We recently connected with Kiki Lopez and have shared our conversation below.

Kiki, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on, was a project for myself and it is called “Rebirth.”

Since I was younger, I have been dealing with mental health issues such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder and ADHD. In addition to this, these disorders have caused many other health issues such as IBS, brain fog, insomnia, panic attacks, headaches, nausea and more.

When I was 16 years old, I started Psychotherapy with a Psychologist and slowly but surely, I started to see improvements. However, it wasn’t until I was halfway through college when my progress started to disappear and I started realizing that these issues hit hard between late February and early August of every year. Soon after this, I had started my first antidepressant, even though I was already taking an antianxiety med. as needed.

Between 2020 – 2021, I had gone through a few traumatic experiences and it seemed that the world around me had just gone completely dim.
It had become extremely difficult for me to communicate, focus, comprehend easy things, think, and just live in general. I ended up trying a few other antidepressants that didn’t work well for me, started going to therapy 3-4 times a week… it just seemed like every day was a battle.

It wasn’t until I tried the antidepressant Mirtazpaine, that helped me get consistent peaceful sleep which then helped me to slowly start make progress with my mental and physical health. Fast forward to today, I am now almost 3 years off of antidepressants and am practicing different ways everyday to remain mentally healthy and understand that progress isn’t linear.

I used to approach the Spring season very fearful and wondering how I am going to make it through the year. Now, I approach the Spring season with faith and excitement for what I will accomplish in the year. This project is a new representation of how I see Spring, while also bringing awareness to mental health issues and reminding people to take care of themselves.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I created my own brand, named Kiki’s Eyes LLC.
Kiki’s Eyes is a multifaceted art brand dedicated to uplifting individuals and communities through creative expression and social awareness. I specialize in a diverse range of artistic disciplines, including photography, graphic design, fashion design, videography, crafts, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and digital art. My mission is to shine a light on important causes and global issues while celebrating individuality and self-expression.

I still remember the day when I was 5 years old and I discovered that I can actually draw really well. Little did I know, that my love for drawing was going to blossom into 8-10 other medias of art. Along with taking art classes in school, I was always at home doing something creative. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college when I realized one of my newest passions was photography. Soon then, I started attending open mic events in Chicago with friends and started networking and shooting concert photography and other promotional work for musical artists. I began to build my clientele from there, but knew that photography wasn’t the only thing I wanted to do. Then, I started to apply my graphic designs to my photography, while creating paintings and crafts on the side.

Now, I offer photoshoots of many different kinds and help people let loose and feel beautiful in their own skin. In addition to this, I have paintings, prints, crafts and custom lighters for sale at local pop ups or online on Etsy. Soon, I will release my own clothing line and I can’t wait!

I am post proud of myself on how far I’ve come in just a few years. If you were to tell me in 2021 that I have my own brand that is continuously thriving…I wouldn’t believe you!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

In all honesty, I wish I understood earlier in my creative journey that I can create a beautiful piece of art and turn it into multiple prints to sell. I always caught myself working harder than I probably should be and I was always pressuring myself to constantly create something “new and amazing.” For some reason I thought that if I wasn’t constantly creating new art, then I wouldn’t thrive. However, today I sell multiple prints of paintings I created when I was in high school and I’ve learned that there’s no shame in that because the quality of the art is still fabulous.

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

The one goal that will always remain my first and most important, is my goal to remain happy and healthy. Creating art brings me so much joy that I really wouldn’t know what else I would be doing without it. I have already lived in dark mental spaces before and I don’t want to go back to that. After my mentally dark time, I really understood that you only get one try at life, so you should make it count. Also, I have met and learned about so many others that have gone through similar things as me and I want to inspire those to keep on going and to keep their heads held high.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kikilopeeart.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikilopeeart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kianalopez/
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KikisEyesLLC?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kikilopee

Image Credits

All professional photos by Kiki’s Eyes.
Photos taken of me at art shows by Year 2087.