Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristi Darner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kristi, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I have had the privilege of being a full time artist for almost four years now. During this time, I have been able to come up with new ways and stumbled on old habits that keep my creativity alive. Spending time with creative people, trying new mediums and slow-motion multitasking.
There are many opportunities to attend art festivals, art walks and other creative festivities close to my home. I have found that every time I surround myself with creative people in my personal life or at events, I am inspired to create something new or even come up with a new approach to an old idea. Having the chance to brainstorm with other artisans, even if they don’t share your exact craft, has inspired me to incorporate new mediums and techniques with the traditional techniques that I learned in art school.
After graduating high school, I spent my first year of college at Western Michigan University. I enjoyed all my art classes but I loved my sculpture class. It was a beginners sculpture class and it was the start of my love for mixed mediums. I didn’t realize it at the time but the more techniques and mediums I learned, the more my creativity flowed. In the past four years I have had the opportunity to dive into scratchboards, wire wrapping, wood carving and burning and new styles of painting; which led to wood with wire art, to paint with wire art, and to ultimately whatever supplies I could get my hands on to create art.
At first, I thought this led to total chaos. I had ideas bouncing around in my head and half done projects everywhere. I took over half of the garage with my wood shop, the downstairs spare room with my paintings and a ridiculous amount of supplies that I was sure to use one day. The ottoman soon became the place to leave all of my wire projects and before I knew it, I had so many ideas and projects going on I was overwhelmed. I knew I had the tendency to start a project and let it sit unfinished for months while starting another and another. I decided to take a step back and do some research on organizing my time. I soon found out I wasn’t a disorganized individual with the attention span of a two year old, I was just slow-motion multitasking! All my projects were just waiting for me to come up with more creative ideas and techniques so I could finish them.
I then realized slow-motion multitasking was not just an excuse for me to do whatever I wanted to work on that day, but an actual technique that I could use to be more creative and productive. I also discovered that I wasn’t losing interest in my unfinished projects. I was working on something else while allowing myself the time to brainstorm where I was going next with my unfinished projects. I started planning my time out. I worked on commissioned pieces in the morning and whatever I felt like later that day. The combination of slow-motion multitasking, trying new things and spending more time around other creative people has continued to keep my creative ideas flowing. It has also allowed me to continue to make the pieces I want to make and the ones I am not too excited about, without getting burned out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist. I have always wanted to be an artist, even as a kid. I started with crayons and coloring books, drawing cartoon characters and then finally taking my first painting class in high school. Encouraged by my parents, I went on to study Illustration at Kendall College of Art and Design until I graduated in 2003. Needing a change, I moved to Colorado where I attended school briefly to study animation. It took a while but I came to realize that this was definitely not what I wanted to pursue. So, I became a server, a bartender, a UPS supervisor, a server, another server.
In 2008, I decided that it was time to find a career that I enjoyed, not a job that I worked to just survive. I have always been interested in Criminal Justice and decided to learn more about a career in this field. I studied Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State College of Denver and soon became aware of the high population of inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues. After graduating, I was hired at a Residential Dual Diagnosis Facility in Denver where I learned so much about different mental health disorders and their symptoms.
During my five years of employment, I also learned a lot about myself and was diagnosed with Severe Depressive Disorder with Anxiety. I started learning how to manage my own mental health and became interested in my passion for art again. I started doing memorial pet portraits and any other crafty projects that someone would ask me to do. I started a website and networking with other artists. Before I knew it, I had multiple commissions waiting for me when I got home from work.
In March of 2020, the facility I worked at was closed. I found myself with no job, during a time when companies were closing due to the pandemic, and I knew this was my chance. I had the time and the confidence to put myself out there. I was searching for art festivals, galleries and any place I could showcase and sell my art. I had no idea what I was doing but with the encouragement and support of my husband and friends, I started getting myself and my work out into the community. I obviously did not enjoy my previous careers nearly as much as my current career, but they did provide me with life experience and the opportunity to grow and build the confidence to start the artistic career I have today. You can read more about my story in my article Meet Kristi Darner featured in CanvasRebel Magazine. https://canvasrebel.com/meet-kristi-darner/
So now what do I get to do? I get to spend all week creating, painting and coming up with ideas for new projects. At first I stuck to the mediums I knew; paint, charcoal, ink and graphite, etc. I later started getting requests from people for projects I wasn’t really sure how to complete. I was asked to make address plaques out of wood, planter boxes, all types of wire wrap jewelry and pet portraits with unique costumes and glasses. This led to the combination of different mediums that makes my original art more unique. I create wood carved and burned landscapes, wire trees, pet and human portraits, custom leash holders and other pet related art.
On the weekends, I get to go to festivals and art walks to network and sell my art. The most exciting thing about what I do is connecting with people through the images that I create. Images that are inspired from my life and my experiences. Images that invoke relatable emotions and feelings between myself and my audience. I also enjoy inspiring others to pursue a creative outlet for multiple reasons since art has many therapeutic benefits.
After years of navigating art festivals and events trying to find the best venues to sell my work and stressing myself out trying to make multiples of the same project, I found that I was losing quality in my work. This year, I have decided to shift my focus from quantity to quality and make more original, one of a kind pieces. I have also decided to cut down on the weekend popup markets and focus on finding a more permanent venue to sell my work. I currently have some of my pet related art at Dingo’s Natural Pet Food and Spa in the Reunion area of Commerce City, Colorado and am looking into other venues in the Denver Metro Area.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I have always had good organization skills, work ethic and great problem solving skills. This allows me to keep myself on track during the week without supervision. I am able to complete my commissioned pieces when needed, while keeping a decent amount of inventory for my weekend events. I have also found my problem solving skills have come in handy when someone asks me to create something I have never done before. I love trying new things and the more things I try, the more creative and unique my work gets.
The best advice I could give someone that is early in their artistic journey is to ask questions and try new things. Document shows, sales and any commissions you may get from a festival or artwalk. Network with other artisans. The more you put yourself out there, the more you learn and progress. Also, there is always a positive in any event you attend, even if your sales aren’t as expected. First off, you tried and put yourself out there. Did you learn anything new? Would you attend that event again? Did you get a commission? How did customers react to your work? Did you come up with a new creative idea? There is always opportunity in everything you do and every event you attend.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I think my biggest improvement over the last 12 months is managing my anxiety and accomplishing tasks one at a time. I would get overly anxious when getting ready for a festival. Always worried about what people would think about my work. Would it sell and am I totally wasting my time? Now, after years of experience, I have been able to get ready for events with a more positive thought process. I still have some anxiety but now I find myself displaying and selling my work with more confidence.
I have also been working on being more focused. I used to find myself thinking of new ideas and other things while working on a project. Before I knew it, I was working on something else and not the project I was supposed to be working on. I now keep a sketchbook, sticky notes or notepad anywhere I work, quickly write down the random idea that popped into my head and go back to what I was previously working on. This seems to help with the amount of half finished projects laying around and my time management. Yes, I am still slow-motion multitasking but I’m not abruptly stopping what I am doing because I remembered or thought of something. With that being said, I look forward to my potential opportunities and hopefully being more productive in 2024.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darnerfineartandillustrationllc.com/
- Instagram: @darnerart
- Facebook: @darnerart
