We recently connected with Kali Mckeown and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kali, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I came into the practice of cyanotype art by tapping back into a creative streak I had loved as a child. Years ago I was laying in my tent on a backpacking trip, the sunlight was just right and the shadows of leaves from a nearby tree were dancing on the tent wall and in my mindful and relaxed state I thought how amazing it would be to harness that moment and that feeling and to preserve it. I had this mini “aha!” moment and a little brain sparkle reminded me of the sun-printing kits I had played around with as a kid and I thought that could be the key.
When I returned from my trip, I got the supplies and dove deep and fell in love with cyanotype art again–from foraging natural objects from my property to playing with different mediums like paper and fabric to the sense of control and release of control in the artistic practice to the beautiful blue hues that would emerge. I had lost a creative streak somewhere along the way for a while but by tapping back into this simple art form and connecting to the world around me, I found it again. There were so many things that I loved coming together in this practice and the creative aspect of my brain and soul were so happy. It became trial and error and every piece I made felt like a step on a journey to artistic freedom. There’s not a lot I would have done differently, but I do know that the desire to keep trying things was so important and even when I would get discouraged by some ideas not coming to fruition the way I imagined, the mentality to try and try again was so important. Taking the time to be patient with my practice and to keep reminding myself that I wouldn’t have everything figured out at the start (even though I wanted to know everything already!) were key in my journey. This drive to experiment, see what might happen next and continue to play kept me at it and is the reason I have the art business I have today!

Kali, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Kali, the creative behind Sierra Sown, a world I’ve created for those who are wild. I grew up on the ocean in Santa Cruz, but lived and worked on rivers in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada for many summers and have since found myself on a small property in the foothills, close to Yosemite National Park. I’ve spent a lot of years sustainably foraging and preserving natural elements from the Sierra and sourcing topographic maps to create place-based cyanotype art. Sierra Sown began as a passion project and evolved into what it is today–a business offering art, apparel, and lifestyle products representing the essence of the Sierra through the cyanotype art form.

I am constantly excited and in awe of this process every time I make something new, it reminds me of that childlike wonder at the natural world, that feeling you get when you step out beyond your comfort zone outside, or that peace you can feel when dipping your hands in to a mountain stream far away from everything. With Sierra Sown and the art I create, I try to channel bits and pieces of the world of the Sierra to celebrate our connection to wild places and preserving, in a way, those fleeting moments forever.

By making these goods, I want to foster peace, contemplation, and a pause in the busy world we live in today. Whether for a day or a lifetime, many of us have been sown into and amongst these landscapes by summiting the highest peaks, walking amongst giant trees, or jumping into cool mountain streams and high alpine lakes. This art is slowcrafted and handmade and created to remind people of their time spent in the mountains, to inspire protection of these natural places, and to bring back memories of rambling wild in the places we choose to love.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think that at the heart of my creative journey is a deep connection to the wild landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and a desire to bring that connection into everyday life. I want the art and goods that I make to not only celebrate the beauty of nature but also encourage people to slow down, explore, and appreciate the details of the natural world. I like to think that through the lens of Sierra Sown, this creative journey is about fostering a sense of belonging, a shared love for nature, and a connection between art and adventure. I want this creative journey and my art to inspire people to continue to love the places that have shaped them because I feel deeply that when we know and love something, when the time comes, we will do all that we can to protect it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the idea of “perfect” art or an art piece having to match the exact version I created in my mind. I often have grand ideas of how I want something to turn out and when that wouldn’t happen, I’d tend to get annoyed or frustrated. Over time I learned to turn that annoyance not only into acceptance, but curiosity because sometimes, the coolest things would come from accidental creations. Printing with light and the sun has taught me to embrace the balance between control and unpredictability. While I can manage aspects like composition and exposure time, factors like light, the makeup of the materials, or the correct chemistry of solutions used can often create unexpected results. Letting go of that perfect idea from my mind makes the whole process more freeing, exciting and fun.

When I first started the biz aspect of my creative journey, I asked a fellow artist for advice before setting up for a pop-up market and they said “Even if you don’t like something you made, put it out there, you never know when someone else will like it” and this has held true. I was at a market once and almost didn’t put out this piece because there was just something off about it to me. It hadn’t been what I wanted it to be and although it technically passed my own quality control, the actual art of it just didn’t do it for me. Lo and behold, an hour into the market, a customer walked into the tent, looked around a little bit, picked up that print, bought it within 30 seconds and walked right back out. Since then, I’ve learned to trust that art finds the people it’s meant for—even when I don’t see it at first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sierrasown.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierrasown
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sierrasown

Image Credits

Photos DSC_7930 and DSC_9038: Michelle Look (@michelle.look.photography)