CHAINS OF
ACEDIA

WHO ARE YOU?

I'm Callahan Huston. I’m from New Orleans, and I make jewelry. I don't know if I would call myself a designer or a maker, but yeah, that's what I do. I currently live in Brooklyn.


YOU STARTED COLD HARD CHAINS WHEN YOU WERE 11?

Well, I've had different versions of it since I was little. They were all kind of goofy, but I love them. When I was 11, I made Child's Play Jewelry, which I still think is a sick name. I wish I kept that. But I've been playing with it for a long time.



HOW HAS YOUR BRAND EVOLVED FROM THEN TO NOW?

Yeah, so when I was little, I kind of was just playing with it because my mom does it for a living. And I've always loved to find random ways to make money, so that was one of them for a while.

And then for a long time, I just totally didn't pick it up. I would make myself pieces every now and again for special occasions, but for a long time, I didn't touch a torch or make any jewelry. Then during COVID, I was already studying at FIT, and I was just really bored being in business school. So then I picked it up again and automatically I felt like it was something that I was good at and wanted to keep building on. And so now I feel. I don't really have much of a philosophy when it comes to what I do. I just kind of do what I want and try to make it work as best I can.

E: What type of materials were you working with when you started?

I’ve been lucky because with my mom doing it, I started in silver. I would use her scraps and stuff, nothing major. But you know, I'd also work in copper to learn because it's cheaper. And so I've really stayed with the same materials the whole time. And that's something that's really important to me. I love working in silver because it's what my mom does. That's what my grandpa did, and silver is just the shit.



COMING FROM A LINE OF JEWELRY DESIGNERS, WAS THERE ANY PRESSURE TO CONTINUE THE TRADITION?

Actually, not at all. In high school, I really did not see myself being in the arts. I was in a biomedical program and wanted to be a doctor. And then I realized that I hate schooling, could not do that. So then I kind of just fell into it on my own. I mean, obviously not fully on my own because it's been around me, but there was definitely no pressure. And I really enjoy it. Sometimes I do feel like because it's a family thing, it's less authentic that I'm into it. But, it really, I don't know, when I think about it harder, I'm really glad that I have a thing to bond myself with the people I love.

E: Were you always in jewelry design at FIT?

No, I started in FBM (Fashion Business Management) and I hated it. I don't, that's not how my brain works. But yeah, I'm a lot happier now.

E: Was there anything in particular about FBM that you didn't like?

Um, I just don't think it's the way my brain works. Like, I can do minimal business stuff if I have to, for what I do. But I had to take my excel class three times, and it's the easiest class in the world. It's just not what I'm happy doing.



HOW IS LEARNING ABOUT JEWELRY DESIGN IN SCHOOL DIFFERENT TO LEARNING FROM YOUR MOM?

Yeah, I’m the first one to be formally trained in jewelry design because my mom never went to school for it. That is a really good question because I kind of went into it thinking that I knew enough, that it would be easy. Like I didn't think that I would be flying, but like I thought it would be pretty easy, and it's so different. It's a completely different world. Like the high-end jewelry world is so foreign to me, and it's not really something I have an interest in. I'm really glad to be learning it so that I can leverage myself to be in that space, but I have so much respect for craft jewelers like what my mom does. And so, it is really different, and I prefer learning with my mom. But, I'm really excited to be able to go back and teach her some stuff. But she's the best teacher ever.

E: Shout out to your mom.

C: Kiki, right?

Yeah, Kiki.

E: She follows us.

Really? That's one thing that I love about my mom is she will support like any young artists. She's always like hyping people.

E: I think a lot of moms like us. We got the moms of the Jades supporting us. I think Janai’s mom follows us too. We got a big mom following.

C: Shout out to all the moms.

That's the best market you could go to. Literally. Those moms, I mean they're like our biggest supporters. The moms make me all my money. Thank you.

E: So is jewelry design something that started with your mom? Or does it go deeper than that in terms of generational history?

