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

Eva, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am very fortunate and grateful to be a creative entrepreneur. I have a spouse that has a reliable job with good benefits. I think about getting a “regular job” at least once a week, because the simplicity of collecting a steady paycheck and having a typical schedule can be alluring, especially in unpredictable times. It can also be challenging to battle the mindset that financial income is the superior contribution to a family.
When I get into this headspace I allow myself to reflect on the valuable but unpaid labor I provide for my family. I am also very intentional about staying in gratitude that I am in a position to be able to have space to create even when it is not bringing in financial support.
If I ever do go back to a job that isn’t my own business, it would probably be something service-based. I find that the connection with others inspires my creativity, I can leave work at work, and have a flexible schedule.
Many creatives do not make steady money until later in their careers and many have jobs that support their work as well. While I have goals in place to be financially supported via my art, I am also spending this season of life on time my family, developing my creative work, and supporting my community.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Eva Kelley, I am a multi-disciplinary artist in the PNW. I went to Washington Sate University with the intention of majoring in journalism and minoring in the arts. After my first art class, I switched majors and never looked back. I mainly paint with acrylics, but I am open to any mark-making tool, collage, mixed media, really any medium that looks interesting. I will be learning and expanding my skillset until my final days.
Since having my first child in 2014, I have owned a paint party business, made several murals for local businesses and private patrons, done commissions for individuals, local businesses, and a few album covers for a couple PNW rock bands. I am now involved with local art associations, have a small retail booth called The Mad Pattern at a shop called Bridge Island Arts and Vintage, and have been back to making a series of work based on my own interests and topical issues of our society today. I hope to have a show within the year.
I am most proud of the work I make in tandem with other people, turning ideas into tangible objects or environments. I love how murals can transform a space. I love taking the lyrics that came from one creative mind and putting it through the filter of my own. I love pouring the care of a relative into a portrait. I’m also proud of the retail space I have that uses humor and art to make people laugh and feel a sense of nostalgia.
I want people to believe in themselves as creatives, and I hope my work can be a bridge for some to find that spark. I also believe that art doesn’t have to be stuffy and serious all the time. Like with everything else, there is a time and place for the serious stuff, but sometimes we can crack a joke and enjoy each other and our weird little imperfect creations. We should use the arts to care for ourselves and one another.

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

Society can support artists by funding our work. Artists provide so much to our communities and our culture and are very often underpaid or not paid at all. We must shift our mindset in what is valuable. Of course science, tech, engineering, mathematics, and all other areas of study are important. In this day and age, with the unending expansion of technology and AI, those fields are heavily focused on, but the arts feeds into every aspect of our society.
Art classes can help with dynamic thinking, problem solving, and creative solutions.
Dance can strengthen muscles and connect us with our bodies so we can use our emotions to our advantage.
Theatre can help us with public speaking and learning history and lessons from other cultures.
Writing is a foundation of everything we do, building vocabulary helps us understand others and state our own ideas and opinions clearly.
Art can transform spaces from utilitarian spaces into experiences. Artists and creatives can transform entire neighborhoods into desirable places to visit and experience.
Artists create culture. Culture is the legacy we leave for the generations behind us. We should value the people who create this culture for everyone, that includes monetarily. Exposure is not enough. People die of exposure.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me the greatest reward of being a creative person is the capability of being very open-minded. I’m eternally fascinated in the contrast between how we are individually our own universe, but we are also infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things.
I’m so curious to learn about cultural differences, how we communicate through words and symbolism, our collective history, niche subcultures, and how we all individually express our humanity and our time on this planet. I like to see the similarities between us all, as well as the glaring differences. I like breaking that down into a universal, visual language.
I love that I get to look around the world and see all the shapes and colors a little more vividly. I am always considering how something could be painted or remade into artwork. I love watching people and knowing that they have a whole world of their own inside their head. I like to create quick short stories about people as I see them rush through a grocery store or quietly drink coffee at the park. The world around me is inherently creative all the time. There is always a mix of reality and fiction. I am certainly never bored. It can be overstimulating, but I would never want to switch to a quieter mind. It’s worth all the chaos to get to enjoy life this way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evakelleycreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evakelleycreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evakelleycreative/

Image Credits

Red Fred Photography (personal photo)