We recently connected with Kara Cartwright and have shared our conversation below.
Kara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am extremely happy as a creative. I don’t wonder about having “regular” jobs – I’ve had them, but they were a means to an end. I don’t think I’d ever be satisfied if my day-to-day didn’t include art in some way.
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?
My name is Kara Victoria Cartwright. I am a Bahamian, an artist, a freelance graphic designer, and apparently I can call myself a muralist because I’ve painted a couple of murals. I was a bit lost after completing an Associate’s degree in Art back in 2011. This is sort of a clichéd saying among graphic designers, but ultimately my entire career exists because I was able to install a pirated version of Photoshop on my laptop ten-ish years ago. I would have preferred to get a throwing wheel and a kiln, but the way my bank account was set up, I had to get a job. I scrapped together a portfolio of projects I’d done for classes and friends, and applied to a few sign-making companies to work as an amateur graphic designer.
Today, four employers later, I’m two years into my freelance career in graphic design. Last year, I painted my first mural and have since painted four, with two more scheduled this year.
I’m not sure what sets me apart from other artists, but I do think the my style is heavily influenced by my graphic design practice. I also find myself gravitating toward patterns that occur in nature, dark backgrounds, bold colours, clean lines, and a certain level of simplicity. While my client work is often structured and goal-driven, my personal work (I’d like to think) produces itself, since creating it is usually a more intuitively-guided experience.
I am most proud of the fact that I decided to call myself an artist again. Although I worked as graphic designer, I didn’t feel like an artist because I wasn’t making my own art. Self-doubt and long, mentally-straining office hours created a figurative brick wall, and I’d refused to even try. A turning point came in 2020 with the pandemic lockdowns and personal life changes, and I found that making my own art was the only thing that made me feel hopeful. I decided then that I needed to embrace the artist, a beautiful part of me that I’d neglected, so I created an instagram page named @victoriartstudios, embracing a beautiful part of my name that I’d neglected. Although my progress in developing a personal art practice has been slow, reconnecting with the art community has led to more opportunities to explore who I am as an artist, and an immense amount of inspiration, for which I’m forever grateful.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I want my work to inspire meaningful conversation about mental health, especially since I feel it is not addressed as seriously as it should be in my community. For those who need help, the first step is overcoming the stigma and admitting that they may need it. But even if they can do that, the right help may not be financially accessible to them. This of course applies to all of health care, but I’ll stick with this realm for now, because it’s personal to me. I am beyond grateful that I’ve been able to engage with a therapist during times that I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression, but I know there are so many who haven’t been so fortunate. There’s a small part of me that feels ashamed to talk about this, but I’d be doing myself and anyone else who struggles a disservice if I didn’t. I’ve had people who’ve seemingly never struggled with these issues misunderstand and judge me, but who feels it, knows it. So I’ll continue to highlight the glitches of the human mind. I’ll continue to spark conversations about how we can heal. I also want to explore how art therapy can be made accessible to members of the community, especially since creating art has been so therapeutic to me.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think the most rewarding part of being an artist or creative is simply the way we see the world, and I don’t think we choose it. It’s the ability and desire to find and create beauty in the seemingly mundane. I think this way of experiencing life is top-tier, and I think it can be accessed by anyone, through the practice of mindfulness and gratitude.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.victoriartstudios.com
- Instagram: @victoriartstudios
- Facebook: VictoriArt Studios
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-cartwright
- Youtube: VictoriArt Studios
Image Credits
Image credit for file name VA-PB-Sq.jpg: Christina Darville Studios