We were lucky to catch up with Kristin Vogt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kristin , appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?
Failure has been an incredibly sore topic for me in my business. I have grown immensely in my confidence around the creative aspects of my endeavors, however the business management side of things can really evoke a lot of shame in me. I have-like many other creatives in the last number of years- awoken to how violent our hyper-capitalist society really is. As a white woman pursuing visual arts, I’ve had all the privilege enabling me to get started: access to finances supporting my pursuits through my loving partner, internship opportunities with family friends who grew up in the same affluent white neighborhood…zero financial debt from my higher education. I walked into my new business with fears around the risks of putting myself out there – but with no real idea of how financially risky it could be. In short, one could easily say I was naive. As a result of this lack of preparedness, I found myself struggling to make steady income from my business. Like many new business owners, I needed to work multiple jobs to make a living wage, but I was unable to healthfully manage the two to three jobs/internships I was committed to .(Now, I am fully aware that MOST folks have no choice but to manage the exhaustion of such a schedule). I felt for years like I was barely scraping by, until an unhealthy dynamic at one of my work places enacted me to quit that job entirely and essentially take a mental health sabbatical from my business as well as other endeavors. This choice, which was made possible by my inherently privileged situation, was nonetheless quite devastating for our financial situation and we kept crawling deeper into debt in order to give me to space to attend to unhealed trauma which was being triggered aggressively by our violent work and social systems. In truth, finances continue to be a source of severe strain on my partner and I, who since COVID have had a little one who is now two, and have had to manage the ordeal of unemployment. While my partner has a steady position and income, it is not sufficient for our family of three in these times of recession. It’s been rare for me to find other folks in this industry of creative services who are transparent about the financial difficulties. The costs (financial and emotional) of running a business are astronomical, especially when you’re attempting to “keep up with the jones” and the “hottest technology”. The creative businesses that I see most flourishing appear to be grinding for it. Despite our ongoing financial hardships, I’m in a privileged position to be pushing for something better; a business that flourishes, but does not grind me (or my family) down. This is the dream, one that has yet to materialize. I am hopeful. But, until then, I’ll be looking for full time jobs and my husband will take his turn staying home with our little one. I plan to run my business on the side. We will see how this goes!
Kristin , 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?
As a visual artist in the area of photography, collage and calligraphy, I am captivated by the process of creating raw, unpolished pieces; playful lines balanced with soothing but vibrant colors and minimalistic compositions. my work process is impulsive, my style is approachable and my art is accessible. photography has been my profession (and main form of artistic expression) for years, but in 2020 while i sat at home on unemployment, i felt myself being drawn to the non-digital arts of analog collage and calligraphy. i reconnected with my childhood/adolescent-self who had doodles scribbled all over her school notebooks and spent hours scrapbooking all alone in her basement late into the night. it took me two years (and birthing an entire human baby!) later to recognize that i’d like to start sharing my art (also what i consider to be my dream space) with others, outside of just social media platforms. what i find and love in mediums such as calligraphy and collage is freedom to access pure originality. the subject is my imagination, the scissors my lens.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I believe individuals who do not identify as creatives struggle immensely to respect creative work. In our social, educational, and professional spaces, art is viewed largely as an optional component of our organizations and overall well-being of our communities. For creative individuals, access-to/making/seeing/absorbing art; is essential. Though, I’ll need to also argue that art is indeed an essential asset for ALL community members, for in my belief, we are ALL inherently creative individuals in NEED of time to create. In fact, one might even say every one of us was born to create. What an idea! How liberating! No gatekeeper can tell you you’re not an artist. No creative can call you a non-creative if you accept that part of yourself. My other belief is rooted in drawing these expressions out in others so as to foster and access individual and group healing, resting, dreaming, and presence. Art-making is a gateway to healing.
How did you build your audience on social media?
The funny thing is, on the outside my social media “presence” is not algorithmically impactful. However, on a human level, I’ve found my presence to be deeply impactful. This has been my overreaching goal – I’ve fostered a personable presence and drawn individuals to the space through honesty, transparency, and honest-to-goodness genuine connection. Folks will slide into my DMs monthly to express how thankful they are for the way I express and share my story or my work. This has been the most gratifying aspect of my social media journey – there have been a plethora of frustrating parts, which i will not go into now!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristinabigail.com
- Instagram: @thisiskristinabigail
- Facebook: Kristin Abigail Photography
- Other: https://kristinabigail.pixieset.com/
Image Credits
all images taken and edited by me.