Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kari Breitigam. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kari, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I was very lucky to have parents who nurtured and supported my artistic interests despite neither of them having creative backgrounds (my dad was an auto factory worker and my mom was a homemaker). Honestly, they did so many things right.

We had a tall “craft cabinet” full of paints, ribbons, fabric, and other craft supplies that was fair game for me as a child to play, experiment, and create. There was never a shortage of art supplies. I am an only child, and I think that craft projects were a way for my mom to keep me occupied. She always encouraged making handmade gifts and would help me when I tackled larger projects.

Once I was old enough to show a clear preference for the visual arts, my parents enrolled me in summer art camps (not always an easy thing to find growing up in a fairly rural small town) and took me to art museums. This seemed natural to me at the time, but looking back as an adult I can see that it was not the typical experience of a small-town kid, and I really appreciate how much effort they made to nurture my passions. My hometown wasn’t really an arts-friendly place, but I didn’t really realize that thanks to my parents’ efforts. They, along with some great art teachers, helped normalize living a creative life despite that not being common in our circle.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a visual artist and jewelry maker working in Houston, Texas.

I’m attracted to simple organic shapes. My current paintings consist mostly of minimal and abstracted floral arrangements (and sometimes cats, thanks to my super cute, part-Maine Coon model, Isabelle). I try to break down my subjects into their most essential parts, often focusing strictly on color, texture, and shape. I crave that minimalism. Simple works seem tender and honest. They soothe and calm me in an otherwise overstimulating world.

The jewelry I create includes hammered metal, formed rope, and dyed silk pieces. Large, simple forms and restrained color palettes are characteristic of both the paintings and jewelry. As a jeweler I am self-taught (thanks, YouTube), but I have an MFA in painting. The jewelry line emerged from a shift in my work. After I finished my Master’s degree, I was faced with the big ‘what now?’ The idea of being solely a fine artist didn’t appeal to me at that time, and I longed to create items that were more accessible and utilized in everyday life. I had been creating time-consuming embroidered artwork, so I started creating embroidered necklaces and dying scarves for a bit of a break. I enjoyed it immensely, both the process and the ability to wear my finished products, so I began to sell at markets and opened my first online shop in late 2013.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

All of Meg Mateo Ilasco’s business books – Art Inc., Creative Inc., and Craft Inc. – are amazing. A good and thorough intro to business for all of us who learned the creative side but nothing about how to turn that into a legitimate career. Also, Emily Jeffords’ podcast, Do it for the Process, is pure gold for creative business tips, practical advice, and motivation.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

As a society we need a better understanding that the arts are a very viable career option. This not only allows people to pursue their passions (and in doing so bring beautiful and meaningful things into this world that would not otherwise exist), but it also helps artists and creatives make a fair wage from their work. An educated public that understands that artists are professionals is willing to pay the prices needed to sustain that artist’s career. I think something a lot of artists and creatives struggle with is navigating a public that believes creative work is merely a hobby and doesn’t understand why they should pay higher prices (or pay anything at all) for something we are “just doing for fun.”

Contact Info:

• Website: karibreitigam.com
• Instagram: @karibreitigam
• Facebook: @karibreitigamstudio
• Youtube: @KariBreitigam