My grandfather, her dad, was like a hobbyist of all sorts. He just was so good at everything he did. He did woodworking, drawing, painting, and printmaking. He was just crazy talented. So he would take silversmithing classes. And silver used to be cheap back then, so he would make these crazy vessels, and it would cost him nothing. And then he passed it on to my mom again as a hobby, and then she picked it up as a career once she had kids. And now my aunt does it, and my sister does it, and I do it. It just trickled down because when you're surrounded by something that fun, I think it's hard not to latch onto it. Like if you play with fire, there's no way you can ever put it down.


HOW HAS GROWING UP IN THE SOUTH INFLUENCED YOUR WORK?

Totally. I love New Orleans. I miss it so much. And it was such a unique place to grow up, both just aesthetically, but also culturally. And the amount of different characters you are surrounded by all the time is awesome. And so I think I take a lot of inspiration from that. I take a lot of inspiration from New Orleans' cemeteries, and I love bolo ties. That's actually something I totally stole from my sister. She used to wear a bolo tie made of like an old ceramic dish or something and she would wear it every day. And I'm an annoying little sister and I was like, "I want to be like that." So then I made this bolo tie that I'm wearing. And it was like one of the first things that got me back into making jewelry. And now my mom makes them, and my aunt makes them. So sorry, Olivia, I stole your style.

C: How would you compare the influences from the South and the East, now that you live in New York?

I think it's interesting, 'cause I would think I would get way more marketable designs from the inspiration I get in New York. But because I have such good people in New Orleans who are supporting me, I feel like my Southern-inspired jewelry tends to get more recognition. And I feel a lot more tied to it. I've been playing with Catholic imagery a lot recently, because it's something I was surrounded by but never really delved into because we weren't a religious family. And, but it's still like all of New Orleans' culture revolves around it. Mardi Gras is a Catholic holiday, like, and so I've been playing with that. And that does well in both markets 'cause it's also trendy, like, it's "city girls love a cross." But I don't know, I feel like I'm being way more true to myself when I'm following my Southern inspirations versus New York.



DO YOU FEEL FAIRLY COMPENSATED FOR YOUR WORK IN YOUR PRICING?

That's something I've been working on. I mean, since I started, but especially recently, I'm trying to take some of my business school knowledge and apply it to what I do to try to track my stuff better. And I thought I was charging fairly for my work, and then I started doing the math and realized that I'm working on getting my prices up there because it's really hard when you take into account not only the labor but the expense of producing stuff here. And the time it takes to even go to the post office in New York is so much more than anywhere else. It's like everything takes 10 times longer here. And so it is hard to price stuff for sure, and then for the different markets it's hard too. But it's something I'm actively trying to get better at.

E: Do you create all of your pieces here in your apartment?

For the most part, I create in my apartment on whatever small scale I can do that's not gonna light my apartment building on fire. And so for the heavy duty stuff that I have to use larger torches for and stuff, I'll do that on campus. The studio is pretty good, but for the most part, I've been really enjoying the challenge of working within the confines of a small space. I think it's fun to see what I can do with only a few resources.

C: Back home, you had more to work with right?

Yeah, that's another awesome thing about following in the footsteps of somebody else is you have all their tools at your disposal. So my mom built a studio in our backyard. And so, I like to get in her space when she's trying to work and she's been great about carving out a little corner of it for me. It's really fun being able to share a creative space with her too, so I miss it.



DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR WORK IS UNDERRATED? HAVE YOU GOTTEN ENOUGH ATTENTION FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK YOU PUT INTO IT?

That's a good question because I was thinking about it recently because when I was tracking my expenses or whatever, it gives you the count of sales on your website. And most of my traffic isn't through my website. It's like, I sell from so many different channels.

E: Such as?

Like, I'll sell people stuff through DM or text or on my website. I used to be on Etsy, but it's just not worth it. Or like, if I have friends come over, they'll just look at through my stuff and be like,

"No, I want that one and that one and that one."

C: You be giving the friend discount?

Yes, and that is a, it's kind of a downfall of mine. But like, it's also why I do it, is to be able to share with people I love. But I think I have made enough sales to the capacity that I'm able to work. Like I think I'm working as hard as I can and turning stuff over generally as fast as I can. So I'm satisfied with it. I would like to be able to move into production where I have other people do it, and then I could grow from there. But I'm happy with how I am rated. I don't think I'm overrated or underrated. I'm feeling good about it.

