Welcome to KK's studio
I'm Kylie, and I'm going to paint you
Painting naked makes it hard for me to “post.” But being clothed makes it hard for me to paint. Posting stand-alone images of my art sends shivers of AI fear down my spine… what’s a girl to do?
Oh I’m Kylie, by the way— I sign my work with KK. I’m a published illustrator and painter. I also work as a floral designer. Over the past few years, I’ve developed a painting practice that I now feel called to share. In the name of documenting my work without constantly filming myself (laborious, distracting, reveals the process, naked, etc) or resorting to the artistic doom of “content creation,” I’d love to write about it. Journaled reflection is already a part of my practice, thanks to Julia Cameron, so it makes sense to just share parts of that.
My work centers my experience as a woman, and explores how that experience connects me to women of different circumstances all over the world. At its heart, my art is autobiographical. But, similar to connecting face to face, sharing my experiences opens up a dialogue that builds profound solidarity. I have been committed to intersectional feminism since my teen years, and as you’d imagine, my commitment has only grown through the current moment. Over the last two years I’ve grown beyond my accidental 4B to a full 6B and beyond, lol. Aside from the basic boycotts of Amazon and the like, I’ve consumed exclusively queer and female created media (music, books, etc) for even longer… without really trying. I reduce that further by blacklisting any supporters of abusers, which is especially prevalent in the entertainment industry. In summary: I run a tight ship.
But, even the most well read people can get things wrong, and I think it’s more likely to happen in isolation. I’m not a perfect feminist and I’m not sure that’s something productive to strive for. But, one of the motivations behind my work is to “share the gospel,” so to speak. I’m especially interested in the intersection of women’s rights and religion, specifically the erasure of worldwide goddess religions in the establishment of patriarchy. I’m a spiritual person. Before pursuing art as a career, I was well on the path to being an astrologer. I studied at the American Federation of Astrologers and mentored under a prominent teacher of Human Design. (RIP to my astrology blog, I will always remember you, Life On Venus.) I was also raised by rather libertarian-minded parents, one of whom is an actual healthy man with a soul and empathy, so I didn’t internalize the spiritual aspects of patriarchy in my development. These things have served me profoundly. It’s so much easier for me to see absurdity than it can be for my peers, especially considering my Texas roots. All that’s to say, art cannot have public power without being seen. It also conveniently avoids meaningful critique.
In my last few months on Substack, as a reader, this has quickly become my favorite platform. Text itself is a huge deterrent for people, which sounds kind of crazy, but in the world of short form, it’s true. Twitter was my favorite app before its buyout, and I connected with numerous mystics, astrologers, feminists, and overall great women there. After its takeover it became so rotted that I made a New Year’s resolution to delete it in 2024. A success! I filled that time with vintage hunting, side hustles, floral design, and crochet— but I have become more isolated over the year, too.
Here on Substack the main focus is long form media. It’s wonderful. The usual lack of nuance and presence of faceless freaks is refreshing; although nowhere is perfect, and there is a population of men on here that should be put down like dogs…. Regardless… it’s so much less likely for someone to hate read a 5,000 word essay than watch a 15 second video. Compared to the voyeurism of actual videos of yourself— god forbid a time lapse of the entire making of a painting— there is more of a “those who seek will find” vibe with written word. Things are more successfully gatekept. I do believe more things should be. On IG and Tiktok, the content is so overwhelmingly focused on advertisement that it feels empty. Tiktok has its niche moments, but it also is an environment based on oversharing. (When I think about how many viral videos have clearly been filmed from the toilet, I yearn for the aliens to pick me up.) I don’t even like being barraged with a bunch of random music as I scroll, it’s bad enough in the grocery store. It just doesn’t resonate with me. I’ve been a social media marketer in the past, and I never will be again! I refuse to make my art into content!
Although copresent with a decent amount of pseudo-intellectuals, I’ve discovered a community of women here that continually impress me with their depth, honesty, and commitment to what’s right. I’ve even found a couple of male authors who impress me, too. Imagine! There is authentic value on Substack. People are taking themselves seriously— whether for journalism, grassroots organization, styling tips, or brilliantly vulgar memoir.
I’m at the point where I’m not only ready to share what I’ve made, but I feel it necessary to do so. Art is an essential tool against fascism, and it’s the most powerful tool I have in my arsenal. It is the best of me. The world needs art, yes, but even more so, I need it. And I need to share it. Art is at its core a form of communication. It’s only healthy to express myself, to myself, for so long… and I have a nasty habit of hiding. So that ends today.
Welcome to KK’s studio!
Every week (ish) I will be sharing what I’m working on and what’s inspiring me. This is an art diary. Energetically, I want you to feel as though you’ve walked into my jasmine-scented home studio. I’ve handed you a hot cup of oolong in a frilly little teacup, and I have a special spot for you on my purple velvet couch; hand crocheted throw blanket and all. Do you want honey? I have two kinds. Coconut sugar too. Thanks for being here. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on.
xoxo, KK
PS— moving forward, a portion of each post will be visible to paid subscribers only. You’ll get to see my work and some commentary as a free subscriber. The juicy stuff, like the process and personal reflection, will be paywalled.