Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Barattini. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Just before the pandemic I thought it would be nice to supplement my income by selling a bit of insurance. A few weeks before I was to take my exam for the sales license everything shut down. I remember thinking, “well, I guess this is the wrong direction for me and my career.” I had been slowly working on an ongoing series of paintings called “Animal Shred” and somehow during the pandemic folks really started to buy art. It was a boost in confidence and I realized that in order to make money as a creative all you have to do is keep working. Keep going. If you’re making it with good intentions and it feels good to share then stop being lazy. It certainly takes some effort to stick to your deadlines while maintaining relationships and meeting new clients. What good thing doesn’t take effort? It takes effort to wake up every day to get a young family off to school, drive to work, be at work 9-5, come home, and be a loving friend/parent/lover. It’s worth the effort. The joy experienced in between is worth your energy.

I believe having a “regular job” is a noble endeavor. Those that have a consistent schedule throughout their lives are extremely fortunate to bless their bodies with that sort of rhythm. I would imagine that it could lead to a healthy and organized life. As a creative and a surfer I do not experience any kind of consistent schedule and to find balance it seems important to allow each moment to have equal attention. That takes some serious energy to always acknowledge and act upon each given moment as an opportunity to get a project done no matter the size.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a surfer and I am addicted to the gifts that are regularly given to me while riding waves. Thanks to this endless craving for sharing waves with friends and loved ones I started painting a series of surrealistic surfers whose heads are replaced with some kind of animal or plant. Ive been growing the series for 8 years and have no intentions of stopping. The opportunities for morphed surfer/creatures are infinite as we have a diverse world full of living things! I began painting these pieces as a means of keeping lightness and joy in my life while I dealt with the loss of a loved one. As I continue to paint this series I realized the intention of the work and that is to bring beautiful silliness into the world. To remind us to let go and enjoy something simply because it made you smile a bit. No need to overthink it. I really enjoy painting murals and I am grateful to feel confident in the process and true to which jobs I do and do not believe I’m the right artist for. Trusting the process of painting has been a long road and I have found that allowing myself to constantly learn by seeking out books, videos, lessons to enhance my ability as an artist definitely helps. Putting in a little bit of effort and allowing yourself to not know it all is very confidence boosting. We can learn to do anything!
I recognize how fortunate I am to be able to put mental energy into caring about Earth justice and I have found that I can support those leading efforts to speak up for the planet and educate their communities. Portions of all paintings sold are given in gratitude to those that fight for our Earth’s health in ways I couldn’t fathom.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Q-tip says that art is our greatest export and I absolutely agree. When we share creative works with one another we enhance each others lives. Think about a special, hand-made coffee cup or a bowl that you drank or ate from at a friend’s home. That bowl or cup felt special because whoever made it put some good love and intention into it, the process itself brings the creator joy, and for that it brings joy to all who utilize it. This small experience is likely to cause you to want to find some special, hand-made pottery to share good food/drink in with your loved ones…and so on and so on. We need to consider becoming more conscious consumers. We cannot continue to purchase goods for the moment of purchase only. Buying hand crafted items or experiences make our lives more story-filled and stories are best shared.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs are a thing. I do not completely understand them and for that reason I cannot jump to a conclusion about my feelings on them. For now I believe its silly not to go for it. Its another outlet for sharing your mind’s work. If it doesn’t work out at least you tried something different and that will certainly make you a better person/creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rabbitholemediums.com
• Instagram: @kbtini
• Facebook: Rabbit Hole Mediums

Image Credits
Sarah Andersen, Justin Morris, Andrew Brown