We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kat Knutsen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kat thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

A big lesson that continues to guide my decisions as an artist-business owner has been to understand the true overhead, material, and labor cost to any project I take on.

It is unfortunately common for some businesses to exploit artists by asking them to provide a service without paying the artist’s business costs. I’m not talking about paid internships that give industry on-the-job experience to recent graduates.

I’m talking about:

– businesses that request professional artists to provide a service without properly compensating the artist
-businesses requesting artists to pay a high fee for their design to be considered instead of paying the artist for their design ideas
– businesses claiming to provide opportunity to professional artists with a budget that hardly covers material cost

These types of practices are predatory. When taking a closer look, it’s about a race to the bottom in being able to provide the cheapest budget to the consumer.

For example, I was recently approached by an organization to provide a painting workshop: I was requested to provide all the materials and equiptment, and to transport everything necessary to the space. The budget presented to me was $20 per person. I was requested to do most of the marketing to bring customers in.
Of course in order to have made enough revenue to cover the basic costs considering the size of the event, the tickets would have needed to go on sale for $35 at the least. The organization was not interested in increasing the price because they wanted to keep the event accessible to the public, which I understand. When I responded, I asked why my company needed to take a loss and if they would be interested in paying the difference, to which they were not interested.

I reached out to similar artist vendors about the project and learned that the common cost for this type of event ranges between $30 – $50 depending on the set up.

The important lesson I learned was to immediately communicate the cost of what is required in order for a project to be able go through.

Kat, 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?

I began my career in the academic field teaching fine art and digital media at the college level almost ten years ago. My initial goal was to become a professor in art so that I could help young artists build their skill sets for industry practice.

What I quickly realized was the curriculum was lacking a great deal of professional practice in regards to business development and marketing. So I started a company that is designed to create a myriad of visual art projects for clients from logo design, to murals, to 2d animated videos. I designed the company to take what is discussed in the classroom setting and exercised in the professional industry.

Each year I hire what I call the ‘rock stars’ from previous semesters who demonstrated that they not only understood the material concepts, they also have an eye for design, communicate professionally, demonstrate following deadline structures, and are eager to build their professional portfolios.

My company is also designed to provide educational resources for fine artists who are wanting to continue growing in their figurative painting and drawing practice.

I have worked with companies like BreakThru films on projects like ‘Loving Vincent’ and have also worked with organizations like the Historic Society and the Economic Development Council of New Bedford MA to install murals that highlight the music history and dance culture.

If an organization is looking to visually bring ideas to life in the form of murals, illustration, logo design, or animation, my company Kat Knutsen Studios LLC would love to help bring your vision to life! We would meet to discuss what outcome you are seeking and then work backwards from there to lay out a timeline, budget, and communication plan.

One of the latest projects I’m building is called the ‘Long Swan’ band. My company helps build the branding and promotional materials, manages the online presence, and books their performances.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think it is best for society to replicate nature, in seeing that everything is connected, and that some ripple effects are better to replicate than others.

Art is in every aspect of our life. It has been used to communicate concepts, to comfort, to inform, and inspire.

In our day to day interactions when we sincerely acknowledge one another it lifts each other’s spirits and energy. It is easier to do that if there is a common ground to connect to. That is what makes community magical. Hiring artists and creatives to help enhance this type of atmosphere is important because the atmosphere of a setting makes an impact on the mood of engagement.

As for prosperity, over the last few years I’ve noticed how community engagement largely enhances the success of the arts. Community engagement overlaps the dynamics of restaurant, retail, music venue, and municipal business interests. Businesses greatly benefit by paying the artists that are helping bring more customers through their doors.

Society can help by supporting businesses that hire artists who help enhance customer experiences.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an creative is the ability to build on ideas from both an experimental and problem-solving approach. It’s like being a scientist and business person simultaneously. What is the goal and how to we get there?

There is also the joy of building a circle of colleagues and friends that enhances performance and creativity in a symbiotic way.

Then there is the autonomy of getting to choose which ideas I want to help bring to life. Being a creative is magical!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katknutsenstudios.com
• Instagram: @katknutsenart + @the_long_swan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katknutsenart
• Linkedin: Kat Knutsen

Image Credits
Aerial photo of Jazz Mural taken by John Robson Loving Vincent poster designed by BreakThru Films company All other content designed and created by Kat Knutsen Studios LLC