Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Schrader
Hi Kelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The first mural I ever worked on was in the third grade. My elementary school had a “gifted art club”, and we were chosen to paint one of the murals for the new community sports center that was being built in town. Our mural hung in the entranceway of that building for many years, until it was eventually sold to an athletic company with more expensive taste. I remember I had come home from college once, and met up with some friends there to play basketball, and that silly old mural was still hanging up at the time. I had almost forgotten all about it. That tiny version of me would be so stoked to learn that I’ve painted murals professionally.
Folks that know me could probably guess I was the one responsible for the goofy face on the basketball character. Some things don’t change much at all.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While there have been many late nights filled with frustration over things not working, endless hours trying to figure out a technique or tool, and more times than I care to remember where I seriously considered seeking gainful employment in any sector other than the arts, overall I don’t have any complaints. Maybe I’m just in a good mood today, but I truly feel like any obstacle or challenge I’ve faced in the past provided me more opportunity than anything else. It’s not healthy to hold onto things that don’t give you the energy you need. I’m pretty talented at expressing my anger and frustration immediately in the moment – perhaps too talented – but in the end, it allows me to feel the big feelings, and then just let them go.
From mental anguish to sorrow to physical pain, it’s a useful strategy. I may hammer a finger and release one too many expletives, but then the moment passes, I realize my finger is not broken, I grab a band-aid, and I move on. Not everything is so simple, but most things in life are not as complicated as we think they are.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most of what I do comes down to illustration. Or really, just doodling. But these silly little drawings get turned into big and fun public murals that anyone who sees can enjoy. Or, they may end up as multiples – screen printed on shirts, stickers, bags, oh my – that anyone who wants one can own. I take pride in making things that feel good, even when they don’t quite make sense. Things that are funny, even when the punchline is the grotesque or tragic. For a lot of my work, there is a long-winded narrative I’d probably feel too soapbox-y to share, but the result is something immediate and accessible. I love when I see art that speaks to me without yelling at me, and I can hear it even without the special cereal box decoder – it’s something in-between. Maybe this response has been an example: I hope it makes sense as-is, because I’m certainly not going to explain myself any further.
How do you think about happiness?
Everything makes me happy the same way everything can make me unhappy. Your mindset and how you approach things is nearly everything. I love when the moon is out during the day, when you say a word the same time it’s said on the radio or on TV, when my dog does anything at all, when you’re in a busy restaurant and you can pick up the strangest bits of so many different conversations, being on the bus and listening to a conversation in a language you do not speak, suddenly and simultaneously locking eyes with anyone for any reason, sharing a laugh or a story about a lost loved one with someone else – especially when your only connection is the one you both lost, helping someone find the right words to say, a really good song you’re hearing for the first time, and so many other parts of being alive. It’s all the good part. And that can happen whenever you want it to. The times when I forget that (thankfully fewer and farther between as I get older) are the times that even my favorite things can just piss me right off…and isn’t that a shame?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kelly-schrader.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_schraderart_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schraderart
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-schrader-85b040114/
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/_schraderart_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kellyschrader3214
- Other: https://schraderart.square.site/
Image Credits
Michee Zodulua, Sanje James
