We were lucky to catch up with Katie Croft recently and have shared our conversation below.
Katie , appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
The biggest risk I’ve taken as a creative is when I left Texas for New York alone with two children. I was 38 and had two kids, a comfortable house, a close community and wonderful support system, but I had wanted to get my MFA for twelve years. I realized that I could wait until my children were grown and gone from home, or I could take them along for the adventure and show them what it was like to pursue your dreams. I made the decision to at least apply to schools and see if I was accepted. I rationalized that I didn’t have to go anywhere I didn’t want or that wasn’t a good fit for my kids. I applied to graduate schools all over the country and was accepted into many including both Pratt and Parsons in New York. When I received the acceptance letter I couldn’t say no, these were some of the best MFA programs in the country. I had never been to New York but I packed a bag and went to visit. I didn’t even like the city on that first visit and it was going to be the most difficult place to relocate as a single mom with my kids and start over. However, in the fall of 2018 I packed a Haul and I traveled half way across the country with two middle schoolers, a dog, and a cat to relocate in Brooklyn. I started in the MFA program at Pratt. At first I hated the city, the struggle, and the cold, and so did the kids, but we pushed through that first winter and in the spring we were all thriving. I was emerged in the art and culture I had always craved. I was getting an incredible education and my children were on the adventure of a lifetime. The decision to move launched me onto a wildly different path in life. I graduated from Pratt, exhibited my work all over the city, and met incredible artists who continue to inspire me. I then went onto receive another Master’s from Pratt in Creative Arts Therapy and Creativity Development and I now work as an art therapist and have an active personal practice in drawing, painting, and sculpture. My children grew in unexpected and wonderful ways as we adapted to our new lives and new environment. While the entire process of moving and going back to graduate school was challenging and at times felt impossible I am so glad I made the decision and took the risk.
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 started with an undergraduate degree in Studio Art then went directly into community arts programming at a non profit in Waco, Tx. I was active planning and facilitating a huge community arts festival, public art installations, grant writing, youth art programming, and much more. This led me to open my first art gallery that functioned as a cornerstone to the revitalization of downtown Waco, Tx. I was a community leader in the development of the arts within the city. I then relocated to Austin, TX where I opened a gallery and print shop exhibiting artists from all over the world.
After life as a gallery owner, I went onto receive my MFA from Pratt in painting and drawing and a Master of Art Therapy. I am currently an artist, art therapist, educator, and creativity coach. I have an active art practice as a painter, drawer, and ceramic sculptor. I teach as an adjunct art professor at a university. As an art therapist I offer private sessions to clients to treat trauma and address mental health issues. As a creativity coach I work with folks to set goals, unlock creative pathways, and problem solve so that clients are able to access their creative selves without blocks and boundaries. I also offer coaching services which provide practical solutions to running a business as an artist or creative.
I love being an artist. It is essential to who I am. I always have to be creating or making, and I love what I create, but I am most proud of my work as an art therapist. I am so grateful and honored that people trust me enough to share their journey toward healing and allow me to be a small part of it. There is something truly magical about offering someone an art directive and watching them move from fear and trauma into peace and connection through the practice.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love being an artist. I love being a maker. I don’t think I could ever be me without making something. So it doesn’t necessarily feel rewarding, but essential. That being said, as an art therapist and an educator and creativity coach I am able to help people find ways to authentically express themselves, their experiences, and their stories through art making. That is the most rewarding part of what I do. I know that the act of making anything is a reward in itself, but sharing that with others, helping them find that reward, that satisfaction, and sometimes even find themselves, that is the best part of what I do!
Have you ever had to pivot?
I took a huge risk in moving my kids to New York to attend Pratt in 2018. I was single parenting, while in grad school and living in a new city. I took a lot of precautions and made a lot of plans to make sure that my degree would allow me to move into the world as someone who could work and provide a stable income for my kids. I was aware that art wasn’t going to be the thing that gave me the steady income I needed, but I was planning to stay in NY and work at a gallery or museum. But all that planning fell apart in March of 2020 when Covid was declared a global pandemic. At that point I was two months away from graduation and the city was all but shut down. I couldn’t get a job anywhere and there was no end in sight. I considered moving out of Brooklyn, but a dear friend was an art therapist and had graduated from Pratt with her Masters in Art Therapy. One night during lock down we sat in my apartment and she told me to go back to school and get my MPS. I didn’t think I would get accepted into the program, but I applied that night. I was accepted within a few weeks and after my online graduation for my MFA I started over again at Pratt working toward another Masters degree. This allowed me to make it through the next few years in Brooklyn and when I graduated this time I was able to go straight to work as an art therapist. I never thought I would be a therapist, yet it is the work I am most proud of and is the most fulfilling. It is the work that allows me to be a creative and have a steady income for my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katiecroft.com
- Instagram: @katiecroftart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katie.croft.54?mibextid=LQQJ4d