E: You're recognized.

Exactly.

E:  So how do you feel about the idea of the friend discount? Because theoretically, I feel like if your friends support you, they shouldn't ask for a discount. As an artist, I feel I am dedicating my time to a craft. It shouldn’t be discounted even if we are cool.

Yeah, totally, and that's also a good question. I'm just loving the questions. But most of my friends—my friends wouldn't ask for a discount. They would never, and they try their best to not let me give them one. It's a painful price and I'll offer them discounts, and they'll still bend on me the whole thing. I'm really lucky that way. But, you know, I also, especially when I have friends that are fellow creatives and like, we're all broke. And like being able to trade stuff is really cool. I don't think friends should ask for a discount or expect it. But when they don't, then I'm like, here, take it, take it. Like it makes me more inclined.



WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE?

So it's something that I've been also like kind of shifting recently because most of the time when I make something I don't sketch it out. I just kind of picture it in my head and I'm like, okay I want to make that, and if I run into problems along the way making it, I might shift the design a little bit. But I kind of just go straight in. But since I'm in school now, you just can't do that. And so, planning stuff out is something that's new to me, and I'm trying to figure it out. But for the most part, I like to just dive right in. And if I fuck something up, I'll just change the design, and nobody has to see it.

C:  So what's the most difficult part of the process of getting something from an idea to a product?

I would say my two least favorite parts are the finishing work, so like polishing and sanding and that type of stuff, because all the fun parts are done and then it's just tedious. And then posting it online. I really like the parts that involve my tools like sawing, and using a torch, and getting my hands dirty, and then after that, I like the instant gratification. And so, it's the finishing, and posting of it, and waiting for it to sell that I don't like.



HOW WOULD YOU WANT TO EXPAND YOUR TEAM?

I think for the most part, the expansion I would do would be like getting more castings done so that then I would continue to do the finishing work, but just to get me to have more volume of product. I don't think I'll ever expand to a point where I add a bunch of people to the company. I mean I have no real idea what I'm gonna do post-grad, but I see it remaining mostly a one-woman show, and then just having like manufacturers and stuff. But I think creatively. I want to leave it up to me because I get territorial about my ideas.

IS COLLABORATION DIFFICULT FOR YOU? TALK ABOUT YOUR COLLAB WITH INVANITY.

That was actually, it was I think the first real collab I did, and he came to me with the idea and the image of it. And so, most of the real creativity of it was just trying to figure out how to make it work in jewelry. And it was so fun, and because it was mostly his idea, like I kind of, I tried to honor that, and we had a lot of fun together. And he was really talented with the way that he edited the photos and the videos, and he let me pick the music. And I think because we're friends, it worked, and we were comfortable enough to be real with our ideas. And then, it's just all the more rewarding creating with friends, and it makes me want to do it way more. And I also like pushing myself outside of that comfort zone because I think that's how a lot of good creativity gets done. It's just kind of scary when you're like a hawk about it. So I'm enjoying trying to open up to that.

E: So like would you say through collaboration, it's kind of helped you be more open to other people's ideas regarding your work?

Yeah, totally. And it's also just shown me that sometimes I'll be hesitant to take things jobs-on because it'll be tedious, or a pain in the ass, or whatever. But it's like, that's what you have to do, and that's how, I don't know, I always make stuff I'm happier with if I push myself. And so, that just showed me to just take more opportunities that I'm given because it's always fun.



WHY DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH POSTING ONLINE?

I wouldn't say it's as much not wanting to share it. I really like posting in a casual, kind of stupid manner. I really like Instagram stories and stuff. It's more like a hard post is hard for me because first of all, I am the worst photographer ever. I can't take a picture to save my life. I can't do it, and I've come to accept that and like just not try to do too much with it. But I feel like my work doesn't translate well through photos. That's a common thing with jewelry. I just need to get a better setup. But, it's also the struggle of a lot of artists now is you kind of have to wear every hat, and even if it's not stuff you're good at, you have to do it. Or at least, I mean, I could outsource it, but it's so expensive. And I would want to pay someone what they deserve. And I just can't right now. And it's, sometimes, I enjoy pushing myself out of my comfort zone doing it, but it's just not my thing.

