“I guess you could call me an artist, though I don't think of it that way, I'm just doing what I love.”
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After graduating in 2018, Chloe Jones has already founded her own company, Dungala Creations, envisioned to uplift her Yorta Yorta community and a new generation of Aboriginal leaders.
Born in Toolamba, Ms Jones attended Mooroopna Primary School and high school at Mooroopna Secondary College.
It was in her early primary years that Ms Jones first became involved in the Aboriginal-led youth program, Ganbina, which became instrumental to her future career.
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“It's amazing what they do for Indigenous youth, they stay with you all the way through,” she said.
Ms Jones said Ganbina had given her a "huge boost" through its tutoring and a three-year leadership program she joined as a 15-year-old.
“Through that, they prepare you for adulthood and any career you want to go into,” she said.
“I was the shyest kid, I never spoke, because I was too afraid to express my truth. But they give you those skills you need to be a leader - how to communicate with different groups and individuals.”
Ms Jones said Ganbina also importantly "created a family" for her, with the students becoming her sisters.
“We travelled all around Australia, we went to Sydney, Cairns and New Zealand, and saw people from all different walks of life and communities,” she said.
“Having that support of people in the same situation really helped, and was comforting . . . they've given me and Indigenous kids incredible opportunities and the confidence to think - ‘I can do this'.
“Not many teenagers have that opportunity and support at such a young age, if it wasn't for that, there's no way I'd be where I am today.”
After graduating high school, Ms Jones immediately set her sights on further VET studies in business, which helped her launch her own business, Dungala Creations, before she had even turned 21.
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The business features Ms Jones’ original artworks, as well as a range of homewares and ceramics.
“I chose to study business because I knew at some point I wanted to start my own platform and share my own abilities with other people and inspire others,” she said.
Now running for nine months, Dungala Creations has already seen huge success online and in the Goulburn Valley.
“It's still pretty fresh, but I've had amazing opportunities already, I've been able to create beautiful works and stories for people to feel connected to,” she said.
Dungala Creations is centred around her great loves - art and culture, as well as her knack for business.
“My whole life I've been creative, I'm a visual person and I just love making things look beautiful,” she said.
“But it was always going to revolve around my culture, because it's a big part of my life, it is my life.”
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Dungala, the inspiration for the business, means running water in Yorta Yorta language, reminding Ms Jones of her childhood growing up camping on the Murray River.
“Water is an element I've always felt really connected to, even without realising it, a lot of my works incorporate elements of water,” she said.
It's been a long and winding path, though, navigating her own identity as an Indigenous woman.
“I don't appear like other Aboriginal people, so when I was integrating and being around my mob and my Indigenous community I've struggled navigating these two worlds, being Indigenous and non-Indigenous,” she said.
“The non-Indigenous see me as Aboriginal, while some in the Aboriginal community see me as white. People question Aboriginality and what percentage you are but never do that for other cultures.
“It's been hard trying to figure out where my place is, but now I accept both worlds . . . I hold more privilege than some other Aboriginal people, and I need to use that to help those that aren't as advantaged as I am, to uplift voices and support each other.”
Dungala Creations, though, is only the beginning for Ms Jones.
Next year, she hopes to study at university in Melbourne and complete an undergraduate degree in Indigenous and cultural studies as well as marketing and communications.
“I can never sleep at night because there are so many things I want to do,” she said with a laugh.
“I wanted to start all of this now, because my biggest passion is supporting our youngest generation. But I'm slowly working on developing my own programs, I currently run them with Kaiela and tour schools to run art and cultural sessions.
“I'll never stop learning and wanting to absorb all these experiences . . . the only limits you have are the ones you create for yourself.”