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

Khamari, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

As a business owner and artist I never really thought of any unexpected problems/issues outside of finances or quality of product/service. It wasn’t until I experienced one of the biggest wake up calls of my life, that my mindset was changed. In September 2023 I experienced my first panic attack and from there I was dealing with severe anxiety symptoms. During this time I was forced to close my online clothing store and had lost my motivation to create. This experience made me feel as if I had lost myself and would never be the same person. During my recovery journey I’ve been focusing on healing physically and mentally through my art. Once I started feeling more and more like myself I began to have a desire to dust off my paint brushes and old canvas’ .

Khamari, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I refer to myself as an undiscovered artist. I’m 37years young and having been living with anxiety for most of my life. As a child I always wanted to draw, create projects, and build things. I received my BA from Peace College in Raleigh, NC with a major in Graphic Design. Painting has always been my first love and since my recent battle with severe anxiety I’ve been more drawn to picking up the brush. I’m looking forward to getting back into commission work for portrait paintings and logo design. In my current 9-5, I’ve been able to take on a creative role in our culture club. This ERG is committed to improving employee engagement and satisfaction, recognize and reward the contributions and passions of customer service and customer experience employees, empowering individuals to shape their unique experience. I created my Headspace Vibe apparel brand back in 2019 and recently took a step back to focus on my anxiety recovery journey.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a creative and small business owner I had to learn that my mental health is a major part of my success. With that said, I had only scratched the surface of what living with anxiety and valuing my mental health meant in my creative mission. It never dawned on me that anxiety could manifest into severe physical symptoms, causing me to lose all motivation and interest in the very things I loved. I’ve always lived with anxiety in the form of overthinking, restlessness, fatigue, and nail biting, just to name a few. Once I started to experience panic attacks and anxiety attacks, I began to have severe physical symptoms. These were in the form of digestion issues, rapid weight loss, nausea and derealization. During the highlight of my recovery my father passed away. I thought this would send me spiraling back into anxiety/panic attacks. Amazingly, It seemed to be the push I needed to work through my issues and rebrand myself as an artist. My purpose has never been clearer.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is understanding I don’t have to be perfect. Art is what you make and through art I can express my inner feelings while being myself. Art is my medicine, my 2nd therapist. my purpose as well as my motivation.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @khamari_ko
• Youtube: @khamariko
• TikTok: @khamariko