Meet Judy Butay Cacal | Butay Art

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judy Butay Cacal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy Butay, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always thought about starting my own businesses since I was a child. When my older brother wouldn’t let me ride with him in his powered car toy in the backyard, I would pretendI owned a car wash and would “clean” his car with a paper towel whenever he drove by me. When I was in elementary school I found myself interested in arts and crafts. I was particularly interested in those knotted plastic keychains that were popular in the 90’s. I would make a bunch of those keychains and sell them to my classmates during the mornings before school started. In high school I found myself selling spam musubis to my classmates. I would wake up early in the morning to cook spam and rice and assemble them into musubis that I would later bring to school and sell for a dollar each. In college I started my first “official” business where I turned my crocheting hobby into an etsy store. I sold kawaii style crocheted plushies online to customers all across the country.

I think I was always destined to become an entrepreneur. It was something I always knew in the back of my mind but never something I decided to fully pursue because of societal pressures. As aFilipino-American who comes from an immigrant family,there’s so much pressure from my parents to pursue “safe” careers that would guarantee a “successful” future. Starting my own business, especially an art-based business, is definitely not the type of career my family would approve of. So I worked towards the “successful” future my parents yearned for me to have. I paid for college myself and earned a degree that I wasn’t truly passionate about. I worked a full time job that made me cry in my car after every workday. I realized that there was no way that this was the “successful” future I was supposed to have. A switch must have flipped in my brain to make me realize that I already knew what I wanted to do for my future. Becoming a business owner was always in the back of my mind. I wanted to start my own business and create my own successful future.

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.
I’m a Filipino-American traditional artist based in Oahu, Hawaii and I create cute illustrations and stationery that makes my heart happy. I went to school and graduated with a degree in tropical agriculture where I cultivated my love for plants and nature. I create with many traditional mediums including colored pencils, oils, and gouache, but occasionally I dabble in digital art as well. The inspiration for my art is greatly attributed to my time growing up in Hawaii and all the plants, flowers, and fruits that I surround myself with. My art is also heavily inspired by kawaii culture and the feminine, cute aesthetics I loved during my childhood. I’d like to think that I’m creating art and products for my younger self; art that I was too embarrassed to enjoy because it was too cutesy and feminine, but art that I would’ve secretly loved to hang in my childhood bedroom. I create super cute stationery products that I would’ve begged my parents to buy me even though I knew that they would say no right away –art and products that my younger self would’ve cherished. In a way I feel like I’m trying to heal my inner child along with the inner child of those who can relate.

In college, I enrolled in an Introduction to Drawing course for one of my electives which I feel kick-started my drive to create. I had an interest in drawing prior to the class but I never took it seriously. I went into the class not expecting much out of it but I was surprised to see so much growth in my art abilities by the end of the semester. I remember admiring one of my drawings I created during the class and thinking, “Wow! I made this?” I had really gained a newfound confidence in myself and my capability to create. After the class ended I continued my art journey by constantly learning how to improve. I no longer had access to a drawing class with a professor and classmates to do peer reviews with, but I still had access to so many resources to learn. I looked up YouTube videos, Googled so many questions, joined artist communities, and even read books to help me improve. I truly think that anyone can learn how to do any skill(including creating art) because of how accessible information is today. You definitely don’t need to take a college class to gain art skills, although it is one of the many resources available.

I started my business around the beginning of 2020 when the pandemic was just starting out. It was a difficult time to navigate life and also a very difficult time navigating the start of a new business. I had just quit my full time job at the end of 2019 and picked up part time work so I could also have time to start my business. It was a slow start with many concerns for the unsure future. That time more than ever I dedicated so much effort in learning how to start a business. I remember studying so many successful artists on how they operate their businesses, I watched YouTubevideos about marketing, and I had read through multiple books on how to start an art-based business. I had a dream in mind – to be able to work on my art as a full time artist. Although I have yet to reach that goal, the past (almost) three years have been such an incredible experience. I’m closer than ever to becoming a full time artist. I’ve met so many amazing people, I’ve traveled to multiple states to sell my art at conventions and markets, I cultivated a small but loving community through Twitch where I livestream my art process, and my art and products have reached so many people around the world. I’m so very thankful for how much my business and I have grown and all the experiences I’ve gained.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Everytime someone asks me for recommendations on things to do in Hawaii I always have to apologize first because even though I live in such a great place, I’m not too much of an outdoorsy person. I’m not too interested in going to the beach or going hiking, I’m definitely a homebody that would rather stay home and paint, play video games, or read a book. However I do try and make an exception when hanging out with friends from out of state! I would definitely take them to local farmers markets such as the Kaka’ako farmers market where you can find a variety of local food and local products from small businesses. I would also take them around Kaka’ako while we’re there, we would go see the Pow! Wow! Hawaii murals made by amazing artists and take a bunch of pictures. On another day I would take them to one of my favorite local restaurants called Tanioka’s. We would get a pound or two of ahi poke and some of their fried food or bentos. Then we would head over to Ko’olina beach which is where my family would always take me during my childhood. It’s my favorite beach to go to, although I don’t know much about beaches here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Rodney, my partner for the past 11 years, has been such a significant part of my life. I believe his never ending encouragement and support helped me pursue this business in the first place. He has helped me in so many ways like counting inventory, carrying heavy tables and chairs to markets, always being a fresh pair of eyes to look at my artwork, supporting me financially, and even making me laugh literally every single day. I truly don’t know what I would’ve done without such a supportive life partner like Rodney. In fact, he even helped me proofread the sentences that I’m writing right now!

Website: http://www.butayart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butayart/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/butayart

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/butayart https://butayart.faire.com (wholesale store)