We recently connected with Katharine Phillips and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Katharine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

This is a tricky one… I think once you take the leap to pursue a new career that you are truly passionate about, whether it be a creative path like me or some other path you’ve known you always wanted to do, it’s only natural to wish you started sooner. However, I do believe that the reason I took the leap when I did was because it was the perfect time for me to do so.

To give some back story, I didn’t start painting seriously until college. I ended up having two art shows by my senior year that made me want to jump straight into art right out of college. I had a plan to get a studio and everything, but I come from a family of engineers. That’s not to say they aren’t creative; it’s actually annoying how creatively talented everyone in my family is. With that being said, whether it was, art, or music or what not, creative outlets have always been viewed as “hobbies” rather than a career path. So, I graduated from college with a degree in advertising (business-side for my dad) and web design (creative-side for me) to put me on track for a career as a graphic designer. After I graduated, I did just that. I put my dream of being a painter on the back burner and I worked as a graphic designer for a big company for almost seven years. I worked my way up the ladder, until eventually I became co-lead of my creative department as an executive designer. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a graphic designer. It’s the perfect mix of business and art and I get to channel my creativity every day. It’s challenging, it’s rewarding, but it’s not painting. I don’t get the same “pinch me” feeling after sending a design to a client for approval like I do after finishing a painting. And in the back of my mind, I just knew if I didn’t try to make a career out of painting I would always wonder and potentially regret it. So, after seven years and turning the big 3-0, I made the leap to leave my nine to five and start my own company dedicated to fine art and freelance graphic design called KPHILL Designs (pronounced K-PHILL and how I sign all my paintings).

I just hit my one-year mark of going off on my own and sure, at times I struggle I think, “If only I started sooner…” but the truth is, there’s no “right time.” If I started straight out of college, I would have had no clue what I was doing. I’m sure I’d figure it out along the way, but working seven years prior taught me so much. I learned how to build relationships with clients, many that I still have today even after going off on my own. I learned how to manage a team, solve problems, receive feedback, talk business, work with brands, think outside of the box, and so much more. All things I have carried with me on this new adventure and have helped me hit the ground running.

So, to circle back, I would say the journey is the most important part. Don’t stress about timing, because when it’s the right time to make a change, you will know. Just make sure to hold on to that feeling, embrace it, and please don’t ignore it. In the words of Billy Joel, “Slow down you’re doing fine, you can’t be everything you want to be before your time.”

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

My name is Katharine Phillips, and I am an artist and small business owner of KPHILL Designs. I started KPHILL Designs as a company to encompass all things I’m passionate about – fine art, graphic design, custom illustrations and more. Being a one-woman show, every transaction is personal for me. Whether you are ordering something intimate like custom art, wedding invites, a pet portrait, or something for your business like VIP gifting, a new logo refresh or branding, I work with you through every step of the process. Customer satisfaction is something I strive for, and it’s also something I’m known for.

A list of services I provide include: graphic design, logo design and branding, custom illustrations, wedding invites and artwork, fine art paintings, commissioned paintings, poster illustrations, and caricatures.

I am most proud of my paintings and something that sets me apart from other artists is how most of my paintings are done on exposed wood.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

After going off on my own, I had to unlearn the nine to five workdays. I was so regimented to believing the workday starts no later than 9am and you stop working around 5 or 6pm. For me that didn’t work after leaving corporate America. Some days it just wasn’t going to happen that I would be able to crank out a painting first thing in the morning. Sometimes I do my best painting at night. Stressing that I needed to get all my work done in that specific 8-hour window just wasn’t working. Once I unlearned those constraints, I became so much more productive. After all, isn’t that the supposed to be the beauty of working for yourself? That you can pause mid-day for an afternoon workout or get a later start to the day if you worked all night? Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a hustle and I definitely put in way more hours than a structured workday but managing my time in a way that better fit my workload and lifestyle has allowed me to be so much more productive and healthy – both mentally and physically.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me is when my painting or design brings someone joy. When the client is so happy with a design I’ve provided and they say it’s better than anything they could have imagined, it makes every risk I’ve taken to get where I am worth it. When a painting of mine captures the attention of someone enough to make them want to buy it and hang it in their own home to look at every day, well, there’s just no better feeling!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kphilldesigns.com/
• Instagram: @kphilldesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554237325000&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-phillips-a50451a7/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kphill904?_t=8qM5jUgWcal&_r=1