Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kimberly Van Driel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kimberly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have always been a creative since I can remember. I loved doing arts and crafts and took every art class available growing up, however I was never any good at it. I was an idea person but when it came to putting pen to paper and actually executing (painting, building, illustrating, etc.) what I had envisioned in my mind, my design would fall flat. I had no patience for actually doing the art. I would start projects but never have the endurance to see it through. I had no clue what I was “going to do with my life”. All I knew is that I wanted to get away and create something. Anything.

So I signed up for art school across country at the Art Institute of Colorado and joined their Graphic Design and Advertising programs. After then transferring to the Art Institute of Tampa Florida after three years in Colorado, I finished my degree. Then being a graduate in a recession, I moved back home to find no jobs available in my career. I almost fled to move back to Florida but then landed a graphic design job here locally for a large corporate company. I hated it. I hated the company. The job. The design work. All of it. I learned the hard lesson that after all of the money and schooling, this was not my passion and not the life for me. I once again almost fled back to Florida but then I landed a job at the City of Grand Rapids Office of Special Events in the Grand Rapids Police Department that changed my trajectory and ultimately my life.

I stared permitting and renting out parks to event planners and organizers in the city. I learned so much by meeting all of these people and became so passionate about this city for the first time. I began to feel inspired and creative again. A fire ignited within me and I knew I wanted to be a part of this community in a bigger way. That’s when I got my real break from my previous boss and mentor who was then, the President and CEO of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. I was given the opportunity to create my own event which became Movies in the Park and later known as Movies on Monroe.

From there, everything changed. I started to plan, execute and implement my own events, programming, and curation of art downtown. I created a job for myself that did not exist. Now I have a team that help me do it and I work with hundreds of local placemakers, artists, and event organizers within the city to help execute. We help to fund their projects and they help to execute some of our ideas as well. Some of the most known projects I have created besides Movies in the Park/Movies on Monroe are World of Winter, Women’s Way Alley Activation Program, Rad American Women A-Z, and the Heartside Historic Mural series. I am basically a curator for downtown through the creative lense.

I have carved my own path to make a full-time living out of my creativity. I am grateful that I am given the opportunity to do so at my organization for my community.

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

I provided my short life story in the previous section that should cover most of this. A little bio is below…

Kimberly Van Driel is the Director of Public Space Management for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Her passion is shown through her work involving the curation of public art, events, and programming in Downtown Grand Rapids. Van Driel has a BA in Advertising and studies graphic design at the Art Institutes of Colorado and Tampa. As a “curator: of downtown, her work focuses on collaboration, inclusivity, empowering local artists, and supporting placemaking initiatives.

Kimberly Van Driel is passionate about community activation through placemaking initiatives in her downtown of Grand Rapids, MI. As the Director of Public Space Management for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI), she serves as a curator for her downtown through public art, décor, events, programming, and parks. With a BA from the Art Institute of Colorado and Tampa, Kimberly has always loved working with the arts.

After school she worked for the City of Grand Rapids in the Office of Special Events and then started working for the City of Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority. By combining her love of art, events and planning she has been able to help create long lasting memories for citizens within her community. Her experience with place management and event planning utilizing tactical urbanism has led her to capture citizens who live, work, play, and visit the downtown by endorsing local creativity and talent.

Through her work with community outreach, her team works with many local partners to highlight cultures and showcase diversity within the community to create inclusive activities for all that visit the downtown area. Kim is focused on empowering local artists, organizers, planners, and makers to get involved in the building of their downtown through their own placemaking initiatives help which help to strengthen our community’s connection with the city of Grand Rapids.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing something that isn’t there. I love looking at a space an envisioning what it could be, what it will be, and what it should be. Then working with others to accomplish that and see it come to fruition after no one understood what you were doing, why you were doing it or how you were doing it. Seeing thousands of people come to view your work and immerse themselves into it is the most rewarding experience. Getting to know other creatives and the people that do not think they are creative but in order for the work to be done, you need their creativity to do so. People like engineers, electricians, etc. All those people who help to make your creativity come to light.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

This is not something I am unfamiliar with. All while growing up my parents and family struggled with understanding me and my journey. Now it’s friends and colleagues. I don’t live my life for any of them because my creativity is not driven by any of them. I live for my passion and my passion is my creativity and those that make me feel creative. My greatest fear is to live a dull life and that of conformity. I strive to go different routes and paths because I do not want my journey to be the same as others. I choose difficultly and struggle on a daily basis if it helps me to get to where I want my way. No one has necessarily understood that journey as a creative however they respect it. That is all I could ever ask for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://downtowngr.org/about/management-staff
• Instagram: kimbowee616
• Facebook: Kimberly Van Driel

Image Credits
Please credit all photos to Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.