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

Hi Kinden, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I began painting thirteen years ago. I started by practicing for hours on end, learning how to begin with a photograph and reimagine it into a realism painting filled with movement and emotion. I began to offer custom paintings for friends and family and this quickly grew into a side business. Over the years I completed grad school, worked as a high school counselor, got married and had two little boys, all while continuing to perfect the craft. The once unlimited time I had to paint became less and less until it was a precious commodity reserved for after dinners were cleaned up, baths done and books read. Ultimately, with both children being under 4 years old, having open paints and a workable area safe from little hands became almost impossible. My heart and hands still pressed me to create so I shifted to a new form of artwork, digital painting. I could still manipulate a tool on a canvas, but now it was an Apple pencil instead of a paintbrush and cleaning up at night became as simple as a click of a button.

A few summers back, I was stepping out of newborn baby haze and had an idea to create images of iconic locations around my small hometown of Stevens Point in the well-known style of National Park prints. This type of print can be found in large cities across America, but not for small towns. I had always been instantly drawn to the simplicity and flatness of these art pieces that somehow captured the feeling and aura of a physical location. I chose a few of my favorite spots around town and went to work. I quickly learned that I had hit a heartstring. Small towns carry deep pride, and it’s rare for them to be able to celebrate their location with modern, unique art. It has been incredible hearing so many stories of memories tied to these locations and learning about their history and why they make each town special.

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 an artist living in central Wisconsin with my husband, Isaac and our two young boys. I love pizza, donuts, and most of all Diet Coke! As a family we have opened an art business creating hand-drawn images of iconic locations around the US. We sell our products wholesale to retail shops and other small businesses, and specialize in paper products including art prints, postcards, notecards and stickers.

New prints are drawn daily, so the option to have a customized location has always been a perk for clients. Because all the prints are drawn by one artist, they visually belong together so when customers mix and match their favorite locations, the set still looks cohesive and intentional.

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

One of the biggest lessons I have had to unlearn is that I need to know all the steps to solve a problem before I begin. I like to plan and know and be prepared for a journey and with starting a business, there is so much you DON’T know that it can almost be paralyzing. I have learned to accept that I will think of something when a problem arises and I will figure it out when it needs to be figured out.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The best thing that has helped build a good reputation is quick responses, open communication, quick order fulfillment and most of all, a great quality product!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kindenshop.com
• Instagram: @kindenshop
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kindenshop/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kinden-vazquez

Image Credits
Image credits all to Kinden Vazquez.