Meet Kalea Clark

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

Hi Kalea, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
My answer is not ultimately black and white on how to know when you should give up or keep going. I think this is different for everyone, a gut feeling/instinct we all have and should be attuned to. I have tried many different paths in my life, truly, it has felt like a rollercoaster. Now that I draw, paint, and create art almost every day there is a different spark in me that makes me realize I won’t ever give up on this passion. Through all of the other things I’ve done, I have never experienced this drive and excitement, even when it is difficult I still want to keep working at it. With that being said I think if you find the hobby or passion that gives you so much more than you thought it would have, that is when you shouldn’t give up. However many people believe that no matter what, you should push through something even if you don’t like it and even if it doesn’t make you happy, I don’t believe in that. All in all, we live very short lives so if you don’t think it’s worth your time and effort don’t continue to pursue it. But always be open to trying something new and setting new goals.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am very proud of where I am today in my art career/journey however I still have much to learn, which is kind of the fun part! I draw and am inspired by women and their fashion, lifestyles, and overall personalities. We are of course SUCH complex creatures and we are all so different and amazing in our own way. But we as women are so strong and soft, rugged and beautiful, intriguing beings. Drawing women is a way I can pay my respects to them since women are who I look up to.

I have always been a visual and creative person but didn’t jump into illustration up until a few years ago, I used it as an escape from a job I hated. I remember my husband being quite concerned about the number of markers I was purchasing online! And slowly I found my love for drawing every night after work. Eventually, I bought myself an I-pad to be able to have the portability I needed to draw on the go! Soon this turned into me buying a printer to create my own prints from home and then purchasing a sticker maker and so on. I really enjoy creating all of my products with my very own hands because quality is extremely important to me. I am picky about how my work is portrayed and where it ends up.

One of the biggest challenges I have faced in this career choice is my printer, I have a battle with it every other day. Aside from that, I have found a challenge in being a one-man band essentially, though I would love to be able to sit down and create all day every day, I have to remember I am my own social media guru, website builder, printer, content creator, illustrator, financial advisor, and I also have to maintain another part-time job to pay the other half of my bills. Would I have it any other way though? No, I love what I do and will probably never stop.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a difficult question because I myself just relocated to the area. So I will Have to go off of the few places I have been but loved. We would start our morning off at IF cafe in chandler for breakfast because I have one too many allergies but this cafe has given me hope to eat out again and not get sick. After we were done there we, of course, would need to grab a coffee so we would head to pips coffee and clay because it’s so freaking adorable and the people who work there are incredibly lovely. Since we were close to the area we would head over to Phoenix art museum to see what the latest exhibit was and get are inspiration flowing to then spend the afternoon drawing at any of the adorable parks I have spent time in. Since it gets nice and toasty down here my pool would be calling our name. And the way we would end our day is a sweet sunset hike because every night it seems that Arizona has a completely different, gorgeous, sunset!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people that deserve not just a little bit a lot of credit for my story, here are just a few. I would like to give a shoutout to my mother for showing me that a woman can be strong and successful as long as she works her ass off and gives it everything she has and for supporting any new venture I pursue with the least amount of judgment. My grandmother for pushing my creativity to bloom. My husband for always telling me that “my art is the prettiest art of all the art”. And of course all of the artists who I have made connections with on my illustration journey, because of them my inspiration still thrives and drives me every day!

Website: kaleaclarkillustrations.square.site

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalea.clark/

Other: Email: Kaleaillustrates@gmail.com