We were lucky to catch up with Kierra Boyd recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kierra, 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’ve been making art for truly as long as I can remember. Since I was a child, I’ve always been more interested in spending time in the worlds that exist only in my daydreams. I used to write stories, had my own business and website by the time I was 9 years old, and decided to study art in college despite everyone warning me that it was a risky career move. I believe my steadfast dedication to my own dreams and goals has been of paramount importance in me finding my purpose. Even when I was ostracized as a kid for being “weird” and “obsessed with my business”, I tried to let it fuel me even more by just choosing to believe that others did not understand me because they simply couldn’t relate to my incessant desire to be making art & strange knick-knacks. So I chose to stick with my goal of creating cute, strange, relatable art until I finally noticed others responding positively to my creations. In college, I completed a thesis project involving a solo art exhibition, a written paper, and a baccalaureate exam in which I presented and defended my thesis to a committee. Working on such a personal, creative, and self-led project really helped me find my artistic voice & establish the confidence I had always needed to put my art out into the world. I also embraced the art of printmaking in that time of my life, and started a little but successful side gig of printing clothing with my art on it. It brought me immense joy to not only see that my peers wanted to spend their money on my silly creations, but to see them WEARING my art all the time! I finally believed that other people wanted to see the things I made, and it made me want to revisit the jewelry-making I had so loved as a kid. I started making myself clay earrings in 2018, and over the next few years ended up turning it into my full-time job! Making wearable art has truly changed my life and brought joy to so many people. Seeing folks choose to adorn themselves with my creations brings me constant encouragement and inspiration, and choosing to focus on positive responses to my creations instead of negative ones is probably my number one tip for maintaining my sense of purpose. My art is not for everyone, but it is for people like me–so I need to focus on what they want & embrace my calling of making wearable art for all the wonderful whimsical weirdos of the world!
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?
My name is Kierra Boyd, and I like to say I make friends for a living! Currently, I live alone in Asheville, North Carolina with my 2-year-old tuxedo cat, Pebble, who loves to help me paint earrings. I moved to Asheville almost five years ago, and was drawn to Asheville because of the incredibly supportive and inspiring art community here. I have become known around Asheville for my colorful, playful, eccentric cartoon-inspired jewelry and other art. Having started off with clay back in 2019, my business grew to a point in 2020 where I decided to invest in a Glowforge laser cutter. This helped to streamline my process and make it more efficient, allowing me to explore various new materials and quickly pump out my constant stream of creative ideas! Currently, I am working on my first collaborative gallery art show—opening March 1st—with two of my closest friends here in Asheville! Revisiting larger scale artwork in various mediums for the first time in a long time has felt so inspiring and has reinvigorated my need to create! This year I am determined to find ways to innovate within my field, sustain customer interest, and continue spreading smiles! Expanding my offerings with more elaborate screen-printed and patterned clothing, stationery options and ceramics are great ways for me to do that. Currently, I have work for sale in multiple retail locations throughout Asheville and would like to start stocking stores in other cities soon.You can always catch me at local markets and art shows this coming spring!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Though my ADHD can certainly be a hindrance to many aspects of my job and life, I also think certain aspects of ADHD have been crucial to my progress as an artist and small business owner. Specifically, my ability to hyperfocus on projects I am passionate about. Though hyperfocusing can make it difficult to prioritize more mundane tasks, I attribute much of the success of my business to the intense razor-sharp focus I get when I feel inspired and determined. This intense dedication most certainly comes in handy to maintain a successful and engaging social media presence, constantly design and create new products, and perhaps most importantly to feel a contagious and powerful EXCITEMENT about my work! I also think my job experiences as a summer camp art instructor and preschool teacher were particularly formative to my work ethic and the way I view the world: the ability to connect with and understand children requires much patience but also a great deal of imagination, and training my brain to work in that way also helped me reconnect to the whimsy and weirdness I experienced as a kid. And as I previously mentioned, the thesis project I completed in college and in particular the fact that I needed to fill a whole gallery with my own artwork, instilled in me a newfound passion and confidence in my abilities as an artist. My number one advice to folks who might be just starting out with their art and/or entrepreneurial journeys is to trust your gut! Make what you want to make, because passion and enthusiasm for your craft are the true fuel to keep you going, especially when the art block hits.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for folks to partner and collaborate with! I strive to constantly be expanding my skills and product offerings, so I am particularly interested in artists/companies who possess the skills and resources to help me create products I can’t producte myself! Some products I am interested in collaborating on are clothing, socks, bags/backpacks, stationery, plush toys, home decor, rugs, ceramics, toys and figurines, enamel pins and keychains, etc. I can be contacted via message on my Etsy, my email [email protected], or on my instagram @kierraboyd.art!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://kierraboydart.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kierraboyd.art/
