We recently connected with Kris Knight and have shared our conversation below.

Kris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

From a young age, I knew I was headed towards a creative path of some sort. When I was 16 I took a free business class run by the Chamber of Commerce located in the town I lived in; that was when I started to consider pursuing my creative ideas and entrepreneurship. I was about 18 years old when I started my first “business,” though I shut down when I left for college. All of my jewelry and supplies were stolen and sold while I was out of state, and so I didn’t think I’d ever get back to it. I took a couple of breaks in creating since then, but picked it up after I came back from college. Right now is the most serious I’ve ever been about my business ventures and I am really grateful for all of the support I’ve gotten to get to where I am now.

Kris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey began as an introverted and creative child, yet over the past year, I’ve embarked on a transformative mental health journey. Growing up, I didn’t really believe in “art/music therapy” until I hit a really low point in my life. Art has become my voice, allowing me to express my emotions and thoughts in profound ways that words just cannot describe. I use a digital art program, an iPad, Apple Pencil, and digital brushes to create my pieces. Some take up to four hours to create, and most of them encase deep emotions from current experiences, past trauma, or personal growth. Though I have loose prints, my staple pieces are printed on beautiful crystal clear acrylic glass with a metal mount on the back. I feel like the presentation really brings out the emotions encompassed in my art. Along with my artwork, I also run my website that has free printable resources, digital downloads, videos and helpful links, along with an artist of the month tab to share other artists of different kinds. Life is so unexpected, and so my goal is to just be seen and to lift others up while sharing my experiences and resources with those who may relate to me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Hearing how my art spoke to someone, or hearing stories on how art or music in general has impacted someone, is the most rewarding. It literally brings tears to my eyes when I open a message or comment about someone’s story relating to my art or their experiences with creative arts and mental health. Though I hate knowing others are struggling, it gives me drive to spread more awareness and advocacy for what my whole vision is about.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think many non-creatives, and even creators themselves, judge too harshly or downplay an artist’s work and abilities. What I mean by this is those that walk through galleries and say “I can make that,” or “how is this art?” without knowing the story behind it. I find it hard myself to not fall into that, and remind myself there’s a real person behind that art with real feelings and you never know what they are going through. I have many pieces that I’ve made through bloodshot eyes and tears and yet nobody would know unless I told them. To outsiders, it’s just another piece of art. But to me, it’s expressing pain and hurt, and turning it into something that someone, somewhere at some time, will appreciate.

Contact Info:

• Website: mymentalpalette.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymentalpalette
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mymentalpalette
• Other: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mymentalpalette Tiktok: tiktok.com/@mymentalpalette?_t=8jVR9OUzLTO&_r=1

Image Credits
All images were taken by me. Some mockups created by the Apple App “Frame it.”