We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Kelly Santini recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Knowing I wanted to be an artist and actually doing it were two different things. You see, I’ve known since my earliest memories that I experienced the world differently. I was always aware of how unique my perspective was, my desire to constantly make things and simply the way I approached problem solving. I was wired creatively. I was an artist. But at some point in my teenage years I chose to listen to the naysayers. I bought the story of starving artists. I put making artwork aside to focus on a traditional career path in the real world. I spent well over a decade working for other companies. I always felt unfulfilled no matter how much of myself I threw into my job. I gathered courage to leave the workforce altogether, and with the support of my partner and the discovery of a brilliant mentor, I began my journey to fulfilling my dream of supporting myself – my family – through my art. That was nearly 22 years ago. Today I cannot imagine my life without a paintbrush in hand and an open door to my studio.

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 am a painter and probably also a bit compulsive about it. For more than a dozen years I started – and finished – a painting each day. The act of daily painting served me in so many ways – I learned my materials inside and out, honed my practice while discovering a unique style, and really got miles under my brush. My project was called PaintingADogADay.com and I painted and blogged my way through thousands of commissioned pet portraits during that time. Why pet portraits? well, when I first hung my shingle, I looked at what I loved to create the most and what nobody else in my area seemed to be painting. The clear overlap between the two was animal paintings, so that’s what I set out to do.

The first juried exhibition I entered was an annual portrait themed one, and the gallery director got backlash because my dog and cat portraits were the only non figurative pieces hung! It was considered outlandish that animal paintings entered the genre of portraiture (however, the following year I had company in the same show!). Over the years I have met some of the most astounding animal artists and watched this genre of art expand far beyond wildlife or western art.

I also was part of the initial wave of creatives donating proceeds to causes they believed in. I partnered with animal shelters and rescue groups to educate on responsible pet ownership. I donated thousands of dollars raised via my daily painting sales to support their efforts, along with canine medical research. It felt rewarding to not only get to paint each day and deliver something of immeasurable value to my collectors, but to also get to make a difference in the quality of life for a few animals.

Over the years I have worked with so many organizations and clients. My paintings are eagerly collected around the world, and sit in private and public collections internationally. I have painted for the American Kennel Club and I was the official artist of the 2015 Kentucky Derby. While I no longer do commissioned portrait, I continue to make complex animal-centric work that speaks to the viewer at a spiritual level.

While the official PaintingaDogaDay.com project is over, I continue to blog regularly on that site (actually, blogging is how I got the gig as the Kentucky Derby artist – the licensing agent googled “horse racing art,” found some of my images, and followed them to my blog and website). The blog, began in 2006, is nearly a complete documentation of my career to date (I began painting professionally in 2000). The blog illustrates the shift in my work from the pet portraits to other subjects – children’s toys, exhuberant florals, emotional and expressive figures, abstractions based on the concept of daydreaming, and now a series of animal based totems rooted in the natural world.

My process has evolved as well. I’ve travelled from a painter reliant on reference photos in order to nail a likeness to an artist who pulls imagery from her memories/dreams and small tokens collected on walks/during life experiences. While my current paintings are representationally based, they also travel into a visceral space that doesn’t exist on this earth. I delight in weaving together elements one would not normally encounter – like a polar bear filled with blooming hydrangeas or a hare as the sunrise. I don’t hesitate to take a risk in my work – with the imagery, my materials, or both. I eagerly consume all sorts of information relative to current obsessions (like trees, crystals or butterflies) and invite those bits to show up in my work when ready.

And I offer a unique learning experience to online creatives via a student membership that transparently shares my journey – both successes and failures. Students get weekly content outlining my challenges, they hear what I’m reading or thinking about, get in depth examinations of works as they evolve, sit in on critiques of my paintings and are even able to watch live demos. It’s a fantastic community of artists seeking to deepen their understanding of why they make art, and I deliver exercises designed to help unearth their own unique style.

