Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Kathryn Medlock

Hi Mary Kathryn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

I am a former retail professional, now full time visual artist. My very first foray into producing Art full time, was executing a series of fine art screen prints featuring photos of me with a “love yourself” graffiti type logo. It’s like this idea just popped into my head from my soul right around the same time I was struggling with my career and seeking some enlightenment and a better more fulfilling path for myself. I started screen printing those posters with the intention that they would be used for actual graffiti to display around New York City, and later the world, and I just kept going from there. I now have a little brand, LOVEMKM by Mary Kathryn Medlock, and I utilize my website to showcase and sell my Art and other creations.
I absolutely love creating and I take multiple gratitude checks a day to realize what a blessing I am in to have had to initiative and courage to do what I wanted.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I read this question and I immediately just smiled… Pursuing a path of creative entrepreneurship has not been smooth at all. lol. I am a small business owner but my business is selling the things that I have created and made myself. It’s super vulnerable because I’m selling my own Art. So I struggle with all the regular things an entrepreneur goes through on top of the fact that I can somewhat feel validated or not based on the rate or success of my biz numbers, which I know is an unfair generalization of my work, but it would be impossible for my mind not to go there. Imposter syndrome can really grab hold of your self- esteem at times and you just have to love and respect yourself enough to keep riding those waves.
Shout out to the creatives and makers out there as small biz owners, I see you and congrats for having the courage to do it in the first place, because it is not easy at all, but it is rewarding!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I create very feminine, girly Art. It’s not for women specifically, but if you are trending on the more feminine side of polarities, you will feel more drawn to my paintings and prints. Pink is the main color I use in my paintings, and my work can always be identified with my hot pink LOVEMKM signature. Besides pink, I love working in bold, bight colors, my neon pigment being one of my favorite go to’s. Repurposed vintage frames can be found with my paintings and occasionally I paint right onto vintage clothes I have sourced from various thrifter paradises in rural spots I stumble upon.
I utilize fabric in many ways, often my large scale multi media paintings have fabrics and threads stitched into the canvas creating visually and texturally dimensions.
As an artist, I am proud that I took the chance to create anything at all ever, lol, and on top of that, having courage to put myself out there to try and make a go of it!
Something that sets my Art apart from others.. Often times you will see my image in my art work, me posing as different feminine archetypes from the sacred Magdalene, to the darker Kali… using my own image is a theme of my work I feel committed to sticking too, even as I am aging and my body and look is changing into a more mature look, which any woman will tell you isn’t easy as your youth fades but I’m embracing the moment.

What makes you happy?

Honestly, the simple things in life. Right now I’ve been in a challenging moment in my life, this year I haven’t had as much financial freedom as in the past, and instead of getting hung up on the challenge of it, I have really and truly been staying present every day and taking so much happiness in the day to day small stuff. I take pleasure in good food, good music, and laughter. And I think this is what people mean when they stuff like “Money doesn’t make you Happy” but obviously you have to have had money to be able to say that, but it’s true, Happiness resides within, and your ability to be in the moment with gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lovemkm.com
• Instagram: @lovemkm
• Facebook: lovemkm
• Twitter: @_lovemkm
• Youtube: Mary Kathryn Medlock