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

Hi Cayla, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

I definitely had an entrepreneurial mindset early on — I’m sure there are a few anecdotes of a lemonade stand tucked somewhere in my childhood days, but my true first dollar earned as an artist came in my early 20s. I was struggling to pay rent just 3 days before it was due and a restauranteur from New York offered to buy a work of art I created that was in my home for nearly 6 years. I parted with the piece to make ends meet and often wonder where it is in the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi readers — my name is Cayla Birk. and I’m a contemporary fine artist.

I come from an advertising background and art has always pervaded my life. I’ve worked in various creative fields as a junior art director, designer, and brand executive — all of which have ultimately led me to my career.

My artwork re-conceptualizes social and cultural subject matters. In my work, I allude to popular iconography, musical lyricism, and current verbal slang that pervade society. My work reproduces familiar imagery, arranging them into new conceptually layered pieces.

Oftentimes these themes are combined into mixed media installations that feature colloquial objects, juxtaposed with my whimsical signature style drawings, and often embellished with graphic typography. I carefully select color palettes to establish a positive approachable quality while suggesting notions of vibrance, and formally unifying the disparate objects in each installation. The texts provide clues to content and interpretation.

While I use a variety of materials and processes in each project my methodology is consistent. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects they are linked by recurring style. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work.

I often pay homage to historical events and characters. Each series consists of multiple works, often in a range of different media, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work.

Much of my artwork is pervaded by alpha-numberic cyphers with accompanying sculptural decoders — that adds a layer of dimension that most art doesn’t typically delve into. All art is subjective, it is usually left to the viewer to assign meaning, yet in my art there is a whole factual aspect waiting to be solved which assigns a different level of interpretation altogether.

There is so much more than meets the eye. Art should be that way.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I often make the jest that my dreams are soul-crushing, but to be honest I wouldn’t want it any other way. As trite as it may sound, I have big dreams and I intend to fulfill them. Listed below are just a few of the most important ones.

– I want my art to be in museums, particularly the MOMA and Tate Modern
– More collaborations! I’ve been fortunate to work with some outstanding companies, but a Nike custom shoe has always been a lifelong goal
– Break the record to the highest selling artwork by a living female artist at auction

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There is an endless supply of knowledge and tools to help you succeed, but it can be quite daunting to pick-through so here is a list of different resources that have helped me both personally and professionally. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power, you should always strive to keep the mind sharp by continuously striving to learn.

Masterclass:
– Sarah Blakely
– Martha Stewart
– Ron Finley
– David Carson

Podcasts:
– The Mindset Mentor by Rob Dial
– The Joe Rogan Experience

Books:
– The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
– The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
– On the Road by Jack Kerouac
– Atomic Habits by James Clear

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caylabirk.com
• Instagram: @caylabirk
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/caylabirkart
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/caylabirk
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/caylabirk
• Other: tiktok: @caylabirk threads: @caylabirk