E: Yeah, I agree with that. It's like hard 'cause it's like, I think there's that type of expectation that once you show your art, it becomes like less of art and more like a conversation piece, and someone has to respond to it. So it's like, if you show someone your work, and they're like, well, this is okay, and then it's like, well, where do we go from there?

It is hard. And I've kind of gotten over the self-promotion part because it's something I struggled with at first, but now I'm like, fuck it. If I'm doing cool stuff that I'm proud of, I've gotten over having a problem posting it because I'm proud of myself and like, I'll promote. I like to promote my friends. It's the same thing. And like, it can still be weird for sure, but I've gotten over that part. But the conversation piece thing is interesting too because obviously outside approval ebbs and flows and sometimes people love stuff, and sometimes they hate it. And sometimes, it's the stuff that I'm most excited about that doesn't get attention. And then, the stuff that I'm bummed on, people love. And it can be really confusing, but I've gotten better at taking my own opinions as the ones that matter. It's hard, but I try.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE YOU HAVE CREATED?

That's a good question. This bolo tie is probably my favorite just because it's the most sentimental to me. Like I said, it was one of the pieces that I made when I was first, when I first rediscovered it as an older per-er- still a youth, but I was like, I guess 19 when I started making jewelry again. And I've worn it almost every day since, and it reminds me of my sister, and it reminds me of little me. So, I love this piece even though, like design-wise, it's not my favorite, but it's my favorite in other ways. And then, I have a lot of these favorite pieces I've made. Um, sometimes, I'll scroll back on my Instagram from when I first started, and it's just so embarrassing. But like I said with the self-promotion shit, like I tried to look at it as part of the journey, and it all, like it takes time to get good at something. But I wish I had kept it to myself for a little longer.



DID YOU EVER DOUBT IF JEWELRY WAS FOR YOU?

It definitely can be overwhelming when it's going well because it's hard to keep on top of everything. And I was saying, wear every hat. It's really hard to do it all. But that's also the time that I'm most motivated. And I find that the busier I am, the more I enjoy it, and the more I get done. And keeping momentum is really important. And I've never really wanted to give up yet, but that's because I am making an active effort, especially while I'm in school, to try and only do it if I'm enjoying it. I'm not gonna push myself to pull all-nighters, like, that's a big thing in design school. Everybody is always like, "I didn't sleep last night." “Oh yeah, well I haven't slept the last four nights in a row." Shut the fuck up! Like, you should be enjoying your art, and I know that, but it's like, I think taking care of yourself is important. And so, I try my hardest not to spread myself too thin. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but I try to work really hard, and then take a break, and then work really hard. And obviously, once I graduate, that's not going to be as easy to do.

E: So you see this as a, kind of, “until I die” type of thing? Like you're going 30 years and you're still creating and creating?

Well, maybe this is super irresponsible. I've always lived my life as like, I don't know, like I don't know what the next plan is gonna be. I don't know what my next step is gonna be. So I think also, if I was doing this with the goal of doing it forever, I would also start to hate it because I get like impending doom type shit where I'm like, “No, no.” It's like, it starts to feel claustrophobic. And so, I'm kind of just seeing where it takes me, and like if it turns into another medium, I'll follow that. If it takes me somewhere else, if I have to, you know, work other jobs to make this work, I'll keep doing it. I'll just follow whatever I have to do to make what I love.


OUTSIDE OF JEWELRY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PASSIONS?

I love to stay busy, especially living alone. Keeping myself busy is really important. So, I love to cook. I love to draw. I'm not great at it, but it makes me really happy. I really like to do yoga that helps calm me down. I love learning. Learning is like my biggest passion, and it doesn't matter about what—music, art, or random history—I just love to learn, which is interesting because I don't love school, but learning on my own terms is important to me. I'm curious. I fill my time with curiosities.



WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO LEAVE HOME FOR SCHOOL?

