We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Burnett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was 2 years old, I would tell people “I am a artist.” I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t an artist. I really never envisioned myself as anything other than an artist.

Pursuing art professionally is different than creating art as an outlet or hobby, though. I had four kids over the years, and ended up being a single parent in late 2019. When covid hit, I used the lockdown period as an opportunity to hone my technical art skills. I painted constantly. During this period, I didn’t focus so much on what I was painting, rather on how.

As the city began to slowly reopen in 2021, I applied for every art show or gig I could. I began to get more art jobs and sales. In 2022, I was accepted as a mentee in an artist mentorship program in Milwaukee. This opened up more opportunities and I got to know a lot of local artists.

Kimberly, 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?

Since I was very young, I’ve admired the traditional art styles of Europe. I had no interest in abstract or less representational artwork. I still adhere to this passion in my artwork today, painting in a realistic style that also incorporates my synesthesia. I see and feel colors and textures when I hear music or see people. These colors appear in my paintings as blocks or ribbons of color. I hope this draws the viewer into my colorful world.

I love to create murals or paintings for people that may not know exactly what they want. It is incredibly satisfying to me to see joy on peoples’ faces when they view my artwork. I also like to create custom merchandise for brands, such as t shirts or posters. My design work is heavily influenced by my love of folk art from Northern Europe and Japan. My paintings mostly depict landscapes, portraits and still life of places and people that I know or have personally connected with. I need that connection in order to feel my heart is in the art.

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

I think it’s important for people to recognize the impact that the arts have on a community. I was reading recently about budgeting decisions in Milwaukee, and people were complaining about money that would have been used for an arts center. Arts may not be as important for survival as food and shelter, but our country needs to ensure that people have those basic human rights so that we can all have access to the arts in order to feed our souls. Artists need to be paid decently for their work, because creativity is stifled when you’re worried about paying bills. Art can be healing and our country needs a lot of healing.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I wake up every morning so excited to create art. It is the underlying ribbon throughout my life, creating meaning and purpose. It colors my world. Whatever I am doing, there is a melody playing in my brain constantly full of ideas for my next project. And seeing the look on peoples’ faces when they see my art is worth every minute spent painting and drawing. I love the idea of using beauty on canvas to create joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimjart.com
• Instagram: @kimberlyjart and @inkki_pinkki

Image Credits
Kimberly Burnett