2020 Has Changed Me Forever
An Artist's Statement, from Kat
An adventurer at heart, I've always lived my life focusing on new connections, new places, and new experiences. I felt ready to conquer the world; unafraid of the consequences of being freewheeling, spontaneous, and perhaps a bit brash. When the pandemic hit, my biggest fear wasn't the virus. It was actually the thought of losing myself and the freedom that I valued more than anything.
I went into protection mode, holding that wild part of me back and tucking it away somewhere safe. I assumed that it would re-emerge easily when the time was right, like a hibernating bear waking in Spring. As the pandemic continued to drag on, the wild and free adventurer in me got smaller and smaller. I became a bit more fearful. I hesitated before taking action. But as that wild part of me hid away, I began to notice a change that I had never expected. More and more often, I saw the value in small comforts. In a beautiful flower, a clear sky, a hug from my mother, a coffee with a dear friend. I realized that my former wildness was wonderful, but it was also privileged. I began to listen more than talk, and I heard the struggles of others in a new light. I slowed down.
Big, earth-shattering personal change is scary. But even the scariest things can result in something wonderful. I designed this collection as a way to share beauty with the world, and with you. It's a very happy collection, and it's inspired by the lovely people and things that I interacted with every day over the last year. It's a collection of hope, and of rebuilding, and of sharing joy. In this new Spring, so much is possible!
I went into protection mode, holding that wild part of me back and tucking it away somewhere safe. I assumed that it would re-emerge easily when the time was right, like a hibernating bear waking in Spring. As the pandemic continued to drag on, the wild and free adventurer in me got smaller and smaller. I became a bit more fearful. I hesitated before taking action. But as that wild part of me hid away, I began to notice a change that I had never expected. More and more often, I saw the value in small comforts. In a beautiful flower, a clear sky, a hug from my mother, a coffee with a dear friend. I realized that my former wildness was wonderful, but it was also privileged. I began to listen more than talk, and I heard the struggles of others in a new light. I slowed down.
Big, earth-shattering personal change is scary. But even the scariest things can result in something wonderful. I designed this collection as a way to share beauty with the world, and with you. It's a very happy collection, and it's inspired by the lovely people and things that I interacted with every day over the last year. It's a collection of hope, and of rebuilding, and of sharing joy. In this new Spring, so much is possible!
