Creative of the Week: Gathoni Kinyua

Gathoni Kinyua (@karegiann) is a 29 year old mother to a 4 year old, a girlfriend to a loving man and also an art lover.

1. Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?

Yes, I did. I’ve been fascinated by artistic things since I was a kid. Even though I didn’t know what exactly I’d be doing, I knew it needed to be deeply rooted to art and that’s something I can comfortably wake up to do every day. Art is my happy place.

2. What is your creative process like?

Most of the time it’s something I’ve seen either online or when I go to a place and see something interesting. It always ends up bothering me to the point of insomnia and the end result is I must try it out. I’m also very experimental so I buy stuff (craft materials) research online on what I can make and if I feel its doable, I make it.

3. How much do your life experiences influence your work?

I’ve always been attracted to bespoke and unique items. They need to be something pocket friendly and most importantly functional art so everything I make should be able to fit the clients persona and be functional in his/her space.

4. You refer to yourself as a craftpreneur. What does it entail?

A crafter is anyone who deals majorly in hand making things. For me it’s mostly home décor so decided to take the risk and go in the direction most wouldn’t go with crafts which is entrepreurship thus the term craftpreneur. In short, I make money off of my hobby.

5. Who is your favourite artist and why?

At the moment most of my work is influenced by Elspeth McLean’s dottlism. It reminds me of the first element of art; a dot, which is the building block of art.

Micheal Soi’s work is also a favorite as his work depicts a lot of what is happening in our society.

6. What are your thoughts on art in Kenya, what challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you think we can improve on the craft?

Art is perceived as a hobby not a 9-5 job so a lot of people expect it to be either free or cheap, yet art materials are so expensive to buy and most of the time have to ship in materials. I just need people to respect my work the same way they do bankers and doctors. The best way to improve on the craft in Kenya is by buying our work, especially now that there is a lot of art out here to choose from.

7. What work/project are you most proud of?

Every craft that I have done and was bought makes me proud. It gives me satisfaction to know people appreciate my work as they are willing to go the extra mile by buying it.

8. What advice would you give an aspiring artist that you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?

It takes time to learn a skill, so don’t be in a hurry. Once you perfect it. all will work out.

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Having an Etsy shop and be able to have a session with kids to teach simple DIY projects.

Bonus Question

10. If you could have created any existing piece by another artist, what would it be and why?

Any piece by Asmahan A. Mosleh. It would be a challenge but if I got it right would have gained an added skill.

Check out Gathoni’s profile and work below.

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