We recently connected with Kaelen Felix and have shared our conversation below.
Kaelen, 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?
Thank you so much for hosting me today! I’m delighted to share with you and your readers from the beginning as my art journey continues to blossom.
As a creative illustrator and children’s book designer, that’s what helps keep my creativity alive is working on my artistic craft all the time. My interest in art began at age two years old! I would pay attention to all the objects and the sun’s casting of the light source. As a little girl, I recall spending 6 hours setting up various still-lives, so I gravitate to the exact measure of light, color, and shadows to visually take notice of the unique hue values and their shades. I also live by the motto, “Art Every Day.” Since day one, I desired to draw, color, and create stories related to children’s literature. I remember the first drawing I did included characters with animals. Instantly, right after I picked up a crayon, a marker, and colored pencils; it became apparent it was my calling to be an artist. When I was five, I told both my parents and my sister that I wanted to be a professional artist, knowing it wasn’t going to be a challenging road. But that doesn’t matter anymore. Since 2018, I have illustrated six children’s books and working on my seventh book! Also, I am pleased to announce my first children’s book is coming out in late 2024 that I wrote and illustrated called Wings & Whispers: Tales of Friendship (Volume 1). The book itself began to unfold while I was earning my undergraduate degree, and for eight years and counting, and now I am excited to share with the community this newly established series to come. Creativity surrounds my life, from animals to nature to the various topics I have illustrated for clients.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself.
My name is Kaelen Felix, and I am a professional freelance illustrator and creative designer who has collaborated with clients in self-publishing for Amazon since 2018. Born and raised in a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri, then moved after 2013 to Memphis, TN. I attended Memphis College of Art, and during my undergraduate training, I discovered my passion for children’s book illustrations early on in my illustration classes. I noticed the prompts I started to gear my style towards were for children. At the end of my undergraduate, I discovered I had a knack for writing too! Ultimately, those skills did not come naturally, but let’s face it, writing can be difficult. After I kept illustrating my story one day at a time, the stories I kept writing didn’t feel satisfying so I almost stopped working on the manuscript completely and then felt the urge to do it a week later. After taking a break, I sat in front of my computer and put every thought I could from my heart and soul into poetry and never gave up on it, knowing everything would work out. Soon after that, I was right!
I am also the illustrator for EL4KIDSCORP founded by Carol Gravante in Tampa, Florida fun fact she is also from Saint Louis, MO, too! So, where does this story keep progressing? If I had not illustrated my first book collaboration with Allistar Banks for A Colorful Balloon Ride, I couldn’t even fathom where my life would be. I would not have been as accomplished and rewarded as much today if I hadn’t pursued the children’s book illustration route.
In 2020, I was nominated by the client’s for the first two books I illustrated, and won a total of four awards for both books.
As for the style and brand, it is denoted by the color green, and my style is whimsical and it sort of reminds me of Art Nouveau. Of course, the artistic theme for all the work I do derives from creating children’s literature-related work. The saturation of colors brings the whole story together and makes the style unique and the art can shine through every page
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 regarding how they can best develop or improve on these?
When I look back at my journey from the get-go…I had a strong family, I had a strong support system from my parents, at school, and faith in a lot of my friendships. Even recently, when I went back to my tenth high school reunion, a lot of my classmates mentioned how amazing and creative my art is evolving! The feedback felt extremely impactful, and that my legacy from high school and into today continues to shine for others. What many of my peers do not know is this…I continue to use my burning desire to keep going, no matter how many closed doors I get, declines, and discouragements, I don’t let it define me at all. It’s never personal. It is just about the story I tell myself.
There is so much great advice I can give many of the young artists! For starters, I will use a personal example in my case, when I was only 13 years old, I reached out to a Newberry Award Winning Author, Kirby Larson, and Ginny Rorby, another author who helped me discover my passion for writing and illustrating. My mom drove me to the Children’s Book Literature Festival in the spring of 2009. I got to meet Kirby Larson and many other famous authors, and that’s why I continue to fine-tune my craft in art every day! The two authors continually keep in contact with me and on my artistic journey, too!
When I was 15 years old, I met another mentor, Ibiyinka Alao who is the Art Ambassador of Nigeria! He invited me to his new exhibit in my hometown, and my mom went with me! He took my mom aside and asked her blessing if he had her permission to be my mentor. Thirteen years later, he continues to keep in contact with me! I recently disclosed my upcoming children’s book to him, and he said, ” I am very proud of you Kaelen! You have always shown artistic promise.” That made me realize how special my friend Ibiyinka has always been to me to this day!
So, the biggest advice I have for the artists is… find your niche and make sure you STICK with it. Don’t let yourself get discouraged, and build your brand from the ground up! Get in touch with people on Linkedin, Instagram, and more! Like I did, go to art exhibits, and see if someone will be open to being a mentor, and never let the fear of putting yourself out there, hold you back.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Without a doubt, this goes for my sister too…my family was always so supportive of my artistic talent. They helped me see that I could put anything beautifully illustrated on paper. My mom, my rock, and my biggest cheerleader figured out the major hurdles I had from a very young age, such as my hearing loss from the very beginning. As a kid, I struggled in school, and my parents did everything in their power to make sure I got through it, I can’t thank them enough for being the best support possible for my sister and me. It brings me happy tears knowing since I was five years old disclosing to them, “Mom, Dad, and Kelsey, I want to be a professional artist, and I will do whatever it takes to reach that goal.”
Their response was, “We are very happy you found your niche.” I was very fortunate to have parents who sought out my talent and kept encouraging me when I felt down on myself. The endless amount of courage to keep me going helped me a lot!
At almost 29, I feel more confident than I ever before! All thanks to my parents for providing the best education, and college experience, and raising me into the strong-willed woman I am today! NEVER GIVE UP. Follow your dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kaelenfelix.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaelix_fx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaelen.felix/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaelen-felix-360591124/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaex_fx
