Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Mont.
Katie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in a tiny town in North Texas. Like… reeaaalllyyy small. In high school, I ran out of electives to take and I convinced them to let me have four yearbook classes. I spent the majority of that year learning photoshop off of YouTube tutorials. My teacher let me design the cover and helped me get my first MacBook and I’ll always cherish the confidence she had in me. That was the main catalyst to my artistic career; when I decided to become a graphic designer.
I moved to Denton in 2011. For years I’d just wanted to get in and out of college as fast as possible – make solid C’s and get on with life. The first day and the first class I ever took at TWU changed that for me. Something about the passion that radiated from this professor, it spoke to me – I decided that day that I wanted to do better. I busted my ass in that class and was one of four people to end the class with a perfect score. I saw my professor on our last day and he told me I would go on to do great things. I worked harder after that.
I developed Fibromyalgia at the beginning of my junior year. I was waiting tables and I was nearing the point of not being able to carry trays and drinks anymore. One day a group of businessmen asked me if I was a burnout, to which I replied “Hell no!” and showed them the website I’d just hand coded in class. That’s how I got my first job as a front-end web developer and graphic designer. It felt like a godsend, and in a way, it was, just not in the way I was expecting.
That job taught me a lot about life. I learned that money won’t make you happy if you hate how you’re getting it. I learned the importance of working for someone whose values and mission align with your own. I learned the gravity of lacking pride for your work. So, I left.
TWU made me respect myself as a true artist. My curriculum was heavy design and heavy art and I loved every second of it. I finished my BFA concentrated in Graphic Design in 2015 and that day was truly bittersweet. My life is compiled of a long list of mentors and teachers I owe thanks to. I consider myself very lucky to have crossed paths with such inspirational and supportive company.
I’ve been full-time freelance for 3 years now. I pride myself on being a versatile designer, which everyone will tell you not to do. I’ve just always liked doing a lot of different things so I find ways to do everything I want. Today, I specialize in web design, branding, illustration, painting and I’m the Director of Marketing for a solar energy company, The Sun Company. I host and plan events around town, teach people the wonderful world of Google Tilt Brush with Reality Nexus Entertainment and Full Spectrum VR and soon I will be releasing my own collection of yoga leggings on my online shop.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Being a full-time designer and artist leaves me with a ton of projects ranging from website design to mural paintings, so I’ll talk about some more personal work. My favorite creations fall in the illustration and painting category. I’ve been big into watercolor/India ink works for years, ever since a figure drawing class turned me onto it. Some of my favorite art prints are of my earliest watercolor paintings, but I don’t find myself concentrating on creating new watercolor works as of late. I’ve switched my main creation concentration over to illustrations and acrylics. It saves time being able to create on the go and it saves money not having to frame and matte all those pieces for a show.
I create art with a designer mindset. I choose a subject matter, usually monsters or hands (those are my favorite), balanced color scheme and well-rounded composition. There’s not a story and I usually stick to lighter subjects (been real into foodie illustrations lately), so I’d say the message for most of my work could just be boiled down to being badass eye candy. Like everyone else around me, I’m inspired by life, by the company I keep, by the millions of artists and Instagram’s and Pinterest feeds and by my own personal trials and tribulations.
The fact that there is an unknown amount of people that have my art hanging on their wall, my stickers on their dresser or my magnets on their fridge makes me happy. Creating makes me happy and I want my creations to make people happy. It’s all about happiness.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Denton, Texas has the most supportive and greatest local art community I’ve ever crossed paths with. When someone in our community needs help, 9 times out of 10 an art-related event is put in place to raise funds for them, whether that’s a mural competition with a silent auction or creating an album and documentary over a weekend. That’s all happened here.
With advancements in technology and how we use the internet to connect, the role of artists along with everyone else has definitely changed. Being able to bridge a connection with not only our local scene, but world-wide makes it easier for us to make a difference. Globally, art and expression allow us to build a relationship with someone we probably would have never met. Today, we hear about problems we probably would have never faced and we are given opportunities to provide solutions that wouldn’t have been possible in the past, even if that solution is creating an illustration to gain knowledge of the problem. There are multiple artists I follow that have used art and expression to bring issues to light – mad respect for them.
Local, national and international events and issues affect my life, in turn affecting my art. The passing of time and gaining of knowledge is always going to change you. As an artist, my role is to create. When I can use my skills to help someone in need, that’s a win-win.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I did mention I’ll be releasing Katie Mont leggings in an online shop soon – that will be on my website, katiemont.com, so you could be on the lookout for those bad boys. You can find me selling art around Denton and the DFW at multiple events throughout the year, as well as hosting and planning events – I post about all of that stuff on my Instagram. You can also hire me for any of the other skills I talked about earlier – freelance design and illustration, web design, branding – I got you!
I will gladly accept a hug and some words of encouragement from you. There’s no telling how many times I’ve been bummed out on some personal problems and someone stopping by to say they’ve seen me working hard and that they appreciate me has turned my entire day around.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.katiemont.com
- Email: katie@katiemont.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katie.mont/
Image Credit:
Jacque Manaugh Photography.
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