We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful KELA. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with KELA below.

Alright, KELA thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

This question is so important because I do not feel I have given my parents the acknowledgement they deserve. They have always understood me to be a free flowing, curious, and creative child. My dad called it ‘rebel’ – despite the connotation, I believe he sees that the rebel in me is also in him, too.

Beginning with dad, he had a sincere passion for traveling and living in different spaces which resulted in our moving frequently. Just months after I was born in Charleston, SC, we moved to Washington, DC and moved again to then grow up in Los Angeles. Since the beginning, travel has been in my nature and has stuck with me even until today in wanting to be in new places and see new spaces, with nature being the foundation to what inspires my creative work.

At a very early age, creativity was explored in the most scavenger of ways. I remember painting my nails French tip with white out and Scotch tape. My mom entertained this interest and bought my sister and I press on nails and nail polish to take it a step further. It simply brought me joy, and she knew that. This included investing other crafty materials to explore with or allowing me to express myself in color with my personal style of fashion and daily new hair styles.

Dad made efforts for my sister and I to get into a Visual Arts Magnet Program in high school. There we took on ceramics, drawing, painting, and film photography. While I did not stay the full four years, I drew interest in taking art classes and cooking classes at the school I transferred into. There was an enjoyment about art that stuck with me to keep into my creative ways.

Mom has been the most critical to my life as an artist as I have committed to taking on being a creative full time. She supported me from the beginning and always reminds me of who I am. I truly believe she is my number one fan and is genuinely impressed by my work, ideas and opportunities. I am happy to have her as someone who I can share with, bounce ideas to, and be inspired by what she believes I am capable of. It can be difficult at times in how I am handling business as a one-man-band; Mom looks over my work and is the unspoken Chief Editor and Public Relations Assistant. She does more than what I can speak to, and I am so grateful for her help as she pours into me in so many ways.

KELA, 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 our earlier conversations?

I am an artist inspired by self-awareness, mindfulness, continual personal growth that moves me to take new approaches to the artwork I create. As mentioned, I require being in nature and I enjoy noticing new things about the everyday things and seeing what’s more to the simple things in life. My roles as a multimedia artist include me working mainly as a film photographer, short film maker, abstract painter, motivational writer in both prose and poetry, and fashion designer.

My work moves people in to a greater space of reflection, centeredness and tranquility, moving the viewer or person experiencing my creations to see with their hearts. While most of the emotions around my work evoke joy, love, peace, and liberation, there are approaches I share to tap into the shadowy parts of ourselves that we may embrace our full selves without neglecting the parts we tend to avoid that go underdeveloped.

I am most proud of being granted the EmergingArtist Grant by the South Carolina Arts Commission. I was able to take my creativity to a new level to cultivate a new style of work which became a short film that composed of film photos sequenced for movement and shares a message in spoken word. Because of this opportunity, I ultimately was selected to be a featured artist to display my short film in the ArtFields Festival. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunities as a sought out artist which helps to make my life easier for commissioned work.

Everything that I do as an artist is with a balance between great intention and full trust in being spirit-led in the act of creation. I have to give the glory to God as with the insight implanted within me and the outcomes of my work I feel are greater than what I can do as a human being alone. I express gratitude for my gifts, ideas and energy to be able to create, for without these things I would not be able to do what I can or be who I am.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am big on reading and research because two of my primary values are growth and curiosity. The first book that comes to mind as far as what has impacted me is Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Such a simple book to read about mindfulness that leaves a lasting impact on your outlook about life. It is incredible to take in the writings and messages of this author that continues to remind you of the importance of the present moment and the joy that comes with being in it. Being present has allowed for me to chase after my dreams while also assessing who and how I am, to create change within myself that ultimately changes my circumstances.

The next book that I read years before was All About Love by bell hooks. I even went so far as to write a reflection on each chapter that I continue to reflect on regularly. This book gets you to consider the deeper parts of your self and past that you may not think about often; where the neglect and abuse and compassion and nurturance lived in our younger years, to consider how those things may be affecting us as we are now. The impact of trauma was introduced to me in reading this book, which allowed for me to grow more compassion for people in how they are as we all have our individual experiences and journey towards healing. This is a critical piece to my work as an artist because I am seeking to help bring us individuals to embrace where we have come from so that we may enjoy right now and not worry about what new trauma is on the way.

The Call to Courage by Brene Brown is a great speech to watch as it focuses on vulnerability. She has a way of articulating her message that moves you into a space of desiring immediate transformation – at least that is what the result has been for me. Her book Dare to Lead is also a great one as it addresses having those difficult and necessary conversations. It advises how to communicate as you are feeling vulnerable and wanting to get your message across in a way that results in the outcome you are looking for. This is a challenge for all of us in some area of our lives, and I seek to remind us in my work that we have a voice to advocate for our mind and heart. We can learn better how to use it that it makes us feel better for ourselves and others will receive us as we are and respond according to our needs.

Les Brown (unrelated to Brene) is an incredible motivational speaker. Any of his videos on YouTube are worth listening to. I gather his videos that have become one of many playlists. The empowerment he offers is invaluable for those who are looking to see life and experiences from a new and optimistic perspective. Les Brown speaks to living your dreams and being hungry for the things you want in life; that you cannot be passive and expect miracles to occur around those dreams. It is not just dreaming – it is taking action, being consistent, and taking measures to achieve that which may seem impossible, even if it were impossible for someone else. Our realities are linked to how much we believe in something and how much effort we put behind what it is that we desire.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It is most rewarding to simply create. I am an artist that enjoys creating for the sake of creating. To see my creations be shared and experienced by others is also very rewarding. My approach to this is more on the side of experiencing my work in person and in real time, not so much ‘reel’ time or on social media so to speak.

Creating is healing for my own good, where the intentions are rooted so deep that it pours into the healing and revelations for others. It is rewarding to be inspired and called to create, and ultimately to create work that then inspires others. It is one thing to have ideas, it is another to actually act and build upon them.

When I have ideas come up for me, it truly feels God sent. I feel if I do not fulfill the ideas that come up for me, I would not only be letting myself down, but also God, for which his greater purpose is being fulfilled through my own. It is not that I can impress people with my work, but that there is something being impressed upon them that moves them into greater spaces.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.intint.info
• Instagram: @keladreams
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/keladreams

Image Credits
All mine :)