Cai & Jo | Meet the Maker | RISING SETTING Collab

When I stumbled upon cai & jo, I was pretty in love with Cody’s creations. It’s clear that she is inspired by the sun, and I wanted to hear a bit more about this inspiration. Based in London, a location definitely not known for sunny weather, this self-taught artist and designer’s aesthetic is definitely representative of, in her own words “textures, colors and shapes of the natural world.”

We’ll hear more from Cody below, but when I saw her RISING SETTING print, I knew it had to make it into Lake Effect Co’s product rotation in some way. When Cody agreed to let us license the design for print on clothing, I was ecstatic. You can order it at the link above or at the bottom of this post.

SHOP OUR CAI & JO COLLECTION HERE

Back to the artist herself: 

When did you start recognizing your connection to nature?

I feel like I’ve always had a connection to nature really! I’ve really always felt inspired by different aspects of nature, especially after visiting somewhere new or during the change of seasons when I really notice everything around me.

How did you decide to channel your inspiration from nature into art?

I’ve been drawing and making things my whole life, and even looking back on drawings from when I was 5 years old there’s a lot of the same themes like the sun, trees and the sea.

When the weather is crummy, what do you do to cultivate your inspiration and keep creating?

Living in London means that the weather is gloomy a lot of the time! I try not to let it bother me too much, and I actually think that making bright sunny artwork boosts my mood and inspiration. 

You get to go off the grid — where are you going and what are you doing?

At the moment I’d love to go somewhere warm and just spend some time hiking and swimming in the sea!

What about nature feels so magical to you?

The colours for sure! There’s just something about a sunset that’s so unreal, I feel like I could watch a sunset forever and still be in awe.

Any big dreams for cai & jo that you’d like to share?

I generally just like to go with the flow and see what happens, but there's always exciting new things coming out  :)

...jump on the Cai & Jo Newsletter on their site and be sure to give them a follow on Instagram. 

Brand Qualities & Ethics

Cody and her team work to make the products as ethical and sustainable as possible. Almost all packaging is re-used, recycled and/or recyclable, and every paper stock is FSC assured and/or recycled. They are also climate positive by partnering with an organization that plants trees and funds projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Images via moonandwolf.co / Amanda Vick.