We recently connected with Katie Gray and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from the understanding that no one is going to save me. As a woman, we are often dismissed for positions, while simultaneously expected to rise above impossible situations. To be candid, I was born into an alcoholic and addicted family, and though I was the youngest, was forced to be a caregiver. Even though my brother struggled immensely in school, work and in social situations, he was still praised as the one to carry on the family business. Meanwhile I was an honor roll student and thriving socially. This early exposure to misogyny, sexism and addiction laid the foundation for me to work hard to be seen, respected and accomplished. It maybe a combination of survival mode, resilience and drive; but regardless, it’s what keeps me going when the cards are stacked against me.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Katie Gray and I’ve been a practicing artist as long as I can remember. I did my undergraduate degree at UC Santa Cruz in Fine Art and completed my MFA in Sculpture at California College of the Arts. I currently own The Helm which is a tattoo studio and creative space situated in the Excelsior District in San Francisco, a notoriously underserved and diverse neighborhood. My focus in opening this space has been to give a voice to those overlooked by tattooing. I have a shop full of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and womxn artists. Recently I have applied for a second masters degree and excited to see how this next chapter will unfold and help my creative and community based passions grow.
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?
Three qualities or skills are being driven, picking myself up in the face of adversity and being responsive, not reactive. I believe some of these things cannot be taught, but the others can be developed.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
The challenge I am facing now, is not new nor specific to myself, but it is something that affects me greatly. As an artist based in the bay area, specifically San Francisco, I have witnessed first hand the mass exodus of the creative community time and again. While it seems people flock to San Francisco for its vibrant culture and arts, it struggles to maintain its artists. Public policy and politics have long favored the tech industry and industries in general that seem to have a more immediate and higher pay off. When these industries fail, leave or pivot and that income is no longer viable, the city suffers. Without a diversity in industry, I truly believe San Francisco will continue to suffer from the smallest of economic changes. Artists are known for making the place better, for giving life into rundown spaces… as the saying goes ‘leave the place better than when you arrived.’ This behavior does not translate to industries set to financially exploit an area and leave to greener pastures when presented with the opportunity. While I currently don’t have specific answers, I am invested in finding solutions that nurture the creative infrastructure of the Bay Area in hopes we are able to weather economic storms more effectively.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thehelmsf.com/katie-gray
- Instagram: @____katie.gray
- Other: Shops IG: @____the_helm
BlueSKY: Katie-gray.bsky.social
Image Credits
All tattoos done by myself; Katie Gray.
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