You know, I think a lot of my appreciation for home came from leaving it. Growing up in somewhere that's so unique in the United States is weird because you don't realize how special it is if it's all you've ever really known. There was a period of time in middle school where I really wanted to live in the suburbs. I thought it sounded awesome. But then came high school, and I realized I was gonna leave soon. I really started to love where I was from, and being here definitely makes me appreciate it more. And I think I always knew I was gonna leave during college. It's just what I thought I would do. And now I'm torn because I do have such a deep appreciation for New Orleans, but I don't know if it's where I'll be able to grow the most. So, we'll see. But, it's the type of place that everyone growing up always told me, they were like, once you live here, you can't live anywhere else, or it'll always stay with you. And that's definitely true to a certain extent.

E: What made you set your sights on FIT specifically?

In sophomore year of high school, I decided I really wanted to go to Parsons. But I knew, yeah, exactly. I started being realistic about it, and I was like, wait a minute. First of all, even if I could afford it, it wouldn't be worth going to school for that much money to me. Because I think that to a certain extent, if you're going to be a good artist or creative, you already have that in you, and school just brings it out. And I don't think you need to go to school to be a good artist. And so, I wasn't going to pay, like, what is it, $70,000 a year for that? And so, FIT seemed like a good alternative. And I didn't even end up applying to Parsons because I just didn't want the heartbreak of it. And so, I really liked FIT, and how it just felt like you were just there to be at school, not to be in some fancy New York—I mean, some people really do take it to be a very pretentious New York fashion school thing—but I like the ding of campus. I like the–

E: The prison architecture?

Yeah, exactly. I really– no, I really do need that. I need that.

C: The high school lockers?

Exactly. It feels like high school. And there's something about that that's really appealing to me. But I knew I wanted to be in New York. And this is the way that I figured out how to do it. And in retrospect, I'm really glad I did, because a lot of other art schools don't have jewelry programs. And it worked out really well.

C: Was your mom supportive of the choice?  'Cause you said she's self-taught, did she think you needed school for jewelry?

Yeah, she was so excited for me. And I, similarly to what I was saying with it being a family trait and having that feel somehow less original or valid in my work, for a second, I was like, "If I go to school, then I'm not gonna be self-taught anymore, and that's not cool." Like I need to keep it, exactly, keep it real. But I think so much of it is that this isn't only an education for me, it's an education for anyone in my family who's interested in the craft. And I shouldn't say this 'cause they're gonna double my tuition, but I really can't wait to just take the skills I learned, and teach it to other people, and show them my textbooks. And she was really supportive. And she would be supportive of whatever I wanted to do though. And that's so much of why I think I thrive is because I could do what I want, and my parents would support me, which is awesome.



DO YOU GET COMPETITIVE WITH YOUR SIBLINGS?

I mean, I definitely think it's natural enough for, especially with the siblings, I think my mom can separate herself from it and be like, oh, she's doing her thing. With siblings, it's a lot easier to get competitive. And I've never felt super competitive towards my siblings. But there's always, when they have a really good idea, you're like, oh, what the fuck? That's not cool, man. And I know my mom has the same thing with her sister. But for the most part, we really like to create for each other and not necessarily to get—well, I work in the studio with my mom and my sister a lot. I wish that I could work more with my brother. We've talked about collaborating, which would be so fun. But having each other to bounce ideas off of is really cool. And I attribute all my creativity to my family.  My brother was a fashion kid in high school before I was into it. And I thought he was so cool. And so I followed him doing that. And then, obviously, followed my mom. So there's healthy competition, but mostly just support. And we like to learn together. Like my sister and I are gonna try to learn how to make grills this summer. Probably be really bad at it, but I'm really excited to try.


DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR FAMILY PROPERLY CRITICIZES YOUR WORK?

Um, it depends. I think when I first started, I felt like there was—maybe they're like this by the way or, I'm the baby of the family—but when I first started, I felt like there was some of that. But it wasn’t like imposter syndrome, because everybody has that to a certain extent. But especially in the studio with my mom, she'll like, if something's not up to par construction-wise, she'll say something. And it's always constructive, and she's so nice about it.

