We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kemare Garner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kemare below.
Alright, Kemare thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
Sometimes I feel like there is a misconception when it comes to artists. Usually when you hear the word “artist”, the first thing one may think is someone who paints and have a quirky personality. Or an individual who sings and is an extrovert. For me, I am happy being an artist, however, it’s tough sometimes because I feel as if one needs to have a certain level of self-awareness in order to create. Everything I have ever painted in my life so far, reflects my emotions at that given time. The reminder of the highs of knowing that I can create something with the intention of healing others and giving them hope that there is so much beauty in this world. Then I have my lows, wondering if I will ever be good enough or if I will be remembered for my work 100 years from now like Vincent or Frida. Truthfully, I do not who I would be without art and I’m so grateful I didn’t give up on my gift. Every moment I’m able to paint, I feel tranquility. I feel safe. I feel empowered knowing that I can share my stories, my heart, and my mind through my works.
I will say, the hardest thing about being an artist is finding the right crowd of people who will help expand your work. As of right now, I must work a full-time job in order to support my art career and myself, however, I know it will all pay off in the long run. Since my mother’s passing, I had no choice but to try and support my family to the best of my ability emotionally and financially. There isn’t a day where I don’t dream about having my own art studio and working for myself full time. But I know all great things, take time.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
To those who may not know who I am allow me to happily introduce myself! My name is Kemare (Ke-Mah-Re) but I usually go by Ke. I am an Aquarius – Pisces cusp even though I’m fully confident I’m a Pisces. Truthfully speaking, I am a firm believer that I was destined to be an artist. I say this because a little before my mom passed, whenever I felt discouraged about where I was going in life, she would always share this memory with me that I was too young to remember at the time.
Around 3 years old, my mom took me to IHOP to get breakfast with her while my dad was working. The waitress gave me crayons and a menu I could color on that had a blank SpongeBob and the Bikini Bottom. I colored all the characters, but I assumed I was bored so I started drawing on a napkin. My mom told me that when she looked at the napkin after I was done, I drew SpongeBob. After we ate, she took me to the art store and the rest was history. At the age of 3, my mom was impressed that I knew all the materials I would need such as paper, crayons, pencils, and erasers. I would like to believe, if it wasn’t for my dad being an artist, the gift would have never been past down to me.
Throughout the years, my parents have always been supportive of me being an artist which is how I believe I go into the industry. My mom would encourage me to enter contest and majority of them, I won. In second grade, I won second place in the Broward County fair for my artwork. By 4th grade, my art was showcased at a local Starbucks for a over a month. By 5th grade, I met the mayor of Pompano Beach for my art, and it continued from there. The type of art that I provide that I believe sets me apart from others is that my art is a mixture of surrealism, however, it looks realistic and cartoonish at the same time. I can’t describe it, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world! My goal is to help others heal when they view my pieces. To reassure them that there is light in the world, even during darkness. I think that’s what I’m most proud of, that every time someone views my work, they can see that my intention is to bring some forth of hope or love.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
There are so many things that can be done to help support upcoming artist, but I will say the main thing is sharing! Share, share, share, as much as you possibly can with those you know. We live in a society where technology and social media is the core of who we are with our everyday lives. It may not seem like it would make a big difference but trust me, it plays a tremendous role when you share someone’s art on your Instagram story or retweet someone’s NFT. If society did this, I could guarantee that there would be more attention and respect for modern day artist than there is now. I do wish that our education systems provided more art in schools and grants to help artist be successful in their careers. This would be the beginning of creating a thriving creative ecosystem.
How did you build your audience on social media?
My advice to anyone who is building a platform on social media is to just do it! Don’t focus on other content creators and compare yourself to them. Everyone is different and have experienced different journeys in their lives so if it takes you a little longer than expected that’s okay. I try to post on my stories as much as I can to keep up engagement with my followers. Everything helps! I would strongly encourage those to create reels of their work in progress, post photos, and create quizzes. It also helps when one engages with other profiles by leaving comments or simply liking a few photos. I found this tactic has helped me build my platform over the years.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: ke.garner
- Facebook: Kemare Garner