Digital Cover Story - Fresh Paint

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Fresh Paint: Chromatic Collective Co-Founders on Art, Teamwork, and Good Habits

Erica Parker and Rafael Caro have been together for twelve years and creating art for even longer. Together, they make an intimidatingly cool—yet still approachable—power duo. Parker and Caro co-founded Chromatic Collective in 2020 alongside a team of local artists, providing Broad Ripple with a one-of-a-kind art space. It’s a place for creatives to gather, showcase their work, create art, and buy supplies right out of the shop’s beloved paint cooler, which is so iconic it has its own sticker. They also put on kick-ass events—you might have been to Chromagic, a curated holiday market featuring local artists and makers.

I headed to Broad Ripple to sit down with Erica and Rafael at Chromatic Collective to chat about the habits that got them their shop, helped them hone their talents, and brought us to this very conversation.

Katie Freeman: PATTERN’s editorial theme for February is “habits.” Creating art is a habit in itself, right?

Rafael Caro: Yeah, definitely. 

KF: What does creating art look like daily as you balance the creative aspects of your roles at Chromatic Collective with all the managerial stuff?

RC: We want to be bright and eye-catching to the public, so we use bright colors in the shop—like pink and turquoise. We try to be extra with everything, which Erica is really good at. 

Erica Parker: That’s my habit—being extra! The shop is different than any other place in Indy. Finding details for it that give a nod to who we are is important. 

As far as working in the shop and trying to balance art and business, I like to bring something creative to work on. We call it a “chach” when we’re vibing as a group and talking about different ideas. I can be working on something personal and still contribute to the whole group. Plus, it’s fun when people walk in and see you painting. They’re like, “What! I did not expect to see that when I walked in here,” which is so cool. It also makes for good conversation.

RC: When that happens, you get to feed off their creativity. A lot of the time, artists will bring a piece and ask if they can hang it up. We’ll hang it, and it adds to the aesthetic of the shop. 

Having a habit of accepting all forms of creativity is another thing. We all have our preferences, but if you take yourself out of that box, look at everything with a fresh eye, and appreciate every style—that’s a good habit to have, especially here.

KF: Definitely. Also, I can’t get over “chach.” Where did that come from?

RC: It’s an inside joke term! I was reading the Watchmen comic book. I didn’t know how to pronounce Rorschach’s name, so I kept calling him “Rors-chach.” Our buddy Mike, a member of the shop here, thought that was funny. He kept calling me “chach.” Then we would hang out and draw, and we would call that session of hanging out and drawing a “chach.” It’s a weird, silly lingo.

EP: When people come together and there’s really good energy and you’re having a good time, that’s a “chach.” It’s a vibe; a mental state of being. 

KF: That’s incredible. We need to add that to the PATTERN dictionary! But back to the business side of Chromatic Collective—this shop is many things. It’s a gallery space, a supply shop, and a collective workspace. What has to happen on a regular basis to keep the place up and running?

EP: This place has so many different avenues, but we are also individual artists. I’ve gotten in the habit of—instead of hyper-focusing on one thing—doing incremental things in each area. You have better progress that way, so you’re not in tunnel vision in one area and forgetting about something else. 

RC: That’s what we do with different parts of the building itself. We’ll make certain little corners look better, and then the next week, we’ll spruce up something else.

EP: Also! Communication is a good habit, especially when working with a team. Making sure you have a platform where everyone’s voice is heard is important, especially since the shop was built through collaboration with this group of artists we work closely with. We have weekly meetings, even if we’ve already talked about everything and we’re just all here chachin’ or hanging out. It keeps the bond really strong and keeps the motivation going. And we support each other. If one of us is experiencing burnout, there’s someone else in the crew that can help you recover or carry some of the weight. It’s major.

RC: It’s great for bouncing ideas. We’ll just get slap-happy and start talking about crazy ideas or videos that we can make to bring attention to the shop. Being together with everybody helps. 

KF: It sounds like teamwork is a huge part of the puzzle. How do you guys work together as a crew to execute those ideas formed through collaboration? 

EP: That comes with time. This is our third year doing this, and every year, we get stronger and more organized. When we first started this, it was like, “What exactly are we doing? We have all these crazy ideas, but how does it fit together?” Through time working together, you notice everybody’s individual strengths. It’s almost like a sport, where some people are strikers and some people are defense. Everyone has a different role, but it’s working together towards one goal. Trusting people is a good habit to have—letting them explore their strengths and figure things out. But also, being there to support them along the way.

RC: We also all help each other with critiques. That’s something we learned through art school. It’s constructive, and it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, but it’s good and it’s helpful.  

KF: On the other hand, what are some habits you have as individuals that helped you succeed?