But I'm always like, fucking mom. I know what I'm doing. And so I feel like the longer I've gone on, the more real they keep it when they comment on my work. But also, we all do such different things, to a certain extent. I definitely take a lot of inspiration aesthetically from my mom. So it's not all that different, but you know, it's good to get an outside set of eyes who's not trying. It doesn't have the same end goal as you to look at your work and try to keep it real. But they're also all my biggest cheerleaders. So I don't know, maybe they are being fake, but I love it. They can keep doing that.



WHAT IS UP NEXT FOR CHC? FOR CALLAHAN HUSTON?

Yeah, that's, I'm really, really excited for what I'm gonna be working on this summer. Since I started what I do, I've had a little world brewing in my head, and you know, I think world-building is the absolute coolest thing you can do in art. Whether you share it with the audience or not, I think a lot of artists have little universes going on in their brain. But since I started, I've been making a multitude of creatures and they all kind of link together in my head. This summer, I'm trying to elaborate on that story, I guess. I really wanna make pieces with characters who have intertwining lives, which sounds so weird for jewelry, but I don't want to just make pretty shit. I wanna make weird things that fuel my little fantasies in my head. So I have a whole cast of characters that I'm working on making a comic book about and selling their little action figures and stuff. And so, I'm really, really excited about where it's gonna go. Yeah, it's a lot more labor-intensive and time-consuming to execute, and it's gonna be a, like it's gonna cost me a lot of money that I won't necessarily make back. But like I said at the beginning, like that's something I'm working on, and it's really truly a passion project, and it's gonna be stupid, and I'm really excited.


HOW DID YOU JUSTIFY PUTTING ALL THIS EFFORT AND TIME INTO CHC?

I've always sunk all my income into art projects that never really come to fruition. I've always just bought a bunch of supplies for a hobby that I did for a week and stuff like that, which is terrible. But I'm not opposed to investing too much money into dumb shit sometimes, but I don't think that this is dumb shit. But I'm really lucky in that what I create is a lot easier to sell than something like what you guys do. It's a lot harder to make money doing what you do than I do. It's physical, like having a physical product is so much easier than, you know, having an online column. You can't sponsor some big brand when you're just starting, you know, so I feel very lucky for that. But even in that, it's hard to turn a profit sometimes, but that's what your young years are for. I'd rather be making no money working for myself than at a job I hate.



HOW DID YOUR FIRST SALE MAKE YOU FEEL?

I don't remember exactly what my first sale was, but I do remember the day because, well, now I'm trying to think back to my first sales from when I was really little. I always was really lucky and had my mom's friends buying my stuff, which is so sweet. But that first day that I launched Cold Heart Chains was on Black Friday, and it must have been 2020. And I had no idea what to expect. I kind of wasn't really trying to do much with it. I was just bored at home making stuff. And I almost sold out. I might have sold out, or I almost sold out on my first day. It was just on Etsy. And I didn't have that much stuff. I had maybe 10 things. But it felt really so unexpected and how quickly people were responding to my stuff. But then that immediately also contributed to my imposter syndrome. I was like, no, I know this is too much. And I just remember feeling really good, but also kinda like I was cheating people, which is so, I still have that feeling sometimes. But I've been really lucky to have awesome feedback from the start, and it has kept me so motivated, and I feel really lucky.


IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR WORK IN ONE WORD WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I don't know, like the words that are coming to mind are like fun and awesome. Awesome is my word, awesome is my word. But FUN, because that's all I want it to be. And if it's not fun, then it's useless. For me, obviously art doesn't have to be fun. It can be heartbreaking and emotional and whatever, but you know, I'm just playing with metal, and I want it to be fun.

CALLAHAN MAKES SUPER AMAZING JEWELRY! TO CHECK OUT MORE OF HER PIECES, HEAD TO HER INSTAGRAM @COLDHARDCHAINZ OR WEBSITE COLDHARDCHAINZ.COM!

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CREDITS

SUBJECT/BRAND : CALLAHAN HUSTON @coldhardchainz

PHOTOGRAPHER : LAURA SONG @gh0stpimp 

MODEL : CALLAHAN HUSTON @calliehuston

TEXT : E&C* @acediastudios