We recently connected with Kendra Farstad and have shared our conversation below.

Kendra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

For me, art is a language that transcends linguistic boundaries. Not only is it beautiful, but it is a powerful tool that can remind us of our shared humanity and the beauty that can be found in daily life, if we are willing to pause and notice it. I view my skills as an artist as a vehicle help lift others; to remind them that they are a part of something bigger. It’s very difficult for me to choose my most meaningful project, because I try to bring meaning to each of them.

My current project, facilitated through Rise Community Services, is one good example of the types of projects that I try to work on. “Rise provides healthy housing and support services to people who need extra support to focus on recovery and/or mental health needs.” (Riseservices.org) Many of the people who will be residing in this new apartment complex have been through a lot of challenges and have dealt with significant amounts of trauma in their lives. I wanted to paint something that would help the occupants to reframe their view of the world into a more positive light in terms of the transitions they are going through. I wanted to illuminate the beauty and grace in their lives that they’ve not seen before or perhaps had lost track of given other pressures and influences. How beautiful for them to now live in a safe and supportive space surrounded by images of nature and resilience. It seems to me that art and artists enable others to see things anew or remind people of the things that are all around us that we may have become numb to.

Inspired by the Rise logo, I used a blue butterfly as my jumping off point to design a mural that would suite the purpose. The mural wraps around the shared community room, featuring larger than life native plant species and butterflies, some of which are endangered, in hopes of serving as a metaphor as well as a calming place of refuge. Lupines for example, root in poor soil yet bloom into beautiful flowers that in turn provide food for the local Karner Blue Butterflies. Monarchs are also prominently featured, in part because of their remarkable annual migration, but also because in order to become a butterfly they must first transform from a caterpillar, literally disintegrating and reinventing themselves in the process. It is my hope that this mural evokes many different positive emotions from the people who will be interacting with it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have worn many different hats over the years, from archaeologist, to florist, to carpenter and contract painter. I am happiest when I am creating murals and I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in a creative capacity consistently for close to twenty years. I currently work as a full time artist and designer, with a heavy preferential focus on designing and creating murals for both residential and commercial clients. I consider it an honor and a privilege to do what I love and in turn inspire others while simultaneously giving back to the community. I truly believe that each of us can make a positive impact.

I use paint to bring joy and inspiration to others in hopes that it provokes them to use their unique talents and skills to do the same. Kind of like a giant pay-it-forward movement in positive thinking and action.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In order to explain who I am now, I need to first explain part of the journey that got me here. I didn’t always believe in myself. I didn’t always trust my instincts or intuition and over the years the lack of self-confidence that I had developed led me to make some very poor choices.

At one point, I was living abroad in an abusive relationship. As that chapter ended, COVID 19 started. I returned to the states with very little money, an abandoned career that I wasn’t sure how to resume or rebuild, a trauma bond that I needed to heal, and no permanent place of my own to raise my daughter. It. Was. Daunting.

I was raised that quitting was not an option. I slowly began to rebuild. I immersed myself in creating and healing. I registered for an advanced yoga teacher training, joined a writer’s group and started writing poetry, and I reached out to a local jewelry store that had boarded up during the Black Lives Matter protests in Albany following the murder of George Floyd. In 12 hours, I painted a 60+ foot long mural with the words “Love, Equality, Peace”. People took notice. They stopped to thank me, brought me food, and beeped in appreciation as they drove by. This small act helped bring people together and I began to see my work as something larger than myself. My brushes became a tool to help unify a society divided and my hope was reborn.

Following that project, I worked with The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, NY on several community projects, I was getting noticed not only for my skillset, but for the passion I brought to what I was doing. I began to see my own worth and value and I made a commitment to use my art to help lift and empower others. Today, I have built a successful career as an artist that enables me to donate one mural each year to a cause that I value.

Last year, for example, I donated a mural to the Child Advocacy Center of Schenectady County. This office provides critical support for children who have been abused. The mural that I painted brings a bit of comfort to the victims who arrive at the center for assistance, it also brings a bit of joy to the dedicated professionals who help them through it.

As my portfolio grows, so does my ability to affect positive change. Art is powerful. They say that the Bards of ancient Ireland could slay a man with their words, it is my hope that my vision, passion, and brushes prove as powerful and encourage others to take note of the beauty that exists all around, in both sacred and mundane.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There is a socially pervasive myth that becoming a professional artist isn’t a viable career option. This is false. It is a narrative that I not only had to unlearn, but one that I am making a consistent effort to change. I remember being encouraged as a child by my grandfather to draw and paint. He was also an artist, though not professionally. He was raised in Schenectady, NY and attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, a school that was very well-known at the time for their photography program. He married young and was pushed by his father to eschew his art studies in favor of a business degree. He chose to pursue a career in Real Estate, but never gave up his creative hobbies. He painted watercolor landscapes, carved wooden figurines, was an avid photographer and videographer and illustrated caricatures, he was an artist. When I revealed that I wanted to study archaeology and art, his response was that I should be a teacher because that would provide a reliable income. I vehemently disagreed with his unsolicited advice and followed my own meandering path (sometimes quite literally) instead. After graduating college and a decent attempt at thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, I gave birth to my daughter and became a single parent. During this time, I was fortunate to find employment as an artist, making good money, doing reverse-glass painting with a lighting company based in California. This opportunity not only paid well, but it allowed for a flexible schedule that enabled me to be a stay-at-home single parent during my parenting time with my daughter. Those years and the time that I shared with her were priceless and would not have been possible without my art career. I received no credit for my work during those years as the other artists and I were not permitted to sign our work, but I was overjoyed to be able to support myself and my young daughter doing something I loved. I will never forget hearing my grandfather tell me that he was proud of me and had always wanted me to become an artist. It struck a chord because he had previously discouraged me from doing just that…

I wonder what he would think now… If he knew that I had attended graduate school with plans of pursuing a PhD as a single mom with a small child. If he knew that I earned my Masters Degree and worked as an archaeologist while conducting ethnographic research in places we had read about together in National Geographic. I wonder what he would think if he knew that after all of these studies and adventures I came back to art, because that is my calling.

I would be lying if I said that I don’t take pleasure in proving people wrong, because I absolutely do and I think that my journey to becoming a self-employed artist would prove many people wrong, including my grandfather.

Today, I work to help inspire young people to follow their dreams, not the dreams of others. I educate young artists on what to charge and how to stand firm in their pricing, because art has value that deserves representation in the discussion and a seat at the table where future career options are being discussed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: KendraFarstadArts
• Facebook: Kendra Farstad, Muralist and Artist
• Linkedin: Kendra Farstad

Image Credits
Photo of Artist: Bella Farstad
Painting in background of Artist Photo by Elisa Sheehan

Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.