Today we’d like to introduce you to K. I..
Hi K., please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As a child, I was always shy with my head in clouds. Always dreaming and always imagining my own world. With this, art and expression have always been a part of me; I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be an artist. As I grew, the dream got smaller and smaller with life getting realer and realer, until that dream was buried in growing pains, pressure, self-esteem and anxiety. I was no longer sure of what I wanted to do with my life and no longer sure of who I wanted to be. I entered undergrad as a business major, it felt like the safest option for me not knowing what I want to be. Except, I did know what I wanted to be, I was just scared; I let life and the people in it convince me it was impossible. Their voices shut out my own. Sophomore year of undergrad, I took a jump. I decided to stop letting my dream just be a dream and embrace what was always calling me, I switched my major to Art and gave it my all. Through numerous trials and tribulations along this journey of embracing my dream, I learned to embrace myself. I learned to embrace my voice, embrace my imagination and embrace my experiences. I can communicate feelings indescribable with words and experiences in my mind that can only be captured through color, marks and texture. I am now confident in who I am, confident in who I want to be and confident in who I will become. The insecurity of my dream made it unstable; no one can believe in me if I don’t believe in me, I learned that it starts within. Through the journey of embracing myself, I believe in my dreams, my family and friends believe in my dreams, my peers and community believe in my dream. And with this, I feel like I cannot fail.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A smooth road?? Absolutely not, the very first struggle I remember was simply owning and embracing the fact that I wanted to be an artist. I was so fearful of being judged, embarrassed, or the possibility of everything ultimately being a failure but I had to focus on the positive possibilities. Navigating my fears and refusing to let them keep me down as well as always believing in myself have been a consistent journey throughout my career. Comparing myself and feeling behind or worried about my pace in life was a large hill to overcome when I started art school my sophomore year of undergrad. I was anxious about my artistic skill in comparison to my peers and the paths being taken by other friends that seemed to be surpassing me at an alarming rate. Nonetheless, I have learned that my path belongs to me, and on this path, I am neither behind nor ahead, I am right where I need to be. If we really want to talk about struggles along the way I absolutely have to discuss finances and time. Naturally, as an up-and-coming artist and having gone to school for art, job opportunities are scarce. Along with funding for supplies and materials, I often opened my bank account with less than $4 dollars after a much-needed art supply run, not to mention countless hours spent working in the studio and building my career. In the earlier stages I often wondered what else I could be doing with my money; shopping, bars with friends, trips, more shopping. Similarly I wondered what else I could be spending my time on; relaxing or playing video games. Despite all of this, I remind myself to keep my goals in mind and continue to work hard toward my dream. I remind myself that everything will be more than worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Whenever I am asked what kind of artist I am I never know what to say. I’m a painter, I draw, collage, spray graffiti, I do a lot, is what I’m saying (lol). I specialize in mixed media Abstract Expressionism and primarily make large scale work. If I had to think, I think I am known for my very bright and vibrant color palette and large-scale work. The size of my works is often commented on; I make such large scale work because I feel it resonates with my large emotions. When I create large works, especially ones as large as or larger than me, I feel immersed in it. It feels like I have created another world. I am most proud of the uniqueness to my art, the way i distort anatomy, reconstruct the face into a motif, various collage clippings from aspects of my life experiences, the unordinary techniques I use in achieving mark making for the backgrounds, and my use of repetition really make me proud of my art. When I finish a piece that combines all of the things I listed, I feel overjoyed with what I have created and hypnotized by the beautiful, chaotic mess that stands before me. I believe what sets me apart from others is my art style, it’s no secret my art shares similarities with the esteemed Jean Michel Basquiat, but I feel while my work shares similarities with and was initially inspired by Basquiat, I see myself in the works I create. The substance, concept and story behind my art all trace back to me and my experiences. I feel while my work is inspired by Basquiat, the technique, material, story, and overall image of my work give it a voice of its own.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I love sharing my art with the world, it is an invitation to step into my mind and see the world through my eyes. I hope to one day empower the youth in following their dreams and uplifting artists to reach their full potential. Everyone deserves to dream and everyone deserves to chase theirs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iamki.squarespace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i.am.k.i
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KiArt4U
