We were lucky to catch up with Kamden Slough recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kamden, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My art journey started when I was in probably 3rd or 4th grade. My brother used to draw dinosaurs and dragons so I decided to do what little sisters do best and copy him. From there I found every video I could and copied a lot of art from Pinterest to learn how to draw the things I liked.

I wasn’t very consistent back then and it was super easy to get discouraged. I think if I started again today I’d worry less about making one perfect drawing and more about making a ton of pretty good drawings. It’s so important to get in the repetition and build your muscle memory. I’d also branch out into drawing more then just pretty woman and cartoon character so I’d have that head start for later!

I think looking into other artist and learning proper technique is also really helpful. It’s a lot easier to step outside the box and break rules once you know where the box is!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m both a graphic designer and a traditional artist. I decided pretty early on that I never wanted to work a boring job in a big corporate building and that if I wanted to be happy I needed to be creating things. I’m also, unfortunately, a very pragmatic person who knows that becoming a full-time artist takes a lot of hard work, time, and dedication to pay the bills. I decided graphic design was a great stepping stone to being an artist who gets a consistent paycheck and so I hopped right in.

It’s fun to incorporate my artistic mind and style into posters, photography, logos, and products. Every day brings me a new challenge, so I’m constantly learning and improving not only my design skills but also my art.

One of my favorite projects I’ve worked on was the mural I did for HooDoo Mural Festival. It was a huge chance to go all out on the biggest canvas I’d been given up to that point. There were no rules or specifications to meet so it was just pure artistic freedom. I work alongside a local mural company called Blank Space Murals to design and paint, and I hope to get to do many more projects like that in the future!

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

I think the best thing that people can do to support artists is to keep interacting with us and consuming our work. Obviously buying art or hiring a designer is super helpful but spreading the word can be just as important!

In this day and age, social media is a very big part of successful creative careers. So share your favorite artists! Like their posts and send them to your friends. Stop looking at big box stores for decor items and instead find a hard-working individual who is hand making the item you need. Cover your walls in prints from all the makers you love! Hit up local art shows and art-walks and talk with the people you’re buying from. Become part of your community and help it to grow and thrive!

People who sit there and say “well I could make that” and just generally fuel the internet with negativity are actively harming creative communities, meaning anyone bringing light and positivity is doing a whole world of good!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

You don’t have to suffer to be a great artist.

The world is filled with so many fantastic artists with the most tragic life stories. It’s a beautiful thing to turn your tragedy into art and the ability should not be overlooked or shames. The problem is I think it’s become a very large part of artist culture to think that unless you are suffering or struggling or mentally unwell, you can never make proper art. I thought I had to imbue every piece or art with a part of my soul and throw myself to the wolves if I ever wanted to be successful but that’s just simply not true.

Everyone has a different experience as a maker and a creator. So many people I see use it as an excuse to be miserable. They choose drugs and alcohol as a crutch for their creativity because that’s how the “old masters” did it. They treat their creative talent as a curse and a burden and they torture themselves to make great art.

But making can be so much more! Creating can spread joy or tell a story. It can fill you up with so much pride and inspiration. So I had to learn to lay down my starving artist mentality and choose to use it and embrace it for the outlet that is! I choose to be playful and curious in my creativity, to see the world for all its possibilities and to lay down the mentality of suffering.

Like Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book “Big Magic” which I would highly recommend for anyone trying to embrace a creative lifestyle, “It’s better to be a trickster than a martyr.”

Contact Info:

• Website: Kamdendesign.com
• Instagram: Kamden_slough

Image Credits
Portrait taken by Phoebe Terry Other photos by me