We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Mikayla . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.

Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally ever since I was little. My mom always told me I used to tell her as a kid that I wanted my own dance studio…that dream has never changed til this day. I have been training in dance since I was three and I am so grateful and blessed to be still going and tapping into other creative avenues along the way. Early on, I have always understood the flexibility and the exciting unknown that comes with being an artist. Waking up everyday to a completely new project or idea is my fuel to keep going and pursue my art professionally. I started to realize later in high school that I wanted to navigate and use all my creative talents professionally besides just dance. I started meshing things that I knew creatively and had it in the midst of my dance projects. One of my first major projects to me was a dance visual in which I edited, created graphics, choreographed, and performed. Doing that project my freshman year of college is when I realized that there’s more avenues than I thought in the dance world and I can add on to my professional career as I go.

Kristen , 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?

Through the past 18 years, I have been continuously gaining and creating dynamic works in my truth and discovery as an artist. I recently graduated with my BFA in Dance at the University of Florida with a minor in Mass Media communications in Spring 2022. My choreographic research in undergrad was merging contemporary and hip hop practices together and creating works based on my truth as a black woman which later made me fall in love to the art of choreography and film.

Fast forward to post grad, I just recently made a big move from Florida to Atlanta to expand and advance my craft as an overall artist and entrepreneur. Not only am I a dancer and a choreographer but I am a graphic designer (Instagram: @KMDigital._) and I have my own clothing brand (Instagram: Iamthebrand.co) which was launched in 2021. KM Digital is a graphic design brand I created in 2020 during COVID. I help brands and businesses with branding, graphic design, and social media needs. My clothing brand I AM I just rebranded on my birthday in October to a movement and fashion brand in which I will start incorporating dance and fashion in hopes to expand the name into something bigger with dance, my first love. With these creative avenues I can proudly say I am pursuing my entrepreneurship journey and expanding myself not only through movement but these two brands I haven been building over the past few years.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can support artists, creatives by being supportive in every way possible. With social media these days, for us artists that’s our resume/portfolio. Like our post, comment, and share…it does more than people know. A lot of my opportunities are from my social media presence so it means a lot when people support in that way. I also say investing in a creatives/artists vision is also super important. A lot of people support things when it’s popular not when it’s in seed form. Support early on and invest in that artists brand when you first see it, the time and bravery it takes to share with the world in the first place is a huge step and it should be honored and recognized.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the fact that I get to share my vision and my headspace with others in different forms. I share a lot through dance but I am super grateful that God has allowed me to share my artistry through graphic design and fashion as well. It’s so rewarding seeing people support, understand, and connect with my perspective and my artistry.

The process when creating and executing projects is also very rewarding. What’s in your head comes to life and it’s the best feeling ever. From beginning to end you’re working hard to create and communicate all these ideas in your head. You see the thought turn into reality and become a form of communication from you to the world, it’s beautiful seeing the end result.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kristen.mikayla
• Instagram: instagram.com/kristen.mikayla
• Facebook: Kristen Mikayla
• Twitter: twitter.com/_kristenmikayla
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KristenMiKayla