We recently connected with Kadence Clark and have shared our conversation below.
Kadence, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I’m so grateful that I’m able to make a (mostly) living from my creative pursuits, but I do, of course, wonder what it would be like to have a regular job. Well, not a regular, regular job, because for me, that sounds like a nightmare! And I do have work experience (though in some rather unconventional jobs), so I’m not totally unfamiliar with the 9 to 5 (ish). However, I do wonder about being employed by a company to create art. The idea of a consistent income sounds pretty sweet. I don’t know if it’s worth having to ask someone else for permission to take vacations, though. Creepy!
Kadence, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve been drawing since I could scribble a scrab. I was very lucky to be a third generation artist; my love for creating was both understood and encouraged. When I was four, I drew floating cats in my first art class, and didn’t look back. However, my true initiation into the mercurial world of the arts came with my enrollment in Metropolitan Arts Institute, without which I would not be who I am today. Seriously. There I had the privilege of learning not just painting and drawing from Sue Chenoweth and Koryn Woodward-Wasson, but what it means to be an art person. After graduation, I received a Provost’s Scholarship to attend Arizona State University where I earned my BFA in Fine Arts, no doubt disappointing the provost, and sealing my blood oath to the art gods.
Surprisingly, my new art degree did not lead me to a comfy, high-paying job. To be fair, I didn’t look for one. Instead, I waffled between my neurotic devotion to the idea that only “fine art” was worthwhile and the realities of living in a capitalist society; no one’s handing me free coffee… or shopping for giant rat king piñatas. Clutching my portfolio and a flimsy coffee shop business plan, I joined my friends in forming a small art collective, Insatiable Strange. At the same time, I worked at Easley’s Fun Shop, where I was able to create costumes for sea witches, design fantasy fashion shows for Rolf, and learn the mixed blessings of running a business from Debbie Easley. The art collective broke up, but the seed of my small business dream was taking root. After a short jaunt into the world of set costuming for a YouTube Red movie, I realized no matter how wonderful a boss, crew, or project, I really wanted something of my own. And thus Moon Brat was born!
Trepidatiously starting in 2016 with some lace, glitter, and a few plush dragons, Moon Brat slowly transformed into my dream job. I began peddling my wares at nerd conventions, spooky markets, and in the abyss of the internet. Initially, I felt like I was some sort of sell-out, not a “real” artist, and didn’t think my little business would even be worth the fine art treason. Surprisingly, people liked my work! And apparently, that was enough for me. Encouraged, more silly creatures began to sneak into the stickers, enamel pins, and prints I was designing. I started to see that making people happy with art was just as valid as creating work for galleries. My biggest inspirations are folklore and nature, so doesn’t it make sense for art with these themes to be accessible to “folk,” rather than in an intimidating art gallery? Getting over that major ideological hurdle has allowed me to start doing what I’ve been wanting to do all along: create magical creatures and turn fantasy into reality.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The best thing society can do, not just for creatives but for everyone, is to actively value art. Art isn’t just abstract oil paintings in museums; it’s all around you. If you can see or hear or move, you are affected by art. American society discourages you from caring about “the arts” because it doesn’t directly pad The Man’s (haha) pocket, but it directly improves our lives. We don’t want our kids to pursue theatre or dance, singing or painting because we’re led to believe they’ll end up a “starving artist,” but what colorless, silent, nightmarescape would we live in without art? Multiple studies show that engaging with art makes you happier and healthier. We need it, and –bonus!– people can indeed “feed” themselves by making art. The shows you stream, the clothes you’re wearing, your furniture, the music on the radio, the packaging for your toiletries, and the layout on this very website were all created by artists. It’s time to recognize art’s contribution, actively appreciate the joy it brings, and encourage its pursuit. It enriches our lives, maybe even our souls.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
It’s not a phase, Dad! But really. Doing creative work isn’t really optional for us; it’s a compulsion. I think it can seem to “non-creatives” that what “creatives” do is kind of silly and maybe pointless. Well, sometimes it is a little silly. However, the pursuit of art (in whatever form) is integral to our very existence, and we just won’t feel complete without it. I think you can see this in a lot of people who think they’re not “creative” or “artsy” or whatever, who end up putting so much love into other things that they’ve deemed just hobbies or even into the way they approach cooking for their family or decorating their home. That pursuit of creativity is going to come out somehow. It has to. There might be a “creative” right under your nose… and it might be you! But if not, that’s okay too. The world needs different kinds of people. Just remember that a creative pursuit that seems silly to you, for someone else might be what makes the world go ’round.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MoonBrat.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/moonbratstudio
Image Credits
Karen Sarver