Meet Karen Castellanos

 

We recently connected with Karen Castellanos and have shared our conversation below.

Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

Having creativity is such a wonderful feeling, but it can be tough at times to ignite it once it’s burned out. I used to struggle so much with this, so much so that there was a time where I considered quitting. I did stop painting for a while but then I realized that creativity comes from all around us. I would go on walks and see certain colors or shapes, and that was enough to boost my creativity. In the end, I noticed I just had to take a step back and get in tune with nature, relax my mind, and most importantly , always carry a notebook with me because you never know when and where an idea might pop into your mind.

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

After taking an art class in high school, I started to pay attention to abstract art. I was always amazed and intrigued by all the abstract paintings I would see. I loved the way it captured my attention and the emotions I felt as well as the little details in the paintings. I then went on with my life, got married and had two children. After my second child was born, I kept having abstract art in the back of my mind. I began following artists on instagram and looking up videos on YouTube. I really had the urge to start painting but I always hesitated because I thought I was not ready due to not having an art degree, and I was scared people wouldn’t take me seriously. I let all of my self doubts stop me from actually starting until eventually I gave up and just decided to give it a go during the end of 2021. Looking back now, I’m so proud about how far I’ve come and how that push I gave myself really helped me see that being a self taught artist is not something “easy” as many might see it. It requires hard work and a lot of trial and error. I have come to enjoy the difficulties abstract art has and I learn each day how to over come those challenges in a variety of ways. But most importantly, it has taught me how to have even more patience (which comes in handy when dealing with my children) and confidence within myself. My goal is to be able to make abstract art that draws people in and makes them feel good each time they see it.
At the moment, I’m currently filming my painting process and posting it on my YouTube channel: karenhcastellanos
I treat it like a diary. I want people to see a little bit of my life, my inspirations, and how my paintings are created. I hope to be able to inspire others through my art and my videos.

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

Looking back, I would definitely say that having perseverance, humbleness, and passion definitely made an impact in my journey.
My advice to those that want to pursue art is to keep trying no matter what happens. If a certain piece does not do well, one must continue to create. Perseverance is the key to finding your own style. When it comes to humbleness, it is important to never compare yourself to other artists. Stay in your lane. Keep in mind the reason for why you are painting. Lastly, if there is no passion in your work, it will show. When creating a painting, it’s important to let your intuition take over without overthinking. It is much easier to create when you are passionate about what you will be adding to your painting rather than thinking about how it will look like in the end.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest obstacle I’m currently facing is finding my own style and putting a stamp on it. There are many times I think I have finally found what my style is, but then I start a new painting and then I find it hard to stay consistent on the style I thought I had found. I’m constantly struggling with this and each time I start a new piece I’m inclined to try some new. It’s been a rough roller coaster trying to come to a conclusion. So I’m just trying to let my intuition take over on every piece that I do, and I try not to think about how my previous pieces looked like , in order for me to not get overwhelmed if it doesn’t come out looking similar to them. One thing I always hear other abstract artists say is, “ continue showing up and practicing your painting skills.” That’s what has been helping me not feel overwhelmed. Eventually I know I will find my style, but for now I will keep practicing and trying everything on the canvas.

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