EP: Oh my gosh—talking to people and telling them what I’m about. What I do really excites me and I want other people to feel that same way. That was a good habit that got us to where we are. I mean, even having this shop, I go back to the power of the ask. I met this landlord when I was making Cuban sandwiches down the street. I was “nobody” yet (quote-unquote nobody!) until I got the courage to say “Hey, that wall behind this building looks like crap. Can I paint it? You don’t even have to pay me.” He said, “Yes, and no—I’ll pay for the cost of supplies.” I’m glad I asked. I was so scared, and then we collaborated. Don’t be afraid to let your talent shine. You need to put yourself out there to attract the opportunities that you want.

RC:  About a year later, during COVID time, the landlord had just bought this property. He directly asked us, “Do you want to have a little popup in there?” He knew that we could successfully refurbish the place and worked out a deal with us. He gave us a six-month trial at an unbelievable price, and we refurbished everything down to the carpets—

EP: Okay, I don’t know how much you want to hear about the carpet… 

RC: What I was trying to say was, he saw our work and trusted us! 

[laughter]

EP: That’s what I was going to say! Practice how you want to perform. When we went out and did these little shitty walls, I treated it like it was the best location I ever had in my entire life. That is how you build rapport and have people take you seriously. I can still be me. I can still do my art style because I present myself in a way that’s legit. So build upon that and take shots you think are crazy. Be personable. Word of mouth is how we get most of our work.

RC: Don’t be shy to talk about yourself. If you’re into art, say you’re an artist. You don’t have to be super established or anything. People love to meet artists. I’ll go out grocery shopping and I’ll talk to just some random person, and that will snowball into doing some artwork for them or someone they know, or I give them my card. Another major thing for me is having a business card at all times. It’s really good to have that online presence, but there’s nothing like real face-to-face connecting. Usually, that leaves a more lasting impression. 

EP: Another habit is promoting your work. Don’t promote work you don’t like doing. If you don’t want to be a logo painter, but you can do it, don’t blast that out on social media. Blast the stuff that makes you happy. There are people out there who are happy with what makes you happy. And learn how to say no.

KF: It sounds like you’ve learned a lot of this through working with one another. What does teamwork look like for you two, both as partners and business partners?

EP: It’s crazy! Luckily, we’ve been together for twelve years. We’ve already seen the good, the bad, and the ugly with each other, which helps. A good thing is that we’re a little bit different from each other. I can be extra, having my head in the clouds and always reaching for the stars. Raf can be really patient. So if something doesn’t work out, he’s there to comfort me or help me find another solution. 

RC: If one of us gets an opportunity, we try to figure out a way to do it as a collaboration. Or if there’s a project, I’ll think “This would be perfect for Erica to work on.”

EP: And vice versa. Rafael has a huge highway underpass mural coming up, and I’ll take on more responsibility with the kids so he can actually focus and flourish.

RC: I’d like to highlight that when we were first hanging out, it would always be about art. Erica was ahead in the art game, and she’d take me to all sorts of gallery stuff. Really, it’s just having the passion mutually shared, and always teaching each other.

KF: Speaking of the Indy art scene, what are some tips for people in the community who want to engage with and support local art more regularly?

RC: Going to all the gallery openings. Be in tune with what galleries are in town and look into what shows they’re posting. That’s the best way. And there are murals all over the city. I know there’s a directory online. 

EP:  Look for galleries that are doing open calls. We have a ton here! That will get you connected with other artists. And something special that Chromatic has is the lounge area. A bunch of artists come in and hang out, and it’s really relaxed. It’s a good place to network.

KF: Before we go, tell me about one of the proudest moments in your career that these habits have led you to.

EP: One of my most proud moments is the post office murals that we did in 2019. I went to the  On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator program put on by the Indiana Arts Commission, which was a three-day retreat with a bunch of different artists. I was so grateful to get chosen. They teach you how to write grants and do business stuff—things that you’re not trained to do in art school. I was just sitting there and I was like, “Well, I would open an art shop, but what I really want to do is have a graffiti jam.” And they said, “Do it!” Like, what? You’re a government person telling me to go for this? So I did, because a lot of these walls in Broad Ripple were just stark white. Nothing on them, just ugly. I was like, “This is my chance to beautify the community. Bring it back to the roots of street art and graffiti!”

RC: Before they were stark white, they were covered in really cool graffiti productions. This is the early 2000s. When we were younger teenagers, that’s what really inspired us to even get into murals or spray painting. So, to see that these walls that used to have so much rich history were painted over… 

EP: So disrespectful!

RC: Then we got to meet the landlord, so we asked if we could paint them back. 

EP: I proved to him that doing productions like that help keep vandalism at bay. There is a code of ethics in that world. 

RC: How long is it sitting there with no vandalism?

EP: Years. 

KF: And it’s a full-circle moment for you guys that you two were the ones to fix it! That’s epic. 

EP: Yes! And it didn’t just benefit us, but also the neighborhood and these upcoming artists. So that was really cool. And then we did it again in 2021 on the Kroger wall, which again goes back to not being afraid to ask and not being afraid to take a leap that seems too big. The worst thing they’re gonna say is no, and then you can move on to something else.

To keep up with Chromatic Collective happenings, follow the shop on Instagram and visit the website.

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This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our friends at Life in Indy.