We recently connected with Faith (F.K.E) Escarda and have shared our conversation below.
Faith (F.K.E), so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity is a funny thing; it persists in the face of challenges, laziness, imposter syndrome, suffering, and the not-so-good days. It’s something that we may numb down, but for reasons unknown, can’t run away from, and surely can’t kill.
In my life, creativity is like a little voice in my head whispering What if. What if the sun hits the trees and breaks into a million sparkles? What if manta rays leap out of the water and start flying? What if the smoke from my coffee hides a distant world?
Creativity is something I can’t escape; it brings a feeling of life with it, along with curiosity, which begs me to ask questions and search beyond what I know and what my eyes perceive. The trick to keep creativity at the forefront of your mind is to indulge it, to continue following and filling in the gaps of what’s not there by asking yourself, 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐𝘧.
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?
Hi, I’m Faith, also known as F.K.E., I am the artist and storyteller behind Fkepoetryandcreations. I create cozy, colorful art that tells stories inspired by the beauty of nature, the comfort of home, and the magic of everyday moments. In my artwork, I tend to use mostly gouache, though with the fall season in swing, I have taken more to painting outdoors. This has led me to gravitate more towards portable mediums like small gouache paints, colored pencils, watercolor crayons, oil pastels, and markers. It has also earned me the name “the cafe artist,” as I spend a good amount of time painting in cafes and sketching out ideas.
I started painting at a young age, but it was only in 2022 that I decided to start sharing my art online. At the time, I had just gone through a very hard season, and art was one of the main things that brought me comfort and helped me keep my joy, and I wanted to bring that to others.
Ever since then, my art journey has really taken off, leading me to launch my own website and Etsy shop, Fkecreations, where I continue to spread joy and magic by painting greeting cards, artworks, bookmarks, and more. It’s honestly a blessing to see others enjoying my art and sharing it, to hear them say it brought them joy, or helped them comfort a friend, or reminded them of the magic they used to see as a child.
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?
As an artist and business owner, I have had my share of failures. No matter how hard you prepare, research, and study, there comes a time when you must put what you’ve learned into action and sometimes the results are not what you’d hoped for. This is when perseverance comes in; time and time again, I have failed, and that has helped me become familiar with what does and doesn’t work. Currently, I am still learning to love this concept of trial and error and the realization that you can’t expect your first try to look like someone else’s tenth.
The second thing I’ve learned on my art journey is the importance of play. When you are painting, you don’t always need a reason behind what you do or a story behind the painting before you start. Throw blue on the canvas simply because you love it, paint a tree pink because you’ve always wanted to see a pink tree. Let the meaning behind it all come later but first, enjoy what you are doing because when you do, the audience can feel it. Many artists try so hard to be original and to have a voice that they end up stifling their creativity, and that can lead to art block. Sure, some pieces come with a feeling or meaning first, but don’t forget the ones that excite you simply because.
This brings me to one of the biggest things I’ve learned that impacted my journey and my favorite thing to tell beginner artists. Your sketchbook is where ideas form; it is not a curated portfolio of finished artwork.
Many beginner artists and creatives I speak to believe their sketchbook must be curated to perfection, a beautiful flip through of all their work, and that was never the case. Sure, you can keep a sketchbook dedicated to finished ideas, but your main sketchbook should be messy and raw. Give me half-painted pieces, random ideas, studies, abandoned sketches, and a plethora of mixed media. Your sketchbook is a place for experimentation; it doesn’t have to be seen by anybody but you. I cannot stress this enough when I say you need a place where all your ideas, concepts, and trials can live and a sketchbook is the perfect place.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes, I’d love to collaborate. I am especially interested in collaborating with poets and authors by illustrating poems and storybooks, since so much of my work is inspired by what I read. The ability to bring someone’s words to life through pictures would be such a joy. I’d also love to collaborate with Christian brands designing bible covers, t-shirts, notebooks, and similar things . I have already made a few pieces inspired by Bible verses and stories, and the opportunity to share my faith through creative collaborations would be amazing.
If you’d like to dream something up together, feel free to email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @fkecreations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fkepoetryandcreations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fkecreations?igsh=MXUyd2NvZ3J6NTg2aQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@fkecreations
- Other: https://fkecreations.etsy.com
Image Credits
@fkecreations
