We were lucky to catch up with K Medulla recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi K, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a self portraiture series of 8 artworks called “SHE.” The collection depicts my journey of self declaration and self discovery through introspection, spirituality, and my views of femininity. They were created on wood with mixed media such as watercolor, india ink, and chalk pastel to name a few. Let’s time travel back to 2019, I didn’t know this was going to be a series. I was just creating art to express myself and whatever I was going through. My partner and I went to Centennial Park to paint on a beautiful day. I looked on Pintrest to find an inspiring picture to open the portal of my creativity. There was an image of a line art of a female figure that intrigued me. Being at the park surrounded by nature balanced me. That feeling inspired me to finish the first art piece of the SHE collection outside. I was eager to tap into my creativity in such a new raw manner.

The series creation from 2019-2021 was a major transitional phase as a woman and fine artist. A few pieces from the collection were showcased at galleries Hapeville Makerspace and Future Dead Artists. I never viewed my art as acceptable for fine art galleries. It wasn’t until I saw my creation outside of my art studio. This art collection has taught me the beauty and hardships of planting seeds and how to nourish it. “SHE,” is my authentic subconscious trying to communicate with my conscious being. The artworks allowed me to understand how one must connect with oneself through spirituality and nature to understand oneself. We get too distracted by outside energies, all the answers and love we seek must come from within first.

My goal is to have the full SHE art collection as my first solo exhibition. After I finished the series, I realized how installation art plays a role in telling MY story. My college art classes challenged me to use different mediums such as steel, clay, cardboard, wood and so forth. This fueled my passion to eventually commission set design opportunities within the music industry. I’ve created installations and set designs for Teyana Taylor, Algebra Blesset, and RAHBI. I want to move people’s emotions and perspectives through adding mixed media sculptures and journalism to the painting collection of SHE

K, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am known as K Medulla within the creative industry. The K stands for my first name, Kiara. Medulla is short for medulla oblongata, making it a key conduit for nerve signals to and from your body. I coined this name for myself once I realized how my passion to create fuels my purpose to live authentically. K Medulla, was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga. She has an Associates in Art from Gordon State College and a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design from The University of West Georgia. She comes from a family of unsung artists and artisans. Her natural artistic abilities were enhanced by taking different art classes in college.

In 2017, she joined a creative group, The Sauce, to curate a monthly event called “Cinco Day ATL. It celebrated creative expression through music, poetry, dance, and different mediums of art and artisans. This introduced her to the creative industry in Atlanta. K Medulla created set design installations for the events and graphic designs for print and digital content for advertisement. The individuals within the creative group went on their separate paths in 2019. This allowed K Medulla to focus more on her artistry and other passions.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

About 40 years ago, my granddad and his brothers built a brick and mortar within the heart of Adamsville. It is a neighborhood located in Atlanta, Ga. The family business, Nichols Carpet, ran out of one of the suites. The other two suites were set up for other small business owners. The building slowly declined after my grandad’s death in 2007. I felt a sense of homage to restore his legacy. “Passion Fuels Purpose,” is my personal mantra. This led me to my most proud accomplishment. With the help of my family and friends, we repurposed the building as Sip Museum in 2019. It is an upcoming pop-up teahouse and creative studio. We promote healing through holistic teas, spiritual practices, and embracing the different forms of creative expression.

My granddad was a true hustler and entrepreneur, which influenced me to follow in his footsteps as a visionary. When people see or hear about the K Medulla brand, I want them to be inspired to be themselves. You can be a multi-dimensional person by following what makes you happy.

I live as my authentic self and embrace my inner child. This mission drives my creative journey. Following my passions gives me purpose. I exercise them by practicing my love for nature, herbalism, creating in different mediums of art, writing, and modeling.

In 2017, I was introduced to “The Friendzone” podcast, one of the hosts spoke about passion flower tea to combat anxiety and insomnia. This persuaded me to study and try different herbal teas for self healing of the mind and body. I understand how mother nature plays a role in my identity.

I embrace my inner child by using my imagination to create art, model and write. I turned all school projects into an artsy project in some form. I saw the world as my canvas. I grew up watching Tyra Banks, Next Top Model. This sparked a hidden talent of playing dress up and changing your character for the role. I was that kid in school that loved writing papers in English class. It followed me into adulthood through my devotion to write short stories and poems.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I see myself as a visionary with super powers. I can take ideas from my mind and create a tangible replica of that vision. It feeds my humanitarian character trait to give myself to the world in such a vulnerable aspect in order to heal myself and others. This is the most rewarding aspect of being a creative person.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @k_medulla @sipmuseumatl
• Youtube: Sip Museum ATL