We were lucky to catch up with Kelsie Stark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My first relationship was an abusive one. It began with love bombing and a power play on his part, he was leadership to me. I saw myself infatuated yet experiencing the turmoil’s of narcissism tendencies and gaslighting. I was always a poet, beginning at a young age. I tended to be inspired by pain and learning how to become an adult. People called me an old soul – how did I know and feel so much so deeply at such a young age? After every argument and me trying to defend myself, I wrote. I took my pain and sadness and created something bittersweet, beautiful, metaphorical. That was my outlet. Long story short, I finished my third book of poetry called “I Will Be Free”, which is the poetic memoir of my traumatic relationship and the words and feelings I used to cope. Finally, at the end of the book and at the end of that relationship, I became free. Poetry saved me and gave me a light to show me the way out of pain and trauma.

Kelsie, 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 a fine art photographer, poet, and disabled veteran who specializes in bringing raw beauty to life in photos and in words. I appreciate the beauty that raw emotion can bring. I love to photograph the human body in raw form and showcase it as fine art. I have had my self portraits and photographs published magazines and I am so proud of that. I love to make my clients feel beautiful and special and I strive to add a poetic twist. I have three books of poetry: “I Will Be Free”, “You”, and “Unspoken”. I want followers and fans and clients to appreciate the poetic nature of the human body and to be able to read my words and relate to the emotions I’m conveying. A lot of my poetry speaks of mental health and love and loss but in metaphors that switch the narrative to a more beautiful one.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn competition. Competition can be healthy but comparing your success and accomplishments to other people’s is unhealthy. I’ve grown up moving at my own pace and I found a lot of my success at a young age. For example, I published my first book at the age of 12 and won numerous poetry contests throughout childhood. I joined the military at a young age and was going to college at the same time. I saw myself moving slower than my peers, graduating later than them, getting married and having a family much later, and I couldn’t help thinking that I was falling behind. I had to learn to tell myself that this is MY story and I will not have the same timeline as those around me. It still is a hard lesson to keep learning, but it is an important one.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My overall goal is for people to hear my voice and know that they are not alone. My mission is an empathetic one. I want people to hear my story, feel and see my emotions, see beauty in the realness and raw of being human. I try to be as authentic as possible in my photography and in my poetry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kelsie-stark.kavyar.site/
• Instagram: @iamkittinikki
• Facebook: Kitti Nikki
• Other: tiktok: iamkittinikki

Image Credits

Purple image: Jacs Fishuburne
Blonde model: Madi Huffman
Self portraits: Kelsie Stark
Other portrait: Savannah Lambert (Lamblight Photography)