Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kierstan Craft. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kierstan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?
Yes! Vacations are vital! The amount of times I leave the city and come back revitalized and ready to paint are astronomical. I come back inspired most of the time. Sometimes I’ll be energized from the people I meet you give me ideas! Vacations definitely help keep me going!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I focus in high-contrast color multimedia portraits of mythological and astrological people. I like to incorporate aspects of the person into the paintings and really get messy with it. You’ll see a lot of drip work and splattering. I’m really proud of my ability to not stop. Nothing about my paintings is boring. I want you to feel inspired to read about the story I am portraying in my art.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
They never tell you how expensive it is to be an artist. A $14 tube of paint adds up when you use 10 different colors on the canvas. The bigger you go with your canvas the closer you reach the $100 make on just your foundation. I knew I wanted to get back into painting after taking a 7 year hiatus, but purchasing my materials was the hard part. I offered to do pet portraits to start out, picking up extra shifts at the bar I worked at to buy my first couple paints, and a 5 pack of 12×12” canvases. I got three commissions that first week! At $150 a piece I was able to buy more paint and a larger canvas to do my first mythology painting – Medusa. That month I did 12 commissions. I bought more canvas and better paint brushes.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Just because you have a bad quarter doesn’t mean you are a failure. My first couple months went really well. I sold over 20 paintings the first 3 months I started. Then January came. I sold nothing that month. Then February came. I sold 2 pieces. I didn’t realize that the winter months would affect sales so much. I felt like quitting. Once April rolled around I got my first show in Seattle. May I got another, and things started picking up again. I had to learn that bad quarters happen, but to hold on. It will always get better!
Contact Info:
- Website: Kcraftart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcraftart/?hl=en