We recently connected with Kelly Reaves and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly , thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

This is an interesting question to me because it’s something I think about so much, and it’s almost like a riddle to me, like the more I think about it the more confused I get. I do have a “regular job”, and I always have, as most artists do. My biggest challenge has always been finding time to work in the studio in my little spare time. I recently quit my (very) full time job — a job I mostly loved. I was an art handler for a local art handling company, as an employee with benefits, but I was traveling a lot and I was too worn out at the end of the day to do much else. So I kind of jumped off a cliff and took a temp job art handling as an independent contractor four days a week. I’m always off by 4pm sharp and I’m starting to thaw out and feel like a human again, but I’m still not as productive as I’d like to be. It ebbs and flows. I know I have plenty of manic, creative spurts coming.

And to answer the first part of the question, not only am I happy as an artist, I’m happIEST as an artist, when I’m actually making art. That said, if I’m able to hustle it into a full-time gig, which is the dream, maybe I’ll have to compartmentalize in order to continue to enjoy it — split it up into modes. I’m not opposed to making some more sellable paintings to help pay the bills. I’ve had a lot of success with plein-air paintings — I make most of my drawings out in nature anyway so I might as well actually paint the vistas in front of me from time to time. I just don’t want to ruin the magic for myself.

Kelly , 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’ve been drawing and painting and pursuing various other creative pursuits for as long as I can remember. I went to art school for studio art, then went back to art school for art journalism, then opened an artist-run project space with friends while bartending to make ends meet through my 20’s. Later, after a couple years of working as an assistant and handler in a handful of commercial galleries, I started art handling full time. All the while, I’ve kept painting in my home studio, and I think I’m finally honing in on a fulfilling practice that other people are responding to, after 25 years of really going for it. Or at least as much as you can “go for it” in your free time after long days at work.

My studio time and my creative process is akin to feeling around in the dark. I never have a plan anymore. It’s more fun that way and the work is much more interesting. When I hustle, sales are good, but my process is so time-consuming that I’m only able to pay myself something like $3 an hour as an artist — thus the day job. I think most art school grads end up as either teachers or art handlers. I think I was just a little too rough around the edges to be a teacher.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Simply collect art made by living artists. Visit small, artist-run spaces to see art and buy the art through them to support their mission while you’re at it. Work by emerging artists is more affordable anyway. And if you see something cool online, even if you can’t buy it yourself, share it so that they can build their networks.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think a lot of people think that creative work is not work. Like art just flows freely out of artists and it’s always fun and easy for us. The truth is that for most people, most of the time, it’s a struggle. Art-making is fraught with self-doubt and failure. Every productive hour comes from hours of floundering. And then once we finally make something good, we have to promote ourselves, which is tedious and doesn’t come naturally to most of us. And then there are all the rejections. We spend all this time applying for exhibition and funding opportunities and most of them result in heartbreaking rejections. And then once we finally get a gallery show, most galleries take about a 50% cut, so keep this all in mind before you scoff at prices please.

Contact Info:

• Website: kellyreaves.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/9_inch_snails/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kellymariereaves