We were lucky to catch up with Kat Powell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I have. I started working as an artist right after graduating college in 2010. I worked as a part-time freelance artist doing projects here and there. One of the first art jobs I had was doing a few medical illustrations for a local doctor. Early on in my career I would juggle several freelance/contract jobs while keeping a more stable job as an “art instructor” at Painting with a Twist.

It wasn’t until 2019 when I decided to go full-time as a Freelance Illustrator. I had built up a good portfolio of artwork that showcased my range with art styles and professional skills. Considering I have been working mostly with Children’s books I had to learn about the requirements for an illustrator. Learning the ins and outs of how to format books and artwork for printing has been the most beneficial to building up my career, and I wish I knew those skills sooner.

As an artist I also do commissions, art markets, sell prints and sell original artwork as a financial cushion between freelance jobs.

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 am an artist and my personal artwork has revolved around surrealism and anatomy. Combining nature/insects and human anatomy has been a constant themed in my artwork.

The funny thing about having “weird” artwork is that I seem to have naturally gravitated towards being a Children’s book illustrator. I love balancing my surreal and sometimes creepy imagination with cute children’s imagery. I’ve even had clients hire me because of my surreal artwork, even if their book has nothing to do with the “weird” or “creepy”. I think most people see the potential of creativity if you think outside the box.

For my personal artwork, I love experimenting with different styles and mediums. I usually create paintings/drawings, but I have recently been adding an extra dimension to my work. I’ve been playing with thicker paints, mixed media, and other 3D elements to add more depth or texture to my work.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am currently working on creating my own stories. For a few years now I’ve been developing several stories that I want to illustrate and publish, some of these will be children’s stories while others will be more…bizarre.

This is a major goal of mine so I’ve been polishing the ideas behind the scenes and I hope to share my stories soon.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For my personal artwork, I love seeing my artwork improve over the years. I always try to develop my skills or learn a new medium to help my artwork grow. And you are never to old to learn a new skill!

When I illustrator for clients, I adore seeing the creativity they have! Many of my clients will have amazing ideas but cannot draw a stick figure so they come to me and I have the joy to bring their vision to life. The thrill they have with the final artwork always makes me smile and makes me proud to be an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katpowellartist.com/
• Instagram: kat_powell_artist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katpowellart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-powell-43a85634/
• Youtube: @KatPowellArt

Image Credits
For the Children’s book example I sent please add “Author Cristal Lynn Cook, LCSW” as a credit to “Hope is a Butterfly, If You Don’t Squish the Caterpillar.”