We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla Ridgway. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.

Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My mom has been my #1 fan my whole life, and I cannot thank her enough for always encouraging me to be myself. I’ve always had an artistic thread woven through me, and I leaned into it hard as a child. I pictured vivid landscapes and mythical creatures, adventures of heroes and friends. I took every art class I could through grade school, absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. And it was translating in my art as well; my skills grew significantly over the years. I even had plans to study art well through college, as well as pursue a career afterwards. My parents have always supported these passions, and they wanted to help me achieve those goals in any way they could.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After high school, I tried to follow my passion for animals. Being a zoo keeper had always been a dream of mine. I even interned at a zoo shadowing the animal keepers and getting to care for the animals. I loved every second of my time at the there, but ultimately that dream fell through.

In my mid 20s, I got a job with a company that taught paint-along art classes to the public, and I felt my artistic spark starting to come back. To this day, it’s still my favorite job to ever have. Wonderful classes, awesome coworkers (this is where I met the gem of a human that is Nicole Rais!) and the most incredible boss; I have such fond memories of our little studio family.

With a renewed fire in my belly, I took the leap to start my own art business. I started doing pet portraits in different medium, as well as local craft shows. I loved seeing all the animals I had the chance to immortalize in brightly colored paintings. I was able to work with my clients personally, allowing me to customize their pieces EXACTLY how they wanted them.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Art is subjective, and it took me a long time to understand that. I grew up believing that being an artist meant you had to be objectively ‘good’. But at the time, everything I was doing was for a grade or to meet the standards of someone else. In my mind, this meant everything had to be perfect, otherwise it ‘wasn’t good’. Oh how wrong I was!
That perfectionist attitude killed my artistic drive faster than anything else. And it wasn’t until I had the chance to teach others that I truly understood this concept.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Specializing in pet portraits allowed me to combine two of my passions: animals and art. But more than that, I had the opportunity to really get to know my clients and their pets. We were able to bond over sweet stories of our furry friend. I’m a huge animal lover, so I frequently got to meet the models of my portraits. And I think that’s secretly my favorite part.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kaylabanana_artistry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/furevermemories