite is Joe Pool Lake!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My sister Lee Lee is the main person I credit for my resin journey. She is the owner of Unique Sol Creations. She creates the most beautiful glasses with resin! Any type of glass you can think of. Her work is stunning! I saw her glasses and wanted to give it a try myself. However, I found that glass work didn’t resonate with me. I was still very much interested in resin, so I switched to coaster molds. I thought well why not make coasters to go with her glasses. I found that I really enjoyed making the coaster, so I explored more techniques and watched YouTube video after YouTube video to really learn my craft. Here I am two and half years later still as passionate as ever about resin, and it’s all because of my sister Lee! I don’t even know if she understands how much she changed the course of my life. It was her spark that lit my flame! I will forever be grateful to my sister. I love you, Lee. The next person I owe a great deal to is my husband, Casey. Without his support, encouragement, and love I don’t know where I would be without it! He does so much for me. He is responsible for all my graphic design. I’m totally biased of course, but his graphic design work is so bomb! My logo and all my editing are his handy work. He is the owner of Inkwell Studios. His accolades also include Sound Engineering, Massage Therapy, Culinary Arts, and Visual Design! Y’all my king is so cold he can design an entire home to specs! How dope is that! Again, I’m totally biased but seriously he’s such an amazing talent! I’m so blessed to have him in my corner. I’d literally be lost without him. I’m so serious! Sweet love I thank you from the depths of my being. You are my rock and my home. I love you! Next is my mother, Belinda. I aspire to be half the businesswomen my mother is. She has supported me in every way you can imagine! She is a tough critic and a straight from the hip shooter. She is always giving me advice and Ideas about new products to launch or telling me how/who I should be marketing to. She has an incredible wealth of knowledge! Without her advice, support, and guidance I would not be where I am now. Mommy! You already know I have deep root love in my heart for you. I hope that I continue to make you proud. Last and certainly not least I wouldn’t be where I am without my bestie Christen! She is also a resin artist that works with glass. She is the owner of Cardinal Signs. Her specialty is stemless glassware. Her work is stunning. Her work is a constant source of inspiration because I’m always trying to keep up with her designs or attempting to make a coaster to match her glasses. She keeps me on my toes and we both have a great love for vending events! She lives in New York, and I live in Texas, but we have plans to vend together in NY as well as Texas and Colorado which is where our other best friend Lindsey lives. Lindsey makes the most stunning earring you’ve ever seen and it’s all by hand. Her business is called the Rustic Owl. With the three of us under one tent it is a party! I adore you ladies and I look so forward to the 2023 vending season with y’all! I also owe a great deal of gratitude to the always fabulous Jennifer Washington-McMurray of JWM Productions. I met Mz. Jen as we all lovingly refer to her as, almost 2 years ago. She puts on the most amazing pop-up shops in Dallas! It has been through her events that I amassed countless loyal customers, and more continue to flow in! She is also very passionate about the community among her vendors. She roots for us and supports us at other events, as well as delivers that sometimes-needed kick in the pants to get back on track. She doesn’t let us make excuses as to why we aren’t working our businesses. She is an amazing woman, I will forever be thankful to you Mz. Jen. Thank you for seeing the beauty in my craft and for sharing SKD with your community of powerhouses. These beautiful spirits propel me forward every single day! My story continues, and it is all because of them. I love you all. Thank you for believing in me.

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Image Credits
Angela Webb photography