Meet Kristina “sk8marie” Sison

We recently connected with Kristina “sk8marie” Sison and have shared our conversation below.

Kristina “Sk8marie” , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Baby steps! It’s very easy to be super self critical, but having a great support system that hypes you up, and believing them definitely helps.

Reframing your mindset is super important, and focusing on strengths versus nitpicking at your weaknesses is helpful too. I’ve also had to do a lot of inner work to come to terms that not everything has to be perfect. Bob Ross told us about happy accidents and we need to remember that!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve been painting custom, one of a kind skateboards for a decade. I think what’s exciting is always having new concepts to paint from the commissions I get. No board is ever the same, and being commission based allows me to be creative with different designs. It never gets stale or boring for me.

Next summer I will be teaching a skateboard painting class with the lovely folks at the Bodecker Foundation.

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?

Communication, creative problem solving, and patience. Being able to have a good relationship with clients so they can communicate their ideas, and being able to find creative solutions to translate those into a design is important. I say patience because sometimes I just need to trust the process and let the creative juices flow. Sometimes I take breaks like go on walks, immerse myself in nature, and go through a rabbit hole for inspiration when I feel like I’m in a creative funk.

I would tell people who are just starting to out to make sure you always have fun and give yourself grace! It’s not a race to finish a piece. Sometimes it’s good to take a beat and come back with a fresh set of eyes. You might see something different that you didn’t before. You might have a new idea you hadn’t thought of yet!

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?

Because I’m commission based, I rarely have a collection ready to share, which is something I am eager to change.

I would love to have my art displayed in different spaces/businesses that support local artists, or create custom pieces for them!

I would love to collaborate with other artists and reach more audiences.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Sk8marie

Image Credits

Kristina Sison