We were lucky to catch up with Katelyn Fay recently and have shared our conversation below.
Katelyn, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I’m trying to find the right way to answer this and truly ask myself this question but i realize, as i’m trying to answer this question, i look around me and in my room is filled with my art.. like everywhere..even my bed frame. So yes, i am happy to be an artist, art runs deep through my veins to my very core. What i will say is i’m not always happy with what being an artist entails more than the identity of being one itself because art is truly the best gift i have to offer to myself and others. But finding how to monetize it; to earn a living and once more on top of that, to get my work seen and recognized is so hard today! No one wants to pay for art, whether it’s music, visual art, or designing clothing, people want everything for free especially with social media. Learning how to value my work is super hard for me too. As far as wondering what it’d be like to have a regular job, I don’t have to wonder because so far all i’ve had are normal jobs because honestly my art still does not give me much of an income. I’ve worked as a barista, hostess, retail/sales associate, photo-editor, graphic designer, and delivery driver and each one is soul crushing because they force me to fit into a societal mask that is so..corporate and boring to me. I’m most happy when i can come home and customize everything i own, surround myself in my own little world and make videos and share my art with people. There’s nothing more rewarding than creating a painting, or a song, or an outfit, or a music video and then wake up the next day and look at it, or try it on, or dance to it; to hear, or see, or feel it, something tangible. Worries of money, recognition or success aside being an artist is an incredible superpower and sometimes i have to remind myself of that. A lot of people struggle to express themselves because they haven’t been given the tools. Knowing something like my painting, outfit, song, video, or drawing can just come out of me still baffles me sometimes. Like everyone around me is having kids and i think that’s great and as i get older i envy it because i want that someday too but i have to remind myself that I have given birth to many creations that have brought me joy and fulfillment and those so far have been my babies. I’d say i’m happy, but not satisfied yet. I haven’t even accomplished half the goals i’ve set for myself with my art yet and i want it all to be seen! I will say being an artist isn’t a job it’s part of your being unlike the title a job holds, it’s an extension of your life but it doesn’t necessarily have to define the individual. But if i had another career path other than being in art i think i would be a spy. But i suppose that isn’t a regular job either haha.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Yeah for sure! So hello, i’m Katelyn Fay aka Katelyn Faena i’m a 28 year old female multimedia artist. I’m first and foremost a painter: a visual artist, but i also make music, clothes, photography, and videos. I’ve been in the creative field since i was a little girl. My parents put me in all kinds of classes as a child and the creative ones stuck, like dance, acting, singing, pottery, and painting. When i was 14 I attended an art high school and from there the path kind of solidified for me that the arts are where i belong. I think what sets me apart from others is my blessing and my curse: that i work in multiple mediums and refuse to just stay in one. Explaining who i am and what i do is always kind of a struggle for me because I think it’s best if i just show it rather than explain it because once you see all the mediums i work in, it begins to make sense why i need them all. I would say I am my brand, all of my art is a form of self documentation and self discovery, it’s about creating my own world and making work about my own lived experiences and feelings so when I paint and draw it’s primarily imagery about me and my surroundings or my dreams or feelings about my current life and that around me, my songs are me singing, writing and documenting my feelings in that present moment, and my clothing is made from my desire to be an individual: to customize something specifically using my art and secondhand materials. So it all centers around creating an entire experience completely of my own. When people see my art I want them to know right away that it’s mine. I want them to think oh wow this is different, this is highly personal and they can resonate with it or not. Whether it’s my paintings, drawings, clothing, or music that you’re seeing/hearing i want people to know immediately.
My voice is very strong in my work, it’s very clear and i think that’s what i’m most proud of. I’ve never been afraid of speaking my mind and being my own person and trying new things and doing things in an unconventional way. If it makes sense to me i’ll do it my way. DIY way.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
This is going to sound cheesy but at the moment my goal is more of a feeling. When i was a kid i wanted to be a famous popstar so bad. My friends and i would write songs, come up with dance routines, sing on top of AC units in the neighborhood, play dress up and take pictures of each other and we were just free. Then somewhere along the way i got bullied in school a little by other girls and started to develop social anxieties to the point where i couldn’t even read aloud in class and it was honestly one big reason i didn’t finish college. My stage fright and public speaking became so huge, it’s even hindered me from applying for certain jobs, or applying myself more with performing my music on stage, or showing my art in galleries. But when i’m alone in my room creating i can let go of all of those learned anxieties and fears and be that same expressive girl again, so lately i’ve been working towards this goal to be on a huge stage in front of a big crowd singing my music in a huge outdoor stadium and it gives me goosebumps. I just want to feel alive and i want to move people. I want to say how i really feel instead of holding it in.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
So to answer this question i’ll go to my clothing brand i’ve created called many different things but now it’s just Katelyn Faena. Anyways, i started selling my clothing during the covid pandemic when i got fired from my job and i used my unemployment money to buy a sewing machine and my art printed onto fabrics and i started sewing away. What really brought me the most reward was seeing these people, mainly young girls around my own age, who were buying my clothes and taking pictures in their outfits and tagging me thanking me for making them feel so confident. Something about seeing other girls in my clothing really makes me feel like crying tears of joy honestly. Maybe it’s because when i was a young girl growing up other girls often bullied me for my weird style so the inner child. in me has this feeling of finally being loved, accepted and admired in the ways i wish i was growing up. And it brings me such fulfillment to see that my clothing can make others feel super free and comfortable in their own skin. It’s like wow i’ve found my people and they’ve found me. I think we’re all just looking for something to connect to, souls to connect with and seeing that my art can do that motivates me to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katelynfaena.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katelynfaena
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katelynfaena
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelynfay
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/katelynfaena/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ETy0zeWxudli8GRqVBgEw
- Spotify: Katelyn Faena
- Tiktok: @Katelynfaena
Image Credits
Professional portrait of me (with the rhinestone grills) taken by John Ciambriello Photography, all other photo credits are mine!