Kayla’s dedication to her art and passion for animals is truly inspiring. In her first interview with LocalGood, she reflects on her art career over the years. Her journey from studying animation to becoming a graphic artist showcases her talent and determination. Kayla has had a passion for animation since she was a young child, she won a trip to see the Animaniacs after her Grandmother won a giveaway from the back of a cereal box. That visit to Warner Brother Studios cemented her love of art and animation became her passion leading her to a world of colorful and whimsical artwork that brings joy to both children and adults alike.
During Kayla’s last semester of college, she took a storytelling class and ended up falling in love with graphic arts which led her to a job at a publishing company where she drew illustrations for children’s books. Her proudest moment as an artist was when she illustrated a children’s book that explains the quarantine from COVID, she designed the book in 6 weeks and it was the first book where her name was on it. After working for the publishing company she started working as an independent artist focused on drawing objects and animals in bright watercolor designs. Some of her favorite pieces of artwork are the portraits she has completed of her dog. Her long-term dream is to get her art licensed and mass-produced.
When asked, “How do you describe your artistic style?” she responded with, “Colorful, bright, whimsical, fun. Kayla is a big go-with-the-flow artist, she is not huge on planning in the beginning and likes to be more creative as she goes through the process. “Art is what you make it. Sometimes it ends up being completely different than the intentional beginning.”
Kayla is also a social media intern with LocalGood. She states that “by being an intern with local goods I am learning how to advertise myself better and how to catch the attention of people on social media.” Being an intern with LocalGood allows her to gain the social media marketing skills that she can use on her personal platforms someday.
As Kayla continues to grow in her art career, she is looking forward to working with LocalGood as an artist as well as an intern. Kayla states, “I’m glad I have the unique opportunity to work both with and also behind the scenes of LocalGood as an artist and an intern. Not only do I get to be a part of the artist community, but I also have the opportunity to interview some of our other great artists and gain insight from them that I might not otherwise have gained.”
Kayla has chosen Animal Friends as her charity of choice. Animal Friends is a Pittsburgh local animal shelter and it is actually where she got her dog from.