Article by Michelle Rose
Photography by Lauren Wade
In Spring 2022, fashion designer Michelle Rose and photographer Lauren Wade met up with Los Angeles-based reiki healer & jeweler extraordinaire Joy Craig for a photo session as the sun set over Griffith Park.
Joy wore two different colors of our sumptuous velvet Anahata Dress for the shoot, styled with various jewelry pieces she creates herself and sells at her studio, The Healing Space.
After the shoot, Joy and Michelle got grounded to talk about Joy’s personal style, why she has the Anahata Dress in every color, and how finding commonalities between people is the ultimate healing.
For a limited time, use coupon code JOYANAHATA15 to get 15% off any Anahata Dress!
Watch the interview on our YouTube channel, or read on & view photos from the shoot below.
Michelle Rose: I’m here with Joy… Tell us who you are, Joy!
Joy Craig: I am Joy Craig. I am a reiki master and a jewelry designer.
MR: Awesome. Do you want to tell us about – I know you have a specific space. Tell us about the space.
JC: Yeah, I am the owner of The Healing Space LA, which is a reiki healing studio, and I’ve had that practice for about seven years now.
MR: Awesome. So, tell me about what you’re wearing today, and this is outfit number two, but you can tell me about everything you’ve got on, in as much detail as you want, and tell us about outfit number one, too.
JC: Well, I have these blue heels on, and those were just an online purchase. The is the outfit, I actually bought the shoes to match the dress – this like, what color blue would you call this?
MR: Hmm we call it like a baby blue I guess.
JC: It’s baby blue. Goes under the aesthetic of pastel goth, which is the style that I’m going for. It’s also really comfortable and I get endless compliments when I’m wearing it, so it’s something that I appreciate wearing, something that’s made for aesthetic and for function.
MR: Awesome. I think you’re also wearing a lot of your own jewelry that you made, is that right?
JC: Yes! Yeah, these are pieces that I’ve created, they’re rare and precious gold and gems. This is a mystic topaz, and this is angel aura quartz crystal.
MR: Yes! So you sell these as well, right?
JC: Yes!
MR: Awesome!
JC: Yeah, at The Healing Space.
MR: So you can totally get Joy’s look by combining pieces from me and from Joy. And now, earlier you were wearing the baby pink version of the dress, and you had on also – I don’t know – you want to tell us about – you had a slightly different necklace, yes? But that was also your piece? Okay.
JC: Of course, just wearing – I always will get the outfit from your shop, and then I’ll buy a pair of shoes that match it – just to match the outfit. Yeah, so I just got the shoes online, they’re just… Privileged, I think, is just a little website, and it’s just one of those overnight deliveries that happen, and then – yeah, just wearing, again rare and precious gems. That crystal earlier is from Brazil, and then it’s bonded with platinum to create that kind of rainbow effect.
MR: Amazing. And you had some sunglasses, as well.
JC: Yeah, both sunglasses are Crap Eyewear. And of course, yeah I just went with the pink version that are the cat eyes, so I went with the pink rose quartz, and then I went with the blue.
MR: Love those subtle variations, too.
JC: Yeah. Still the same brand, but a little different.
MR: Yeah! So, what drew you specifically to these dresses? You have quite a collection of these dresses.
JC: I have them in every color.
MR: What are your favorite things about this dress, or what appealed to you initially when you saw this dress?
JC: It’s really fun, it’s easy to move around in, it’s not very constricting, because it has a stretch ability in the fabric, and it just has that comfy cozy wear. You can just throw a hoodie over the top of it, and wear it with sneakers; you can go out and get a coffee; or you can wear it with heels, and a fur and some gold and some necklaces and kind of glam it up or dress it down. I like to have that variety. And it’s just really comfortable, honestly, it’s like – they’re almost as comfortable as pajamas.
MR: Yeah, awesome! Pajamas you can wear outside.
JC: Pajamas that are acceptable to wear out.
MR: Yeah! So, you kind of just touched on it, but the “pastel goth” – that’s how you would describe your personal style?
JC: For my looks for today, I went with the impossibly girly super feminine pink, and then the blue. Just going with the pink and the blue to really connect with that aspect of pastel goth, where it’s like goth at heart, and in my playlist, but it’s definitely my aspect. And then there’s also the gothy version of this, which is black, which I love to wear that.
MR: Which you also have!
JC: Yeah, that as well, yeah!
MR: Awesome. So, for you – where does style and art – where do they intersect? Do you feel like style is inherent in all art? Do you feel like art is inherent in all style? And how do you apply style to your artistic life?
JC: I think that it’s important to be authentic with whatever you’re going for, of course I do energy healing, and I also make music for… you know, for a Bigfoot documentary I’ll do the score for that so it’s like I’m into interdimensional and extraterrestrial, I love all of the different aspects of myself and I think that a part of my quirky uniqueness is honored by wearing clothing that is suitable that I can project what I’m feeling inside, and radiate that out. So that’s something where I’m like, yes, if I’m just going on my day-to-day chores, going to the grocery, I’ll wear it, but I feel really good being in something that is sourced from a business that is a small local business, and something that is by a friend of mine as well. So I think it’s nice to feed the community and the people around you, and also to wear things, and then – when I get a compliment out and about, then I’ll say, “Oh, go to Spacedust! You can get this look, it feels good, and is good! It’s something you can get in extra small to large, so I think that’s something where it fits every body, and it has that kind of malleability where you can just radiate whatever color and chakra you’re feeling. That’s where I go. Where I’m wearing blue, so I want to communicate, so that’s my throat chakra. That’s where I’m able to project that color and that energy.
