We were lucky to catch up with Kei-Ella Loewe recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kei-Ella , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

In 2020 I found myself at a crossroads. As a 27-year-old I had left my previous career as a theatre-maker and stage manager back home in South Africa, immigrated to The Netherlands and was starting over. I needed to reimagine a career for myself in a country where I didn’t speak the language and had no money or network. A month later the global pandemic hit. Later this blank slate would be a blessing, but at the time it felt like a jail sentence. I felt I needed to protect myself by choosing a financially safe career where I could earn a living without going back to University.

I decided to teach myself graphic design. But something didn’t feel right. Was I content to spend my days laying out pamphlets and posters? Was this what I really wanted? I felt unsatisfied, but still wary. I didn’t know it at the time but there was an artist inside me that had been squashed down, buried by all my ‘responsible’ choices and fears.

My brain wanted me to be safe, but my heart yearned to be creative. 2021 I decided I’d rather take a big risk and fail then continue to feel so listless. After long conversations with my partner, I quit my part-time job, used my last paycheck to buy an iPad and started from scratch once more. It was a massive risk, I hadn’t drawn anything in 7 years, it was like learning to walk again. But it lit a fire in me and I became consumed by wanting to improve this craft and find a way, by myself, alone in a foreign country, to find a way to support myself as an artist.

Kei-Ella , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed what earlier conversations?

I still consider myself a beginner. I have been drawing for 2 years now. And I went straight to digital using an iPad and Procreate, which I think is kind of unique! I am still discovering my artist’s voice (or art style). It’s a lot of trial and error, experimentation and play, and trying to not be too hard on myself. Which can be difficult as I often compare myself to industry professionals who have art degrees and years more experience.

Starting an art career from scratch is kind of like meeting yourself a bit with each drawing. I don’t know what kind of work I will end up making in 4, 5, 10 years. But it’s the curiosity that keeps me working each day. What I know for now is I like to draw women, express emotion, play with bright colour and nature and I am trying to be a better story-teller. I like to tease myself and say I make ‘sad girl art’.

I guess what I’m most proud of (and surprised by) is how I built myself a life as an illustrator through social media.
Before I started my art account, I didn’t understand how social media worked. But I knew it was the only way I could find an audience while stuck in lockdown. Through building a following on Instagram I have been able to be discovered by art directors, publishing houses and writers.

As I was learning to draw in 2021 I was also documenting how I felt through my Instagram page. It became like a kind of journal for all my insecurities, discoveries and dreams. I knew that the only way I was going to be able to work with social media was to be honest and open. I think I owe some of my success to those ‘thought rambles’. I think what I was saying resonated with a lot of other artists, especially those at the start of their learning journey like me. I think as a community of artists we all struggle with similar feelings of perfectionism, a harsh inner critic, imposter syndrome and low self-worth. So by sharing how difficult and invigorating and terrifying it was for me to be posting my art online, I was able to connect with a community of artists who shared these hopes and fears. And together we help each other be brave.

At the moment, the work I do is mainly commercial commissions on a client-to-client basis, but I started (like most artists) doing personal commissions. If someone wanted a picture of their dog, I did it. Now I mainly do commercial promotional material like book covers and album art.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Becoming a freelance, solo artist has been one of the most meaningful things I could have ever done for myself. I don’t work for a business I don’t really care about, I work for me. Everything I create comes from me and every time I make something, it’s an extension of me. And I surprise myself all the time, like ‘wow, I made that?’ It can get very lonely at times without colleagues or a team but at the end of the day I have ultimate control over my life and each 8 hour work day I spend at my tiny desk working on a new illustration is a day well spent.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

By the end of my first year on Instagram I had around 600 followers. I didn’t understand at the time that Instagram is a robot, an algorithm, or series of algorithms, not an art critic. I thought my art was bad because nobody wanted to follow me. I was so wrong.

What I didn’t understand was how Instagram (and other platforms like TikTok) work. I was only posting my art as posts and trying to post often… which of course does not work because creating art takes a lot more time than taking a picture. I was so tired. Until I learned how to work smarter not harder and I started to spend less time on Instagram and actually grew. My advice is this… Follow accounts that teach you about the algorithm, what kinds of content are trending. Invest in a good camera or phone (it’s worth it). Create videos on TikTok or Reels on IG that fit into those rules such as using trending audios or templates. Post consistently for a week or two every (week)day when your followers are online, then rest! Taking time away from social media is vital. And always use an artwork three-five times to make content. It took you hours to make, people will look at it online for seconds.

Then outside of your own profile and content, engage with others. Make friends. Support other artists. I owe my community my career. Social media can be a positive tool to help you grow as an artist, but it can also be a big challenge. Protect your energy and make the robot work for you, and not the other way around.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://keiella.art/
• Instagram: @kei_ella_
• Twitter: @kei_ella_

Image Credits
Headshot photographer – Liese Kuhn