We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen Kliethermes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Karen, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Honestly?…I’m not sure I have fully overcome imposter syndrome, ha! I think it’s an ongoing process for those that struggle with it. I think of the difference between courage and fearlessness, where courage is about still having fear, but doing that scary thing anyway. Instead of -wishing- to be an ideal version of yourself, you take actions to -be- that ideal version of yourself. Every step in becoming an entrepreneur was like that for me. You can’t wait for someone to hold your hand or give you permission, you have to make the choice to just jump right on in, even if you feel like you know nothing about the specific challenge or goal. Although, it personally takes a substantial amount of energy to do so, which then requires patience and many small steps.
And for me, that’s the challenge—allowing myself to slow down, not get ahead of myself, and attempt to be smart about how I utilize my energy and resources. I often internally shame myself for not being as productive that day, or not being as far ahead as I planned to be, or not bringing in as much money as I’d like. But the problem is that this way of thinking becomes much more destructive than it is motivating.
With that, I’m still learning to take every day as it comes, to just do the best I can and provide self-compassion and self-care. Every once in awhile, I’ll dive through my photos/website/previous posts/supportive messages from clients, and remind myself of all the accomplishments I -have- made, and be proud of them while knowing more opportunities are surely to come. I encourage those reading this to do the same! This also helps ground my very airy, ADHD mind that often doesn’t know what’s happening, what’s going on, how did I get here, etc. My brain then goes, “Oh wait, upon closer look, it appears I have actually learned and experienced a lot, and I’m possibly more competent than I feel, ha!”
And perhaps I’m enough even if I don’t achieve my goals, make the most profit, or strive for being the best artist or entrepreneur; perhaps it’s enough for me to just -be-. (And for you, reader, to be you!) Success is what we make of it, and I’m learning to focus on defining success as getting to do what I love to do, and supporting others—animal, plant, and human beings alike—however I am able to.
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?
Hi! My name is Karen Kliethermes (KLEE-thur-miss), and I am a fine artist, muralist, illustrator, instructor, speaker, designer, permaculturalist, and eco-activist based in the Boulder/Denver area. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Colorado — Boulder with an emphasis in Drawing and Painting, along with a Minor in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. I am deeply passionate about preserving the life on this planet, and my main objective is to do what I can to contribute to the cause through my work.
I spend most of my time working on products that highlight the importance of our natural world, including animal portraits, animal oracle card decks, and environmentalist coloring books. I also collaborate with numerous non-profit organizations through live-painting animals portraits at events, and donating proceeds made from my artwork at the events to those nonprofits. I have thus far raised/donated thousands of dollars for numerous nonprofits that support our natural world.
As a small, one-woman run business, my many big dreams for new projects and expansion–if actually achieved–come to fruition slowly. Pet commissions and vendor events keep me pretty busy! But as of now, I’m striving to have a fancy card-pulling page on my website using my mammals and birds oracle decks, (possibly a phone app version, too!), and I also strive to create a reptiles/insects deck as well as an insect/invertebrate deck.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that feel the most apparent to me are: deep passion for a cause, creative problem-solving skills, and self-reflection.
My work and life journey are vastly motivated by my passion for expressing and sharing in the extraordinary magic of the natural world, and art is merely my platform to do that. Feeling heartfelt love and awe is the base source of motivation to work; it keeps me going even on the toughest of days, the most challenging work situations, and deepest struggles with self-doubt. Because this cause (that is outside of me) is one that I genuinely love and have been interested in ever since I can remember, it becomes an inextinguishable, infinite source of energy to access.
I also find it challenging to confidently advertise myself to others, but that enthusiasm changes when it’s on behalf of the cause I’m passionate in, which is quite directly represented in my work. I’m pretty sure a lot of opportunities I’ve gotten and sales I’ve made have been because people feel my authentic passion for what I do. My advice is to find what it is that makes your heart light up, and see how it feels to make that the foundation of your work and/or creative projects.
Being an entrepreneur selling non-essential items and services in a struggling economy, amongst countless other artisans doing the same thing, requires applying creativity to your business to be successful. For me, this has meant finding new ways to increase passive income, learning to offer a multitude of price points, products, and services (not putting all your eggs in one basket), and being strategic in how I utilize my time. I also enjoy taking part in co-working groups to increase feedback and motivation, combining fun/social events and outings with a work purpose, and looking into collaboration work for mutual gains and improving social recognition. In general, you really have to be a jack-of-all-trades and find unique ways to adapt your unconventional job to the conventional collective systems.
And while there’s definitely perks to being your own boss, I find it to be overwhelming! I am learning that it’s important to be open to feedback and consistently review and revise your business plan, timelines, way of scheduling, organizational system, social media/website structure, client outreach, and so much more. Not to mention that it’s important to also consistently be aware of what others like you are doing to adapt and grow. Mental and structural pliability, openness to change, and ability to self-assess have been crucial for me, especially in combination with creative problem-solving.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
In January of 2020, I was rear-ended by a big box van while fully stopped at a stoplight, and it has changed my life. I now live with chronic pain, fatigue, and a host of other symptoms. While I have slowly and steadily found some ways to reduce symptoms and have learned more about my body’s patterns, I still cannot work close to the same way I was working before the accident.
Sitting upright on the computer or to paint and draw hurts my neck and back, and I can generally only do it for a few hours per day, if that. I used to paint one or two pet commissions in a day, and now a single one will take me one to two weeks. Working all-day vendor events to sell my products is much more brutal on my body than before, and I need several rest days before and after. Instead of doing three-day events (also with a fourth day of setup) like I was doing, I now only do one and two-day events…and I honestly still dread them. But as of now, it has been the most significant source of my income, and they need to happen. I do try to give myself a break during the cold season, since those six months or so are especially challenging on my body.
I also have a dear friend who introduced me to wire-wrapping a few years ago, and I dove deep into making wire-wrapped crystal pendants and earrings. What started as a fun hobby became a new, lucrative part of my business that turned out to be successful. This is widely because it is a mess-free creative activity that I can comfortably do from the couch. While I’m certainly less passionate about jewelry than I am about making my environmentalist oracle decks and coloring books, I realize I am still showcasing the beauty of the natural world through stunning crystals and charming animal beads, albeit in a much smaller way.
I have tried to adapt my schedule to these changes by generally doing computer or drawing/painting work for a few hours in the morning, taking my daily two-hour nap, then doing jewelry work in the evening. What has been the greatest challenge for me is adapting mentally to these changes, and what it means for my sense of self. I am trying to focus my sense of self-worth and success on joy (both personally experienced and shared) instead of productivity and achievement. It’s quite a leap to make for a very driven perfectionist like me! Especially when I have an overwhelmingly large number of creative project ideas, paintings I want to make, and fundraising/support I want to give to the natural world. While I’m still in a process of grieving what I have lost, I very much want to make the best of this situation, and am actively doing whatever I can to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.karen.kliethermes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenkliethermesart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenKliethermesEssenceoftheSoul
