We recently connected with Krista Kelly and have shared our conversation below.
Krista, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Alongside my arts and crafting jobs, I work a weekday job at a school. It wasn’t until I became immersed in a world surrounded by young minds and hearts that I realized how important it is to be yourself, truly. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by kind and thoughtful friends who embraced me in all my quirky weirdness but as a young adult, I shied away from who I am to fit the mold of who I thought I needed to be at the time. But it always felt wrong. Thankfully, at the school I work at, my coworkers see me for who I am and support my nerdy endeavors. Being in a healthy community of supportive and loving friends has truly empowered me to pursue the activities I love and feel encouraged to share them with others. I believe this is the foundation for much of what I am doing at this point in my life.
Krista, 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?
“Hello! I’m glad you’re here!” is something I say frequently to introduce myself on social media. And it’s true. If you’re taking the time to read something I wrote or trying to learn about me, I am thankful for you. I do my best to maintain a focus on thankfulness in everything I do and my art is no different. Jack-of-all-trades is a good descriptor for my passions as an artist and business person. My brain never shuts off and I am always happy to learn a new skill and discover new materials and processes. I am always thinking of new ways I can make something and share it with those around me in a deep-seated desire to find my tribe or meet others who share my interests.
In high school, I discovered an interest in illustration and modeled a lot of what I did on the manga and comic books I enjoyed then. I followed that passion and applied to art college eventually graduating with a Bachelors of Visual Communications with majors in Fine Art and Multimedia. Art college helped me discover the artistic processes I enjoyed and the ones I’d rather avoid. I left with a growing interest in graphic design where I worked for years as a freelance and contract graphic designer. It was great experience but I later discovered my true passion for craftsmanship in an unlikely place.
After college, I needed a better paying job and was hired as a graphic designer at a government facility in a sign shop for naval vessels. It didn’t promise much in the way of creative outlets as the jobs were fairly straightforward and many followed exact specifications and measurements. Thankfully, I ended up in a shop where many of my coworkers saw my creative potential and provided me with ways to exercise my creativity. Occasionally, jobs came to me that were in a test or prototype phase and the customer would ask me, “is this something you can make?” and I would excitedly promise to find a way. As I had been hired to replace someone who was retiring, I inherited a huge shop at my disposal containing large power tools, a big collection of various materials, and even a CNC machine! It was here that I learned to use these tools to make almost anything my customers asked for. I found fun in the challenge.
Since those formative experiences as a growing artist, I’ve nurtured the passionate stirring in my heart that I feel when I find a new process to learn or a new material to study. Unfortunately, this has always made it difficult for me to make a name for myself doing one thing I excel at or create one business that specializes in a specific product. I’m an artist, a craftsperson, a writer, an illustrator, a graphic designer, a photographer, a web designer, blogger, and many other things.
I’ve started several different businesses over the years trying to discover my one true passion. I have a craft/cooking blog that I’m evolving into a game review for parents blog. I have a successful Etsy shop where I sell jewelry, bookmarks, keychains, and other items that feature characters from one of my favorite video game series. I’ve created over $3,500 worth of handmade jewelry and other merchandise that I’m selling at craft fairs and artisan events. I have an 88,000 word fantasy novel I wrote with another in the works.
Currently, my biggest focus has been on writing and world-building in a tabletop roleplaying game that I run for some of my closest friends. I record our sessions and release them on YouTube in an effort to share this passion with others. I’m also working with my husband to develop a brick-and-mortar board game shop in our town where we can help people feel less overwhelmed by the board game selection with a specially curated collection, in-store game reviews, and opportunities for guided game sessions. I’m also hoping to offer rentable table space for gaming, as well as a library of resources for game masters, and many of my handmade gifts that fit the gaming theme.
Overall, my brain never stops. I love making things, I love learning and sharing things, I love designing merchandise and marketing. One of my personal mantras is “ABC- Always Be Creating” and I live by this daily. I may not have beautifully cohesive social media profiles, or a unified business front to drive customers to, but I’m living my mantra and I’m happy to share my experience and knowledge with others eager to learn.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Tying back into the idea of embracing who you are, I’m hoping to find a way to create an outreach program for children who want to learn creative writing and tabletop gaming. Learning to build a world and write an interesting story that draws people in is something I love to do and I wish I could have learned earlier on in my artistic career. As tabletop roleplaying games are making a resurgence across the globe, I want to do my part to encourage young creatives to dial in to that creative outlet and use it to unlock their potential as writers and artists, as well as teach them what a healthy community looks like and how to identify and avoid an unhealthy one. Giving young people a safe place where they can be immersed in a supportive gaming community and develop creative writing tools is something I would love to offer those in my town and eventually maybe create online accessible resources.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
My business plan may not be apparent to others looking in. I may seem unfocused, distracted, or even careless in my choices as an entrepreneur. But trends have never been my strong-suit. I’ve always been a late adopter of trends, technology, or platforms and that, in itself, has become the biggest trend that I follow. I stay true to myself and I believe that it attracts the best following. Loyal fans, interactive customers, and a truly supportive community of onlookers is so much more desirable to me than sheer volume or number of followers. Find your people. Discover your tribe. Push through the people who want to see you fail because you don’t follow the plan they have for you. There are those waiting on the other side who will cheer you on as you cross the finish line, regardless of how long it took you to get there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://averagemommabear.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mischievousmagpiecreations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/averagemommabear
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TheDragonsFlagon?si=sdE_n8PKCpUx_M2d
Image Credits
All images taken by me. All illustrations, art, or paintings made by me.