Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaity Harmon.
Kaity, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by creative people in my life that inspired me and was fortunate enough to have been consistently encouraged to express myself through my art. My mother has been one of my main inspirations. I watched her draw fairies, mermaids, and mystical scenes growing up, which truly sparked my first interest in creating. By being around her creative energy – while also watching my father start his own business – I knew that if I was persistent enough, I could become an artist.
Once I had my heart set on my passion, I was always finding different ways to incorporate my love for art into my free time. I even worked at a local pottery painting shop in The Colony while I was in high school. When I got to college, I primarily focused on taking art classes and enrolled in everything that I thought would help me on this journey, from art history to figure drawing. However, it wasn’t until I took my first oil painting class that I truly found my favorite medium and really became passionate about my art.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have always known that my end goal was to become an artist, but I struggled for a long time with how I was going to incorporate this into my professional life and make a living. You push through, though, and use any free time you have to bring your vision to life.
One of the most difficult aspects of being an artist is having to single-handedly run your business while also being creative and making new pieces. The creative process is not set in stone. Sometimes it requires the right type of inspiration to strike. Keeping your mind open to creativity, while also trying to keep up with the best business practices is tough. And the business part is no cake-walk. Everything from updating your social media and website to figuring out how to stay up-to-date on reporting sales tax comes into play.
Please tell us about your artwork.
I am an artist and painter, working primarily with oil paint. I mainly create work that draws upon my own personal experiences and whatever inspires me at the moment. It can be the human body (skulls are my favorite), flowers from my garden, my studio assistant (Challa the cat), the views from my travels, really anything. I have also been known to create custom pet portraits. I try to find the beauty in everything in life, and capture the true essence of the subject I am painting through vibrant colors and brushstrokes.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
In hindsight, I would have loved to have found more time to invest in my artwork during a certain time in my life. Though I’ve always strived to do this, I went through a phase where I didn’t paint for about a year or so, and that was one of the darkest times in my life. I think it would have really helped me to keep my mind off of everything that was happening.
While I could spend days nit-picking all the decisions I have or haven’t made, I always revert back to a saying my former manager at the pottery shop used to quote, “The windshield is larger than the rear-view mirror.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://acciokaityart.com
- Email: acciokaity@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acciokaityart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccioKaityArt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/acciokaityart
Image Credit:
Michell Hammack
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