We recently connected with Lisa Kindle and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I believe I innately knew I wanted to be an artist from a very young age. There are key moments that formed me as an artist and professional graphic designer and, ultimately, creator.
1. Sitting on the floor of my grandparents front porch cutting apart the Sears catalog and making my own “magazine” in an old spiral notebook.
2. Making things with wood, cooking, sewing with the help of my parents and grandparents. I loved to create and make things with my hands.
3. Learning photography from my father. My grandparents were even part of a camera club and we often would have slide shows on Sunday afternoons.
4. Winning a logo contest and receiving money for it before I became a graphic designer.
5. Having my art accepted into the United Nations as I completed High School.
6. Receiving art and music scholarships to the University.
7. Being asked to create art and play my cello for different organizations from an early age.
8. Being encouraged by those around me to create.
Growing up, the creative path was not necessarily an obvious choice. It certainly wasn’t the biggest money-making option. My first job was delivering papers and where I learned how to drive. I also had a taste of entrepreneurship by managing my own money. My father was a mechanical engineer and my mom did a lot of things – she ran a local food co-op cafe and crafted many of the recipes people loved in our community. She later went back to school and worked at a half-way house, then becoming a director for an organization that helped women in transition. On family vacations, my dad took me on long walks along the north shore of Minnesota and taught me to use my first camera, a Pentax K-1000! He taught me how to read a gray card and manually take photographs. My mom would point out all the different types of birds, leaves, animals and interesting sites along a trail. I developed a passion for photography, seeing the world differently through their eyes. Their passion, attention to my growth and my mother’s tenacity to reach her full potential became rooted deeply into me and shaped my values and beliefs. I am exactly where I am meant to be. Creative. Creating from my heart.
Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My career started in newspapers, advertising, and the print world. I started from the very beginning. I was on the fringe of typesetting, having to train myself on Quark Xpress and the Apple computer when it first came out! Universities were not yet offering graphic design courses, so I made my own way, got an internship at the Minneapolis Public Library as part of their Public Relations Department and was able to work with the designers there. I designed music programs and posters both in High School and College for the music department. I printed some of those posters on a printing press in the art department, laying the ink and rolling them each by hand. My first long-term design job was for one of the largest school districts in Minnesota, (which happened to be where I had gone to school.) It was there I was able to do some great projects, win awards for my work collaborating with the public relations director, superintendent and staff. One of the things I am most proud of designing during that tenure, is a set of minted medals that are used still to this day for community service awards and student excellence. One design was even purchased by the Mint who crafted them, who also happen to produce olympic medals. I then moved into corporate creative, freelancing until I landed at a major health care provider’s corporate creative department. It was there that I worked on corporate branding, supporting high level staff, communications departments and C-level clients. I designed everything from billboards to Newsweek ads. I managed the advertising for two hospitals along with a list of clients within the system. I was known for my ability to use the brand in a way that helped them stand out amongst a very large organization. I encouraged co-workers to incorporate their own artwork, take real photos and learn new things into the designs we created. It was from this position, that I transitioned into running my own graphic design studio in 2006. I was actively working that business as a sole-preneur until 2019, working on and off on freelance contracts . My clients would tell you they work with me because I am easy to work with, listen to what they want, and deliver beyond their own expectations. I have designed billboards, custom dumpster wraps to outdoor metal panels and entire branding campaigns. I love to design logos and really get to know a business from the inside out. I was very active in the Chamber of Commerce and networking groups. This background has shaped my ability to work with people directly, supporting them as they want to explore their true passion and ignite the creative flame within themselves. Over the years, serving my clients revealed to me a massive need for tools and resources that promotes self-care on and off the job. I am now working to create tools for wellness that can be used in elementary schools as well as corporate boardrooms. My work can be used by teachers, counselors, coaches, licensed professionals, administrators, and people in other leadership roles.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The goal that drives my creative journey right now is the need for people to feel seen, supported, and loved. My goal is to get my Color Affirmation Deck and Method in every country, and in as many languages as possible. I want my work to reach far and wide so that every person can feel that they matter, just as they are.
Why am I so passionate about this?
I couldn’t say it any better than Ivy Ross, vice president of hardware design and user experience at Google, “We glorified the rational mind and tossed art aside, but now society has become flatlined and unhappy, and we don’t realize why. We’re missing gifts and joys that make us feel alive. Art exists to save our lives.”
Things that spur me on:
– Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States
– Anxiety and depression rates are continually on the rise
– In the United States, about 1 in 3 teenage girls seriously considered suicide
– Women’s health is significantly impacted during her primary working years
– More than 1 in 5 women in the US experience a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety
– The ongoing fentanyl epidemic
These are huge issues here in the US and globally. As an artist, part of my calling and responsibility is to be able to offer my impression, my views, my compassion, and if I can, art and tools that can provide resources to support the greater good and create peace wherever and however I can.
I have a heart to support those who struggle on so many levels. I believe I can make a difference by being able to offer ways to find relief from difficult time, to relieve stress and anxiety. I can be a listening ear, an encourager to someone , while offering ways to work through challenging seasons. The world needs more people offering light in this darkness. I hope that I can offer a little light and help people find peace by tapping into their creativity.
I have experienced post-partum depression, divorce, anxiety, being a single parent, working a corporate job, living on little means, and even bankruptcy. Running my own business has led me to where I am now dedicated to creating resources (including referral resources) to support anyone dealing with these kinds of issues. We need to create safe spaces to talk about these issues. Not all women are tuned into their own needs or the needs of others and they create harmful environments through their lack of understanding and compassion. I want to help to change this, one person at a time.
I am passionate about helping women who want more than just getting a paycheck in life. I want women to live a well-balanced, even joyous lives! I want to be able to inspire women to step out and claim the life that is there for them. My goal is that my resources and tools help them to feel capable and confident.
It’s time to support the working woman in a way she needs to be supported.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
That’s an easy one!
Seeing someone’s face light up when they draw an affirmation from the Color Affirmation Deck, or their eyes well up with tears because the message touches their heart so deeply. Other rewarding moments are helping clients discover something they can’t see on their own as they work through a creative problem.
Other moments I love:
– Something I have created has touched a person to the point tears form in their eyes.
– The work I have done has made a lasting impact on their life.
– I see someone consistently using my product to support them with positivity
– Seeing the “light” go on
– Being recognized for work I have created
– Seeing people using my product or sharing it.
– Having someone buy a piece of my work (one of the greatest compliments)
– Having someone fall in love with a piece of my artwork
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.solquestretreat.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solquestretreat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solquestretreat/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakindle/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTuJQFdRrsDBO7Pkq068DcA
- Other: GLOBAL ART CAFE – MY ART COMMUNITY & PODCAST
https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalartcafe
https://open.spotify.com/show/0bZs40kwnBvBQ7JMzs2ttI?si=8923dbaaddc744ad
Image Credits
All photos are mine or used with permission.