This all started with a bitmoji.
Years ago, when I was working as a standby in Come From Away, we’d send each other cartoons of ourselves in superhero capes. It became a badge of honour — a joke between us about how insanely hard the job was… and how damn good we were at it.
Fast forward to this summer: I’ve been off performing to focus on healing some injuries. While the rest was necessary, the creative void was real. I needed something to make. So, I pulled that old cape idea off the shelf and thought, What if I actually did something with this?
Now somehow... I’m a small business owner.
I’ve designed and launched a line of over 50 products for the people I love most — the crew, the standbys, the creatives, the stage managers — all of whom keep the curtain up and don’t always get the glory.
I kept this whole thing a secret (only my fiancé knew), and honestly? I’m nervous to put it out there. But I’m also proud. This project reminded me that creativity can take a lot of shapes — and this one really surprised me.
✨ My shop is called Callboard Collective, and you can visit it right here:
👉 https://callboardcollective.etsy.com
Everything’s made to order and fulfilled by Printful. And for launch week, I’m donating $1 from every shirt sold (up to July 31st) to the Actor’s Fund of Canada (AFC) — a nod to the folks who help artists when they need it most.
If you’re someone who lives and breathes this world — or just loves someone who does — I hope you’ll take a look, share it around, and maybe even treat yourself (or your stage manager).
Thanks for reading, and thanks for being in my corner.
❤️
Cailin
