Meet Kaitlyn Janak | Artist & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaitlyn Janak and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaitlyn, what makes you happy? Why?
What makes me happy is being able to make a difference in other people’s lives by creating art. Whenever people tell me that my art has inspired them or helped them through their day, that is what makes all the difference for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a dreamer, and I have been my whole life. I started creating my sketchbook paintings as an outlet for when my daydreams were so strong I couldn’t hold them in anymore. I am inspired by nature, wanderlust, and the beauty of simple human connections.

It was when I started videoing these paintings and uploading them on TikTok that I realized that there were so many people out there who felt the same way I did. I realized that my paintings were inspiring others to follow their dreams of traveling the world and creating their own art.

Aside from my videos in which I work primarily with gouache in my sketchbook, I also work in lots of other mediums like acrylic, oil, and digital.

What I think sets me apart from other artists is the romanticized feeling that unites all of my paintings. My daydreams are what inspire me to paint, so most of my paintings are of images that match those of my daydreams.

I think this daydreaming is something that a lot of young people can relate to across the world, especially those who are poetic at heart. I love that my art has been able to reach all the other daydreamers out there and to think that for a brief moment, we can be united through my paintings.

My biggest accomplishment, and most rewarding part of my journey, has been hearing about the impact my art has made on others. Reading through comments about how my art has brightened up other people’s days or inspired them to create art again is something I never expected.

Hearing that my art has helped make even a small impact in other people’s lives fills me with so much joy I can not describe it. It is because of this joy that I know that I will create art forever.

What I am excited about the most is just seeing where the future takes me! My social media following is continuing to grow, and I am starting to begin the process of selling prints of my work. I sell a lot of artist commissions, and I love it when people reach out to me with something special they would like me to paint for them! I am so excited to continue to touch the hearts of others in any way that I can. In addition to making art, I have also taught art for the last five years, and I am excited to keep inspiring others to discover their own love for art.

Being as young as I am, my professional journey is just beginning. My whole life I’ve known that I wanted to be an artist. Even as a kid, I would try to film videos of myself creating art. I think that what has helped me get to where I am the most has been the spirit of never letting myself give up. As I continued to grow, my art grew with me as well. I finally began to recognize a style emerging from my art and found a niche I was able to devote myself to consistently. I discovered that consistency was key. My art had a consistency between my paintings, and I began to post one video on the same day and time each week. It was once I was able to finally dedicate myself to this level of consistency that the videos I was posting on TikTok began to gain traction. Each of my videos started doing better and better until my first video went viral and got millions of views. That video was the video that changed my whole platform. I gained a lot of followers, and companies began reaching out to me with sponsorship opportunities. Since then I have continued to maintain the same level of consistency, and in the almost one year that I have been posting my sketchbook videos, I now have over 50 thousand followers and have been able to work with so many amazing companies!

It wasn’t easy to get to where I am now. I tried posting on different social media platforms for years until my TikTok finally grew in popularity. There were a lot of failures, and a lot of times when I wondered if I had what it takes. But I was able to trust in myself and my ability to learn and grow which was enough to help me push through. As I kept pushing myself every week to keep trying, learning as much as I could about social media along the way, I kept growing until I was finally there.

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned along the way, as cheesy as it sounds, is to never give up. When I first started this art journey, my art didn’t have a style. I didn’t know what it was that I liked to paint, and my skills weren’t anywhere near where they are today. I didn’t even know what gouache paint was! But because I kept trying and pushing myself every week, I was able to grow so much!

If I had one thing to share with the world related to my story, it would be to welcome the world to daydream with me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to the Houston Art Museum, White Oak Music Hall, and to all of the nice outdoor spots in my neighborhood to paint/draw!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank my parents, friends, and teachers for always supporting and encouraging me to follow my artistic dreams.

Website: https://artist-kaitlyn.myshopify.com

Instagram: @artist.kaitlyn

Other: TikTok: @artist.kaitlyn