Meet Kendall Snyder

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

Hi Kendall, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

This is such a multi-faceted question that runs so deep throughout the course of my entire life. The short answer is- i’ve been through a lot of hard sh*t. The longer answer is that, like most people you endure hard times that either make you or can break you. I don’t know exactly when the resiliency started, but I do know that I have always wanted to appear as though I was okay to the outside world even when I wasn’t. Is that an ego thing? Perhaps. But I do believe that because of this mind set, it subconsciously forced me to continue moving forward no matter what. My dad always taught me that if you ever find yourself in a bad spot, allow yourself a week max- to cry, get angry, lay around and do nothing; rest. But after that you’ve got to get back up and keep it moving, otherwise you’ll start to sink. I have always carried that with me. I could ramble on about the numerous hard times i’ve been through, but the one that flipped the switch so to speak was having a baby in March of 2020 as a single parent, at the height of the ‘covid’ era and world shut down. Mentally, I was shut down- I had just endured a trauma, I was scared and had crippling anxiety. But knowing that I had just brought a new life into this world who was solely dependent on me to survive- what choice do you really have besides pulling yourself out of the trenches and figuring out a way to make it work? I am so very fortunate I had (and still have) an incredible tribe that surrounded me with support- but I knew I had to hustle, and effectively you go into survival mode, moving through the motions one day at a time. From that point on, I worked hard broadcasting myself and the services I could provide, I made it a point to network within my community and really put myself out there as an artist. I applied for various events and got to work, and fortunately I had a door or two open and the opportunities have blossomed from there. I feel very blessed to have recognition as an artist and to have had consistent work since then.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My love for art started when I was very young. My mom has bins full of ‘books’ that I would create as a kid, writing elaborate stories, illustrating them and stapling them together as a binding. I’ve always loved to draw, and that carried into my studies starting as early as elementary school. I graduated highschool and went into college at George Mason University wanting to study fine art. I ended up graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Information Design, and very fortunately have been able to use my degree throughout my adult years and through the different jobs i’ve had. As far as my love of drawing and painting, I didn’t pick it back up until about 2015 when I moved to Virginia Beach and found that my unique style of doodling, using bright colors and bold outlines were being noticed. I have always had a love and admiration for ‘surf art’ and more whimsical styles- and the Virginia Beach community welcomed my style with open arms! I have a very warm place in my heart for the 757 and the opportunities i’ve been given as an artist. My style of pet portraits have opened doors to design craft beer labels and design apparel for local breweries. It landed me a spot in last year’s Vibe District Mural Fest where I completed my first building mural in 10 days! That was an absolutely incredible experience. My ‘dogs’ also gave me the opportunity to be the sole artist for this year’s 757 Battle of the Beers, which i’ve been working on currently. Outside of my pet portraits, I was a part of ‘The Art of the Vibe 3″ exhibit on display with the Virginia MOCA, which was an incredible exhibit with 8 other talented local artists. Hopefully, this fall, with the assistance of the other 3 curators, we’ll bring back an art show we hosted a few years back called “Aunt Flo’s Art Show’ featuring female creatives in the the 757. It’s in the works!

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?

One of the biggest things i’ve learned- especially during my personal experience last summer was to lean on other artists/colleagues/friends for help if you need it. Though art is obviously visual, it is VERY mental as well and it’s easy to feel not good enough or that you don’t belong. I appreciated the help and suggestions from other local artists during mural fest as i’d never completed a wall mural before, I assumed there was a ‘gatekeeping’ aspect to it and was afraid to ask questions. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the complete opposite. Everyone was so insanely supportive, kind and helpful. So reach out and ask the questions, even if they feel silly or if you’re not sure how to do something. Everyone was a ‘first-timer’ at one point- even the pros! My second word of advice is to just keep going. Opportunities will eventually come to you if you never give up. And lastly, whatever you like to do and are happy doing- do that. You will thrive in whatever that is, because you’re true passion, dedication and love will shine through. And that’s how you become one of the greats!

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am ALWAYS looking to collaborate with people! The possibilities are endless and I am always up for discussing ideas. Whether it’s designing apparel, a business logo, artwork for your home, a unique gift, painting a room in a house- i’m always up for discussing ideas and seeing how I can help bring a vision to life! I am reachable by sending me a DM or a message on any of my social pages, or email at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @KendiiArt
• Facebook: @KendiiArt

Image Credits

Lori Zontini / Vibe District