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

Alright, Kristen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In May of 2022 I created a 250+ sq. ft macrame installation, titled Am I There Yet, one of the biggest highlights of my creative career.

I always thought “making it” was a certain place you get to. I thought in the beginning of my career that place was finally doing installations.

Then it happened. I got a 250+ sq. ft blank canvas to pour my whole mind, body, & soul into.

Throughout the piece my mind kept floating around the question “So am I there yet?” “Does this mean I’ve made it?” Or is “there” not just one installation, but two, or maybe 10, or is it a years calendar worth of booked installations?

But on Wednesday, three days in, perched on top of a ladder pulling all these feet of rope through my rope burned hands, a solid playlist filling the air of this absolutely stunning home for the kind of clients you dream of, My now fiancé by my side helping every step of the way, I knew I made it. I could feel that I was “there”.

I realized that for me, “there” isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. It’s a whole body awareness of being exactly where I always dreamed of, except for it was so much better.

It wasn’t a bank account, it wasn’t an all around easy day to day, & if it had not been the kind of moment that forced me to be so present that I stopped to look around and take it all in, I would have missed it. Bc that feeling didn’t just happen and then last forever. I knew it was only temporary.

I knew that “there”, that full body high of living in this feeling of complete completeness would stay with the piece, & I would have to go. & my “there” my “made it” would move on to whatever’s to come.

I realized “there” was not an end goal, it was what I had the privilege of living and experiencing in the during.

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?

Kristen Anne Fibers is a women owned, handmade textile business.

In the midst of many life altering changes, the desk job that had been keeping me in my safety net was no longer enough to get me up everyday. For the first time in years I was deciding to become an active participant in my own life. Stepping out & leaving behind all the securities I had become too used to in order to venture into a business where I am honestly still learning my craft everyday was the beginning of me learning to want the uncomfortable & to always follow the dreams that make me the most nervous to go after.

Kristen Anne Fibers was built on the foundation of no longer being a bystander in our own lives, and serves as my daily reminder to not just dream, but to actually be.

It’s a belief in creativity. In making a detour and changing the route. It’s a vow to live in exploration. In play. In discovery.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a self taught artist, it’s easy to find tutorials & courses on the craft you want to learn. But what’s almost impossible to find is a course on inspiration, on how to create original artwork that comes from your unique perspective. Because of that, my fiancé, also an artist with her own business, & I cofounded The Inspiration Generator, an online course that helps artist discover their own unique voice so that they can stop scrolling social media for ideas and create from a space of originality. This is hands down the number one resource I wish I had when first starting out.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The best advice I can give for growing your social media following is to actually connect with people. Have real conversations, take the time to respond. Build relationships and you’ll build not only your following, but even more importantly, your actual customers & the people who will truly support you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kristenannefibers.com
• Instagram: @kristenanne___
• Youtube: @KristenAnneFibers
• Other: For The Inspiration Generator: www.theinspirationgenerator.com IG: @theinspirationgenerator