We were lucky to catch up with Kaitlyn Gaskin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kaitlyn, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Following the journey of other artists, working out, visiting new places, and even reading helps keep my creativity alive. When I find myself in a rut, I just take a step back and do things that bring me joy and that usually helps.
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?
I am a self-taught artist. I think the most exciting part in telling people that is just that it goes to show that art can be a product of consistency and a whole lot of practice. I specialize in acrylic paintings, and most people know my name because of pet portraits. I am always challenging myself to learn more and try new things. I read something by Seth Godin recently that said, “it’s possible that you no longer need to get better at your craft. That your craft is just fine. It’s possible that you need to be braver instead”. It really stuck with me, and I think that sums up my journey as an artist, simply being brave with my work.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Consistency, work ethic, and confidence. I think it’s important to be confident in your work, because it helps produce your best work. In that confidence, you’ve got to develop a solid work ethic and work consistently at it.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
For me personally, I benefit more from becoming more well-rounded by working on areas of improvement. Pet portraits are my strength, and I actually think I naturally improve with each portrait that I do. In order to grow as an artist, it’s important for me to improve in other areas, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: artbykaitlyn.com
- Instagram: @__artbykaitlyn
- Facebook: Art by Kaitlyn
Image Credits
Caitlyn Weathers Photography
