We recently connected with Kate Dodson and have shared our conversation below.
Kate, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose completely by accident.
I spent the majority of my time in art school thinking it was my purpose to reinvent a style or make huge powerful statements through art or do something that’s never been done before. Thinking on such a grand scale often tripped me up and gave me such an artists’ block and I couldn’t do anything.
After years of trying to force something big I decided to just document what’s in front of me in the simplest terms. I started drawing places I loved in my little town seeing if I could narrow down all details and lines to the most important ones.
Through this process I realized my actual purpose. Over the course of four years and drawing over 150 places it came to me that my purpose is to just share my art. Through sharing my drawings I’ve cultivated a feeling of community and shared memories at all of these places that I’ve drawn.
They make people think of their special memories of each place and sharing them with me is what I believe my purpose is. To share, share experiences and memories and build community with everyone.
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?
I sell my art at Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market on the weekends. It’s a true honor to be a part of such a widely diverse and talented community.
I really prefer to interact with my customers face to face especially because of the amount of custom art that I produce. Plus, it’s more fun to see their faces as they browse my prints and pick up their pet portraits.
On top of that so many of my pieces are crowd sourced ideas- “you should do this” or “you know what would be cool” never gets old at my booth!
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?
1) Clock in – show up every day and work on something. No everyday is gonna be good or seem productive but it all matters
2) No Magic – there’s nothing magical about honing in on your craft. There’s no crossroads you can sell your soul at or lightning strike that will make it happen
3) Never give up – with every success there’s failures on the way and it never stops
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Believe in me!
They weren’t always sold on the idea of me going to art school out of the desire for me to have financial security or yuh know… a job. But they watched me do it my way and they always show up to my markets and gallery shows and are sure to share how proud they are!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kaitlinnoelle.com
- Instagram: @K8noelle.art
Image Credits
Portrait by Jeff Cancelosi
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
