My creative entrepreneurship first got me in trouble when I was eight years old.
I illustrated bookmarks and sold them to my classmates for the very fair price of ten cents each (US), and they were a hit! It turns out second graders will happily trade in their milk money for a bit of custom art that also serves a purpose. Later that day, with the coins jingling in my pocket, my mom held my hand as we walked down the hallway of my elementary school. She gently explained that I would have to return the money to my young customers. Aghast and defiant, I proclaimed the request unjust and outrightly refused. My teacher had told her that students selling things in class went against school rules, and that I would have to return my profits. I eventually, begrudgingly, complied (I was a bit feisty, but definitely not a rule breaker), knowing that wouldn’t be the last of my attempts to share my love and creativity with the world.
And I was right. In the subsequent years I ran many a creative ‘business,’ usually with a partner in crime, that ranged from making and selling a complete stationery line to an idea for a sportswear brand that empowers women (I actually think this one still has legs…).
As a kid growing up in a small town in the Midwest (Mascoutah, IL proud!), I always had a sense that nothing was impossible with a little creativity. This mindset has led me around the world - as a graphic designer in St. Louis, a one-time Travel Director and photographer through the safaris of South Africa and down the rivers of Eastern Europe, as an agency Art & Creative Director in Chicago, a volunteer English teacher in Peru, a freelance Creative Director in Denver, and after a life adventure and whirlwind romance (stay tuned for this story), touching down in Perth, Western Australia taking on my biggest job yet (amongst other things) - parenthood.
It came with no huge surprise that the major life transitions of motherhood and immigration, on top of the global turmoil we’ve witnessed recently in many forms, has encouraged me (and so many of us) to take stock of how I’m spending my time, how I’m using my gifts to contribute to the world around me, and what’s getting in the way of doing so (I’m looking at you, perfectionism!). I’ve spent a lot of time connecting more deeply with myself by getting clear on my core values (see below), discovering my core gifts, and better understanding my core motivations (more to come on these). Intuitively, I started signing my artwork “Love, Kristin” and realized this applied to everything I put out into the world as a multi-passionate creator (and frankly, always has - those bookmarks were made with so much love!).
And so, with the belief that more connection to ourselves and each other will make the world a better place, I’m doing my small part in all the ways you see here, with a lot of heart.
My Core Values
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All we need is love, right? It might not be that simple, but I tend to put a lot of the stuff in to everything that I do (ok, with a couple of exceptions like doing taxes and cleaning the toilet but maybe that’s something to explore…).
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I see creativity as a sort of portal to truth or essence. We are ALL innately creative, and I believe the more we are connected to that creativity the better we begin to know ourselves, the more freedom and authenticity we can experience, creating deeper, richer connections.
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I took my various communities for granted before I started to make a life in another country. My loving and supportive communities had made me who I was, and for the first time, I was facing a new life without a community. This experience still frequently gives me perspective and gratitude on the importance of cultivating community for myself but also in showing up in community for others.
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It took me a little while for this one to crystallize as a core value. But it only takes one glance at my life path (and podcast list) to see that I’m on a pretty big mission to always keep growing. As my 101-year-old Granny shared with me often, “You’re never too old to keep learning” and with learning, comes growth.
FORM Building a State of Creativity, Creative Schools training, 2024. Photo by Edwin Sitt, courtesy of FORM.
“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
- BRENÉ BROWN
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