I’m twenty two years in to my artist career, but I feel like I’m just getting started! The best part is still ahead – I have so much to learn and experience still. And many paintings to make.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being a creative – especially one who teaches – gives me the chance to see first hand how art can change an individual. When someone discovers or begins to unearth their own creativity, they change. They become empowered – it’s as though they have learned a new language, and as such, can communicate with an entire new community. They learn to believe in themselves as they discover how to speak to ideas, emotions and concepts that language perhaps fails/doesn’t serve. They craft a practice where they can sit in creative meditation, giving themselves the gift of healing.

And of course, because I make things nearly daily in my own studio, I am able to reap these benefits for myself. And model the value of creative expression for those in my family, circle of friends and community.

And also, one thing that I truly embrace whole heartedly about being an artist – that I am different from everyone else. My uniqueness is stamped on my artwork, yes, but also on how I choose to live my life. I wear plaid pants (although my daughter tells me they now are in style!), I always have bottle of glitter handy, there are magic stones in my pockets, I converse with the trees and mushrooms in my yard. I don’t know if it’s that I’ve grown into my authentic self and simply don’t care any longer, or if it is because I am known to grocer with paint in my hair, so my neighbors are no longer surprised by me. Being an artist grants license to be fully myself – which is also fully different from societal norms, which was pretty crushing to try and maintain when I was younger and more impressionable.

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

As i mentioned, I was a daily painter for many years. I initially made this commitment in 2006. This encompassed starting and finishing a painting at least 4-5 times each week. It often was more frequent than that, simply because I loved painting so very much. I would also blog about each painting every day and send a newsletter out to my subscribers. And update my website. Daily.

As social media evolved, I began tweeting, then posting to Facebook. Then Pinterest and Instagram were added (I’m still trying to figure out how to wrap my brain around reels and TikTok). I could garner additional engagement by sharing in process images of the work. It also allowed me to share more details about the pet’s backstory, my relationship with the collector, exhibitions, classes I was teaching – whatever was playing out in the studio. I learned how to make slideshows, then videos shorts. And continued running my business – fielding inquiries, writing for grants, submitting work to shows, shipping inventory to galleries, doing accounting and marketing and continuing my own education. Teaching painting classes, then art journaling to kids, expanding that program to adults, teaching destination workshops. Photographing and archiving my artwork, varnishing and learning to package paintings, shipping to collectors, maintaining the website, integrating other apps with various programs to finetune my business practice.

And in between all of this, I Painted. Every. Day.

I was so proud of my daily painting streak. It became a big part of my identity. I showed up. I was doing the work. I had 10,000+ miles going on.

And then I hit rock bottom. I lost my interest in painting, had no enthusiasm for new projects, dreaded going into the studio. I began resenting the projects I had committed to. Perfected my procrastination skills. I was in deep trouble.

I had to craft a means to fall back in love with my paints. I needed to change my model up, and do so seriously. But I also needed to maintain the status quo, too. How was I supposed to do this?

Ultimately I walked away from the idea that I had to finish a painting daily. I stopped blogging daily. I gave myself permission to work on things other than animal portraits. I enrolled in a year’s long mixed media course made up of fun projects with all sorts of media. I started reading and sitting in silence more. I slowed my pace down, way down. I had to learn that it wasn’t a race – or rather, that the sort of art I wanted to make going forward couldn’t be counted in hours. It needed to be nurtured and coddled. It couldn’t be rushed or forced. It didn’t even need to get shared the moment it was signed. Actually, I stopped sharing/posting everything that I was doing. I pulled back on the content I was posting – which was hard because I truly believed I needed to be doing that in order to grow my business – and started focusing on the art itself.

I still find myself stressing over small little things. Like today I realized I hadn’t written a blog post in 10 days (I usually do one weekly) and caught myself trying to scavenge up content just so that I would have something to write. Instead, I took myself out into the sunshine and threw the ball for the dog. That made my heart much lighter than sharing a post of forced content.

I am trying to learn how to slow down and savor my process and my position, without compromising my business, which is pretty demanding. As any solopreneur can tell you, there’s no one to delegate the tasks and the boss can be relentless. It’s a constant battle, this balance. But I am figuring it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KimberlySantini.com
• Instagram: @kimsantini
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyKellySantini
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChYbZBbfdZGl5qSXUM23Xog
• Other: www.PaintingaDogaDay.com