Meet Krista Harris

We recently connected with Krista Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Krista, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

If I find myself being the only one in the room that looks like me, I think I’m in a good place. These days it’s harder to be unique than it is to be one of many doing the same thing. If we are creating from a true place, with a clear vision and understanding of our work, then being unique isn’t even a concern or goal, you are already there. If you can achieve and maintain that, then it is a huge success. Social media has pros and cons, it’s ever present in our lives these days. But there’s a very very fine line between imitation and inspiration.I try to stay focused on work that embodies my energy, excitement, and holds the love I feel for the work.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a painter. I’d like to say it was as simple as that, but it’s not a label as much as it is way of being, a way of looking, feeling, and functioning in the world.

I grew up in the south but have spent most of my adult years living and working in the southwest. Both places are dear to my heart, though have unique cultures, foods, skylines, smells, sunsets and history. The roots run deep for me, and are an underlying thread in all my work. It’s appears in the colors, textures and shapes that are representations of memories and moments.

My work is mainly abstract. It’s usually large, and holds sounds and smells and textures of the world around me. I’m addicted to close looking, falling into a trance like state, a child like way of seeing something as if for the first time, and those stolen moments are my inspiration and raw material. The grey, shaggy bark of an old cedar tree contains a lifetime of experiences, faded cardboard, squashed rusty metal, fallen petals, birdsong, the smell of snow or grass, the unrelenting wind or rain. There is so much to work with. Life changes and moves so quickly and I’m grabbing as much of it as I can and putting it in the work. It’s a way to both remember and to forget.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Stay curious. Pay attention. Be a lifelong student of art of all genres, across all ages and disciplines. Share what you know and just keep going.

When I was developing my current style and transitioning from figurative to a more non objective way of working, I felt completely out of my depth. I was on such shaky ground, and still am, but at the same time it was the most thrilling challenge to find a way of creating something from a purely emotional source. Once I started down that path, there was no looking back. I was so on fire, so devoted to learning. Every painting was like the proverbial carrot on a stick. The ones that at first felt like failures of course held more lessons than the successes. the longer I’m at this the more I realize I have to learn . It’s infinite. You keep going, keep growing. I just have to trust that I have the skills and time to stick with it.

Honestly, the best advice is to work under the radar for as long as possible. Stay unknown. Develop and explore everything you’re curious about. Give yourself the gift of time to develop the best possible work.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Two books I carry with me, ON ART AND MINDFULNESS, by Enrique Martinez Celaya, and Rick Rubin’s, THE CREATIVE ACT: A WAY OF BEING. Both are so full of wisdom and hold our job as artists to the highest standards. My takeaway has been to listen to the work. To learn to trust it. Let it lead. My job is simply to help bring it into the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kristaharris.com.
• Instagram: @kristaharrisart
• Facebook: Krista Brickey Harris
• Youtube: Krista Harris

Image Credits

All images copyright Krista Harris