Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitee Page.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kaitee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m an artist, musician, & songwriter. Songwriting found me when I was in my early 20’s living in Los Angeles. Having played classical music my entire life, my primary instrument being viola, I was able to teach myself guitar, piano, electric violin (five strings), and basic music engineering. I’d spent years touring and performing with various pop/rock bands on keys, backing vocals, & electric violin, so it was a natural progression to finally write and record my own songs, which I released on iTunes under the pseudonym, Lunic. I’m originally from NY but spent a great deal of time traveling and living in various cities & countries: New York City, Nashville, LA, London, Montreal, Costa Rica, Hoboken, San Diego, and finally Dallas. Painting, for me, began after having children while I was still living in San Diego. Having a toddler and a newborn at home put serious limitations on my ability to pull out instruments on a whim and write. I remember watching my toddler paint, the way he circled the paper from every angle, contemplating slowly where to put the next mark. The way it was the only time (for a long time in his life) when he was genuinely calm, quiet, and at peace. The way he tilted his head and seemed to listen to the brush stroke the paper, the way this entire ritual could hold his attention for thirty minutes or more at a time, which is quite unusual for toddlers.
His paintings were beautiful and I admired him; he completely inspired me. I picked up a paintbrush for the first time in the summer of 2018 and have been painting ever since. For me, painting comes from the same headspace & heart-space as songwriting, but is, in a sense, less limiting. I can say so much more with a painting than a song, for instance, and paintings can touch on a variety of topics that perhaps don’t translate as well into song lyrics. I also feel that painting is the more natural calling for me of the two art forms because truth be told, I’ve always secretly disliked being on stage! While I have zero desire to perform live music again, I will definitely be releasing new songs on iTunes in the future and hopefully, maybe one day I will be able to combine both my music and paintings together in one show or gallery.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think for the artist it is never an easy path. Personally, I have faced many challenges (too many to list) but I prefer not to dwell on them. I think life is difficult for everyone in different ways. The key is learning how to turn the misery and hardship into something positive or beautiful that can help or inspire others in some way. I think we, as humans, are quite small and insignificant in terms of the grand scheme of life. Sometimes we even give ourselves too much credit. That’s why when we enter a dark place or a tough time in our lives, we need to sit still and listen and the answers will come. I believe there are forces larger and more powerful than we are that can help us if we tap into them. Some call this God, energy, spirits, karma, psychic ability, higher consciousness, the Universe, etc.
For me personally, when I was challenged by life during some very difficult times, the answers came to me, unsolicited, in dreams (which were not only images but music, too, that served to guide me to the next step), as voices in the back of my mind (which often became lyrics or poems), as physical affirmations to thoughts or ideas (which let me know I was on the right path). Sometimes, frankly, there was just plain supernatural stuff going on around me. Apparently to remind me, that I’m not alone. It’s good to try and see the beauty and humor in all things horrendous; that’s probably why I’m still alive.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My work is life and my life is work. I wrote a poem a few months back that summarizes my perspective that we are all connected. We all have the ability to create and influence each other for the greater good and I draw my inspiration for songs and paintings from everything from the mundane, everyday things happening around me to larger-scale social or political issues affecting the entire world. My primary intention in creating is to transform the terrible, horrific, inevitable tragedies of life into an alternate form full of hope, beauty, and new perspective.
She’s white, she’s black
Too thin, too fat
She is power, she is healing
She is breaking
Glass ceiling
She’s a victim, she is bold
She is hope, she is old
She’s scantily clad, unbelievably believable
She’s going mad, achievements rendered menial
She is You, though, hand in hand
Circle path,
Woman, man
She is strong, she is weak
She is vision, incomplete
She’s alone, oh so social
She’s accredited,
Upward, mobile
She is rich, she is poor
She is satisfied, wanting more
She’s precision, she is faith
She is love, she is hate
She goes around, comes back again
If she is lost, we cannot win
She is half, she is whole
She’s submissive, in control
She is balance, she is bait
She is ritual, she is change
She is ridicule, she is child,
She’s empowerment, she’s alive
She is sex, She’s degraded,
Except accept, not persuaded
She is big, smaller too
She can see all of all of you
She’s intuition, she’s big picture
She’s conviction, she is scripture
She is winning, on your team
She’ll lift you up then let you lead
She is passive, heavy hitter
She’s make believe, pretty picture
She is gravity when you take flight
She’s all-encompassing, mother, child
Nurture her, the U in You
She’s good luck, horseshoe, deja vu
Her story is yours, and yours is mine
We, forever connected,
Till the end of time
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’ve had so many great moments on this crazy ride that is music and art! There is no one moment in particular that stands out. It’s more like a culmination of moments driving me toward my greater goal of creating music and art that can somehow directly or indirectly change the world in a positive way. I will truly be proud once I can use my art and music career to make a difference in the world. For now, what keeps me going more than money, recognition, awards, attendance at shows, or even celebrity collaborations, are the messages I get, oftentimes private emails, from people sharing their stories with me and the reasons why they are sincerely thankful for my work. Each day I create, it’s for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://KaiteePage.com
- Email: kaiteepage@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/kaiteepage
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/kaiteepageArt
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/kaiteepage
- Other: https://apple.co/2TYiJ2O http://Patreon.com/KaiteePage
Image Credit:
Tim Drake
Rich Krissel
Jean-Sebastien Ouellet
Ilona Serchenko
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