MR: Yeah, so you can kind of exude your art through what you’re wearing. And of course, you’re drawn to certain things because that’s your personal style, so that’s what you end up wearing. Like everyone.
JC: The color, in the moment, that’s more of what my inward feeling is that I show outwardly.
MR: Yeah, a mood. It’s like a booster.
JC: Chakra-cizing! Color everyday, a different color. And holding that space in your body and being able to show that.
MR: Yeah, I mean colors translate to emotions a lot, don’t they?
JC: Yeah! For sure.
MR: Just – random statement. What brought you to Spacedust initially? Do you remember the first time you came in, what drew you to the shop?
JC: I believe that I was actually buying a record player at the record shop next door, from Oren at Cosmic Vinyl, and of course I was there for a while, picking out the right frequency, and then I went next door [to Spacedust], so it was just so easy, and I think I was probably waiting for my Lyft, and I had some time to kill. So I stumbled in, and I guess I kind of never left after that. I get all the socks, and I get them in every different color. I pretty much live in Spacedust, and I’m proud to say that. It’s also something comfortable, but something cute. So I can support something local, and also something that means something to me.
MR: Love that. I feel like, you’re totally – all these other questions I’ve had, you’ve already touched upon them. Let’s ask you something that you love about Echo Park, in general. Do you love Echo Park? Let’s put you on the record right now.
JC: I do love Echo Park!
MR: What do you love about Echo Park?
JC: I love the texture and the grit, and the different personality that it has, and the eclectic people that are drawn to that part of town. I love that you can get a carrot dog at El Prado and then you can just walk down the street and have a really beautiful cup of coffee that’s local. And it’s also the people in Echo Park that really draw you too. Each little sparkly shop that has cool plants, or special designs that are locally made, you know? I think that it’s the neighborhood, the neighborhood is the connection, and the people inside of the shops are people that remember your face and they remember that you came in and that you got these dresses and that you wore them with the high socks, and you got on the Instagram.
MR: Just like, really personable but also eclectic and diverse, and like, fam vibes?
JC: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of – you know, I feel like there’s the little places you can go to that make you feel like you’re a part of a community, and that you’re not just like, a Gap t-shirt one size fits all. It’s like, you’re a unique person and you’re wearing something unique that honors that.
MR: Is there a specific place in LA in general, that you like to go for inspiration, or for getting creative? Is there any place that you really feel calls to you?
JC: Of course I love going to places that are stimulating like The Peace Awareness Labyrinth, that’s a really cool spot.
MR: Whoa! I don’t know about that – The Peace Awareness Labyrinth?!
JR: Yeah! It’s just these botanical gardens. So there’s koi fish, and then there’s this labyrinth. And then when you go in, you feel really different, and by the time you’ve found your way through the labyrinth, you’ve kind of released a lot of things that you don’t need anymore, and then you go through these beautiful little gardens.
MR: That’s amazing. This is a great tip! I’m excited, I want to check that out.
JC: Yeah, it’s cool. It’s nice! And of course there’s places that you can go to that you don’t have to go to an actual structure or space. There’s special places – the secret staircases in Silverlake, I love exploring and just finding a new little staircase every day, and getting a good workout, and then being able to see the art, and the graffiti and different LA vibe – there’s always people that are on that staircase as well. So it’s a good workout, but it’s also nice to just appreciate the blossoming trees, and the birds and the bees, and all of the yummy things that are in store in the little pockets in Silverlake and Echo Park.
MR: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of staircases.
JC: Yeah, you can find a new one everyday! And then you’re always blown away that there’s a new staircase, and you’ve walked by it hundreds of times. Special.
MR: So I’m curious, is there any sort of issue, or thing that you think about in terms of healing the world? Since you do healing, what would be the huge, overarching thing that you want to heal for the world, and is there a way that you can think of that we could do that collectively as a society, or a way that you can see yourself doing that?
JC: Of course everyone gets onto certain causes like, “no plastic straws, that’s just bad!” but I would say that just being able to connect with people and stand on the commonalities that everyone has, rather than being divided by our differences, we could just find the things that we have in common and be able to punch through and navigate through a pandemic or through a war – through things where there’s strife and discord in the world, but you can find a lot of peace and serenity inside of yourself and share that kind of energy, to not just those around you and everyone you come in contact with, but everything and everyone in the world.
MR: Yeah. We could spread that all over, huh? And just within ourselves, yeah? Is there anything else you want to say, or talk about? Or ask me about?
JC: I want to say “thank you” for creating a majority of my closet. I feel really good when I wear it, and also get endless compliments and I love compliments, so I will always send people to you and say, “check it out, it’s on Sunset!”
MR: Thank you!
JC: Yeah, of course.
MR: Alright, thank you Joy!
JC: Yeah, I appreciate you, so thanks for designing, and keep up the designing. I can’t wait to see the new looks.
MR: You’re welcome. Always more.
JC: Yay!
