We were lucky to catch up with Kristin Wesley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kristin , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Oh man. Sometimes being an artist make me super happy!! Sometimes it’s challenging too. But in the end, it has always been worth it.

Before working as a full-time artist, I was a clinician in the behavioral health field. I worked with “at risk” youth, the unhoused, adults with severe mental illness and in hospitals, schools, communities and even homes providing support, skills training and resources to help others live their best lives. It was incredibly meaningful work. I was often able to utilize art to connect with clients, help them better understand themselves and promote positive change. I was a leader in the organization and managed a program for the largest county in Arizona, serving at least 85 families and overseeing 100 staff members. I was very inspired by the work, though it could also be stressful with deadlines, documentation and panic-inducing late-night crisis calls.

As my professional life evolved, so did my personal life. My husband and I became a licensed foster placement for teenagers and in 2009 had our first biological child. By 2012, we amassed a family of 7. We have 3 adopted and 2 bio kids, three of whom were under a year old at that time. With our own version of late-night crises, I moved to consulting, parenting and finding a way to carve out time for my own art.

Time has progressed and the kids have become more independent. There is no longer a need for three highchairs to dominate my kitchen. I have been able to focus more on my studio practice and in 2021, I opened Roosevelt Artworks, a creative arts studio in downtown Phoenix’s famed Historic Grand Avenue Arts District. RAW, aka “Rosie” is a small, almost 100-year-old English Tudor, which houses my personal studio space and supports local artists through community workshops and events.

I don’t really wonder what it would be like to have a “regular” job anymore. My life is chaotic and colorful and wonderful! I have the flexibility I need as a parent and the delight of sharing my passions with others on a regular basis. My days are never boring; “work” could include welding, plumbing fire features, painting murals, traveling to installation sites, teaching artistic processes, researching materials, visiting galleries, collaborating with other artists, hosting art events and producing festivals. I’m even learning to tattoo!

So yes, I am happy being an artist. I am grateful that I can focus on this. I am thankful to the collectors and collaborators that help make it all possible. I feel incredibly blessed to live the life I have.

Kristin , 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?

Kristin Wesley, aka YoMama, is a mixed media artist using installations, assemblages and murals to connect with communities, invigorate spaces and inspire others. Living and working in Phoenix, Arizona, Kristin holds concurrent Bachelor’s Degrees in Fine Art Intermedia and the Interdisciplinary Studies of Psychology and Philosophy from Arizona State University. She studied Art Therapy at George Washington University in Washington, DC and has extensive experience using art in educational, therapeutic and public settings.

In 2021, Kristin founded Roosevelt ArtWorks, a creative arts studio in downtown Phoenix’s Grand Avenue Historic Arts District. She is also the producer for IGNiGHT: Art of Burning Man in Az, an annual gallery exhibition celebrating Burning Man Art, Culture and Outreach in Arizona and a Professional Teaching Artist with Free Arts of Arizona. Kristin contracts with the City of Phoenix to restore public art and curates for Full Moon Festival, Alwun House Foundation and more.

Kristin’s sculptural and two-dimensional work often employ biomorphic imagery, utilizing gardens and plants as existential metaphors. She skillfully blends color, pattern and texture with light elements (including fire) to highlight the “spark” of being alive. Kristin also uses recognizable, repurposed household items and metal components to create sculptural assemblages, implying a history told through the distinctive voice of objects.

In her own work, and in collaboration with others, Kristin weaves together modalities and materials to create multi-media art and experiences for galleries, collectors, events and the public. Her current projects utilize repurposed metal and flame effects to create larger-than-life, immersive sculptural assemblages.

www.kristinwesley.com
ig: @KristinWesley

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There are many social issues that are important to me, though an overarching theme in my art, community and teaching experience has been mental health awareness. Mental health is as necessary as physical health to our general wellbeing, but often underrecognized and appreciated. Before working as a full-time artist, I was a clinician in the behavioral health field, often utilizing art to connect with clients, help them better understand themselves and promote positive change. As an artist, I use my work to recognize the power of potential, to encourage self-reflection and to celebrate hope.

A little over 5 years ago, amidst political upheaval and general societal sadness, I introduced “Friendly Flowers” to the US. This traveling art installation comprised of 120 8ft tall, colorful wooden flowers ventures through the nation, entertaining viewers and encouraging smiles. Sometimes individually and often in mass, the Flowers have sprung up randomly and visited public and private events from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada to Oregon, Washington State, DC, and beyond. These goofy, beaming flowers have one purpose- to be silly and help spread smiles!

More recently, I had the honor of working as an Artist in Residence for the Van Gogh Immersive Experience at Lighthouse Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ. I redesigned Friendly Flowers to take a sunflower form. This nod to Van Gogh is also a recognized symbol of Mental Health Awareness. Throughout my residency, I sculpted giant sunflowers, and gallery visitors were encouraged to take their immersive experience to a participatory level by painting them with me. The resulting field of flowers was on display in the gallery, where pARTicipants could admire their work, embody accomplishment and smile with satisfaction.

It was incredibly inspiring to experience how art could change perspective and promote positivity!! I HAD to find more ways to share this kind of spirit and found the perfect fit with Walter Studios in Phoenix Az, a new venue from beloved friends, who share a passion for creativity and inspiring others!

What started as a proposal for a handful of smiling flowers and a positive phrase, evolved into a 210-foot mural of love and hope, reaching past the Studios and into the neighborhood, making the big statement: START WITH LOVE. This impactful piece incorporates a smiling sunflower motif and repeating rainbow spectrum, reminding us all of the best place to start- with love.

Mental health awareness may be a lofty goal for smiling street art, though if nothing else the positive statements, colorful images, symbolism and public placement make the work available to all and make the world a brighter place, one smile at a time.

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

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is the permission to explore, experiment and to try something new. I love learning and am forever going down various rabbit holes researching topics, techniques, materials for wild and whimsical builds.

Recently, I have also learned about the impact of my work in the lives of others- that through my art I have inspired them to honor themselves, find a way to get through a difficult moment or incorporate more creativity in their lives. That feels darn good too!! :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KristinWesley.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/KristinWesley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristinwesleyartist/