Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Elaine Whalen. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Kristen Elaine Whalen: Local artist. Kristen Elaine Whalen lives in a small cottage on a horse farm in Flower Mound, where inspiration is endless from sunup to sundown. Originally from Meriden, Connecticut, she moved to New York City in 2001, where she worked in fashion for nearly two decades before relocating to Texas in 2020.
After suffering a tragic personal loss in 2013, Kristen began painting as a way to cope with her grief. What began as emotionally charged abstracts soon developed into joyful celebrations of life and creation. You can find her work at Rtown Gallery in Grapevine or Instagram + Facebook: @KristenElaineWhalen // kristenelainewhalen.com
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh goodness. Struggles and bumpy roads make up 95% of my business!
I think struggles are what have been guiding my path in business up until now. I have tried everything, and I have learned to just focus on what sticks.
A major struggle for me is not getting distracted by the ideas and opinions of others unless it feels like a truly wonderful idea. As a reformed people pleaser, I’ve had to learn to politely decline many offers to work on things that I know will drain my energy, time, and money. Obstacles and bumps in the road have taught me to stick to my gut. When I stay focused on my own ideas and passions, things tend to work well! Surprise, surprise!
One of the simplest things I have learned, although it’s taken me over a decade to realize it, is that the serious work that takes me days, weeks, and months to accomplish, nobody cares about. My silly, playtime work, which happens when I follow my heart, does extremely well and sells!
The idea is to create when the fire is burning! When the flame goes out, don’t worry! That means it’s time to focus on the back end of the business, your strategies, and sales!
As artists and business owners, we beat ourselves up thinking about all the things we should be doing, but there are really only two things we need to focus on! Make art. Sell art. That is all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I was over thirty when I finally gave myself time and permission to create. I had been suffering through a very dark season and began locking myself in my studio for hours on end with paints and brushes and fresh flowers. I was just trying to survive my life and found that painting and creating helped me feel like I could breathe again.
At first, my work was just a normal painting of flowers and animals, but I felt like I had more to say. There was something in the depths of my soul that needed to come out. I stopped thinking and planning and just gave myself time and space to play.
My most successful work was birthed within that time of not thinking or planning and just playing. The work I created within that space set me apart from other artists. I often hear people say that they have never seen anything like it. The art is called Flowers With Legs and looks exactly as it sounds. I photograph fresh flowers and then, with digital watercolors, give them legs and sometimes arms, and they always have quirky personalities. These little illustrations are what I’m known for, and they are what I am most proud of.
What’s next?
I plan to continue selling my Flowers With Legs at Rtown Gallery in Grapevine, and I plan to find a gallery in Dallas as well. I’m also working on licensing my other work because having my paintings on products in my favorite stores would be a dream come true!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.kristenelainewhalen.com
- Instagram: Kristenelainewhalen
- Facebook: Kristenelainewhalen
Image Credits
Kristen Elaine Whalen
