We were lucky to catch up with Kelsey Snyder recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelsey, 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?
For me, it’s leaning into the things that my heart tells me to do. There’s a huge difference between what my head wants me to do, because my head thinks certain art/things are better for “business”, but my heart is wanting me to create a completely different body of work. I find when I lean into my heart’s desire, it leads down more creative avenues and more ideas flow organically. For example, my current collection I’m pouring my whole heart into is a huge shift from my other body of work. I have, thus far, been a watercolor artist. But something fierce in me has been screaming to make an acrylic collection of work. I was out for a run one morning and this feeling so strong came over me to create a collection of shells that are painted with pigment I create from the actual shells. One painting is of the shells whole and another accompanied painting is of those same shells shattered. The message behind them is that being broken can be beautiful too. You just have to push through that brokeness and keep breaking down the pieces into finer pieces that can then be turned into something even more beautiful (such as the paintings I created from the actual broken shells.) I stopped in my tracks during this run after having this idea pop into my head and my soul and I cried. I cried because I knew I had to create this, even if it was completely different than what my collectors are used to. I cried because it resonates with me so much and my life, and I know it will resonate with others as well. I want this collection to be a reminder on someone’s wall that you will come out on the other side even better.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an artist deep at the roots. I resisted it for while by taking different career paths in the film industry, but after having my son I was led back to what I knew I was supposed to be doing, and that’s creating works on art and giving them to the universe. When I say “deep at the roots” what I mean is, I inherited my artistic abilities. I didn’t go to school for them, in fact I went to school for television and film at Auburn University. I learned everything I needed to know about art from my mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great aunt, etc. My lineage is a long line of artists and I kick myself for resisting that for so long. But I’m here now embracing it to the fullest and never looking back! I hope to continue to pass it down for generations to come.
My inspiration will always be nature. I grew up submerged in nature and the beauty around us. I love to observe it’s intricacies and relate them back to our ever day lives. I mentioned my current shell collection, where I am doing just that. Breaking down shells and creating a painting of those shells from those shells. We have all been broken before, but we have also all been blessed enough to emerge on the other side, better and evolved from the experience.
I also used to own a candle company in California called Piece By Paz. They were regularly featured on the Late Late Show with James Cordon as well as The Grammy’s gift bags. Hotels across the country carried them in their gift shops and we were in over 50 retail locations across the US. When we had to close our doors in 2020 during the pandemic, our customers were shattered. A couple of scents had a cult following and this year I plan to bring those scents back with a twist! I plan to merge my art with my candles and debut a boutique art-inspired candle line that will be made in very exclusive, limited batches!
We now live in south Florida and I have recently been invited to showcase my art as a part of this year’s Sunfest in West Palm Beach, FL! I will be bringing my past watercolor collections as well as a preview of the seashell collection, “Hope”, and a small batch of my art candles. If you are planning on attending Sunfest this year in May, I truly hope you stop by to say hello and check out my new work!
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?
Playing. You have to play and experiment to grow! I taught myself watercolor in 2020 during the pandemic and it was so tough. But I played with what different levels of water did to the paint. I played with dry techniques, wet on wet techniques, dry on wet techniques, etc. I then applied these techniques to my watercolor paintings and played around learning what layers to use which technique. It was a process for me but once I figured out a groove I knew exactly what I needed to do moving forward to get the affect I was looking for.
If you are early in your journey you need to play! Whether it be watercolor, acrylic, oil, etc. Grab a canvas/paper you don’t care about and play with different techniques. And for me, my art comes alive with layers! I find a lot of artists’ work fall flat when they don’t work in layers. Yes, it takes longer for the art to complete, but the results are worth it.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I have the most loving, beautiful, funny, adventurous, 5 year old son. We are the best of friends and love spending all of our time together, truly. However, I recently pulled him out of his Prek4 school year due to certain circumstances and am now taking on the role of homeschooling him until he starts Kindergarten in August. Reminding myself this is only temporary has been incredibly helpful to overcome my overwhelm with the situation because listen, I’m not a homeschool girlie. I know many mommas who are and they are actual super heroes from whom I absorb all of their advice and guidance during this chapter. The challenge has been finding the time to paint and run my business while giving my son the attention he deserves. We just finished week one and I’m feeling optimistic about it! But it has definitely been a struggle none the less. Find me on socials or through my website if you have any advice, I am all ears!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kelseyps.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey.ps/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelseyPSart
