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

I think, deep down, it’s something I’ve always known, but I’ve taken quite a few detours on the way to allowing myself to pursue this creative career that I’ve always dreamed of. Starting all the way back in Elementary school, I was always enrolled in some sort of visual arts program and eventually went on to study at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This was pretty short lived due to a combination of unfortunate life events and my deteriorating mental health, and after just one semester I had to drop out and move back home to Florida. My confidence in my art and chosen career path took a big hit after this and long story short, I spent the next 13 years drudging through life at miserable, poverty wage jobs that took such a huge toll on me physically and mentally. While I never gave up creating art as a hobby, and made halfhearted attempts to sell my art here and there, I had mostly given up on doing it professionally and spent a lot of years thinking I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life anymore. Moving to St.Pete, FL and being welcomed into this beautiful art community with open arms is what brought me back to confidently knowing that this is all I ever want to do.

Kris, 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?

I am a visual artist based in Saint Petersburg, FL. I like to dabble in all kinds of different mediums, but I mainly work in acrylic painting, drawing and illustration (both digital and traditional). I’ve always struggled to define my art by any one genre, but I would describe it as somewhat surreal, abstract, and heavily influenced by the lowbrow art movement. I use art to express my struggles with mental illness and chronic pain, so it can range from somber to manic but always with a playful twist. I think my use of colors and patterns paired with my warped, contorted illustrations is what makes my work stand out. My hope is that other people who are struggling physically or mentally might see my art and feel less alone; If it makes them smile, even better! While I’ve made art my whole life, spent years in various art programs, and made several attempts to make it as an artist living in Chicago for nearly a decade, it wasn’t until I moved to St. Pete that the ball really started rolling on my art career. At the end of 2020, I was contacted by Lucid Vending (a local creative vending machine company) asking if I wanted to sell some small drawings in one of their vending machines. The next month, I was contacted by Stephanie Agudelo aka Populoum, curator at Coastal Creative. She had seen my art in the vending machine and was interested in having me in her next group art show. Four months after that first show, I made the crazy decision to quit my day job with no “backup plan” and dove head first into making art full time. It’s been almost a year since then, and the struggle has been so real but so worth it! All the work I’ve put into getting through this first year is what I am most proud of.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the impact my art has on others. Making money off of my art is obviously great because I need it to live, but hearing people talk about my art and what it means to them or seeing someone beaming at a painting they just bought from me makes it all worth it. The feeling is indescribable and it never gets old; It fuels me and reminds me that I am on the right path.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am not the most tech savvy and my eyes tend to glaze over when I hear anything about the almighty and ever changing algorithm, so my audience on social media was built and continues to grow at a very slow and steady pace. While I know there’s plenty I could be doing to get more followers faster, I’m more interested in building a sustainable, supportive community of fellow artists and art lovers. Posting consistently, genuinely interacting with those who support you and just being yourself will get you an audience that sticks with you through different phases and inevitable dry spells versus going viral from one video and then losing all those people on the next post. I think having a social media presence is very important as an artist and it’s how I make most of my art sales, but I try not to focus too much on the number of likes and follows. Just keep putting yourself out there and your audience will find you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/krismeenan
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/krismeenan
• Other: www.Redbubble.com/people/krismeenan/shop