Inspiring Subscribers: Kitty Kilian

My subscribers are some of the most amazing, creative people I know. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to some of them via my Inspiring Subscriber Showcase series, in which I discover how a fellow Creative is living a creative life.

I met today’s inspiring subscriber when I teamed up with Cory Huff to create ArtEmpowers.Me, our online course and community for artists who want to deprogram themselves of the “starving artist” mindset and learn to thrive from their art.

Kitty had been a member of Cory’s previous community, and I was struck by her witty, well-composed and word-filled artwork (being a calligrapher and letter-lover myself, you know!), as well as her skill as a writer. I don’t think I’ve ever read a post of hers that hasn’t wowed me and made me think.

When I decided to start this interview series, Kitty was one of the first people I thought of to feature. I wanted to learn more about this multi-talented fellow Passion Pluralite!

Her tagline, by the way, is “100% Cynicism-Free Art.” You’ll have to let me know if you think that’s an accurate assessment. (Cynicism-free? Perhaps… Sarcasm free? Er, yeah, right!)

Read on to meet…

Inspiring Subscriber: Kitty Kilian

How are you living a creative life? How are you following your evolving bliss right now?

I write, I make art, I live partly online, I teach. Everything though derives from words and texts. It might help to point out I used to be a journalist. I have always been a language person, from very early on, but I have other loves and talents, too. I am a bit like you, Melissa! I have multiple passions – or, to put it differently: I have a hard time limiting myself to just one occupation. My passions are serialized, though. I find it hard to do several things AT the same time. So some things will get put on the backburner at times.

Right now I am spending almost all of my time on a new website two friends and I started, called The Blogsalon. It is in Dutch. We intend to make the phenomenon of well written guest blogs known in Holland. It does not exist here. And we like to write. Also we want to market our own writing and blogging workshops that way. We gave it a fun 18th century theme and we are having a good time playing with it.

The fact that all of us, artists, have websites nowadays that we can sell from and connect with people from gives a tremendous freedom. It also means investing a lot of time in getting to learn all the programs. I quite enjoy that. It is difficult not to play around with it too much, it is such fun.

(I am sorry you cannot read the new website. You could go to my art website, which is in English. There are a few posts on being an artist there that might be of interest to your readers, such as Why Artists Suck at Selling Art.)

As a result I have neglected making art for almost 2 months now. I need to find time and focus to get back into that. Tomorrow I hope. 😉

Basically, I follow my passions whichever way they go. To be totally honest with you.

What Resistances or “self-installed glass ceilings” have you faced that kept you from following your Bliss(es)?

My situation is a bit different from most people’s. I am lucky. For the moment it is OK if I do not earn a six figure income. Due to personal circumstances and health issues I had to quit my journalism work in 2000. After a few years I was able to start working again, but in Holland if you are over 40 you are considered too old for the job force. I basically had to reinvent myself and I am in a way still doing that.

I still have not arrived. I also honestly think I never will. I took a fun test the other day – which may be a good tip for any of your readers who write – which tells you what type of writer you are, this is the link.

According to the test I am a Creator.

{Editor’s note: Me too. As if that comes as a surprise…}

I fully believe it. I am interested in making things — texts, images, fresh bread, new pants, whatever — and a day where I don’t make something feels wasted. It has always been like that. I know we writers and artists should be knowledgeable about marketing, and I took your and Cory Huff’s wonderful and fun classes, and I try to, but to be really really honest, I don’t think I will ever GET it. It is not inbred in me.

So any glass ceiling would be the marketing.

O, and having a sister who is very talented at painting. I would almost forget! Check out her work at http://www.franciskilian.nl — Francis has been trained as a painter, she does oil paintings of women. She always used to be much better at drawing than I was. She was more into it, too. So when we were young we sort of had our own territories — she drew, I wrote. But she can write as well. When I started making art in 2007 she was very supportive and — bang — the tables had turned. Our old territories had vanished.

Very nice. Fresh air.

Also, doing journalism may have been the wrong choice. I realise now that I enjoy creative writing much more. But maybe I needed to be all serious and analytical for a few decades before I could become light-footed.

What allowed you to get past the Resistance and onto your creative path? (Did you have a sudden revelation that things had to change? Did you experience a gradual shift?) What changes did you have to make?

When I was in the States in 2007 I picked up a book on art journaling. I had never heard of it before. It struck me as something that was totally meant for me, I fell in love right away. Never ever had I realized that I could illustrate my own texts. I went back to my friend’s house, having bought paper and paint and glue and starting making collages.

I soon found that art journalers do not often use texts in a meaningful way, words are usually meant as decoration. For me, every piece I make starts with a line that speaks to me.

Also I soon started to make images that were less and less decorated. I have no idea where I am heading. Right now I have been making postcards for a Dutch firm that sells internationally. I do not expect that will make me rich quite yet but it was great fun.

What have you learned by honoring the call of your Bliss(es) that you’d especially like to share?

I am happier. I have never been as happy as I have been over the last few years.

What practices or rituals do you have to honor your creative spirit and keep your toe in the creative stream? (Tips, techniques, tools — whatever works for you. Anything goes.)

Nothing really. I do not fret if inspiration leaves me. I know it will come back.

What is one more thing you’d like to share to spark up our own creative fires?

For me, most of my inspiration comes from books. I read an awful lot and I look at tons of pictures. So — read, fill your mind with good stuff.

Also, I am very curious. This undoubtedly helped me a lot as a journalist, and it is still helping me as an artist. Learning new things is my other passion. Techniques, tricks, theories, computer programs…

Something that is way more important for staying creative than you would think is to stay in good physical shape. Exercise clears your mind. It just helps you think better and feel better — and personally I am never very creative when I feel like crap. So I do a lot of sports. Normally I work from breakfast till lunch, go for a swim or a run, and work again till the end of the afternoon. Then I shop and I cook.. and at night I will read my friends’ websites on my iPad, stretched out on the couch. Or a book. I do not go out a lot, I just love my work.

I love your work, too! Thank you, Kitty! 🙂

In her own words: Kitty Kilian (Netherlands, 1960) was a journalist before she started making art and teaching writing.

(You can also find Kitty on Twitter as @kittykilian, and on Facebook here.)

Now tell me, what struck you most about Kitty’s interview? And do you think her artwork is 100% cynicism-free? Share your responses below.

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!