Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Matthews.
Hi Kim, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a transplant from Maine but I’ve lived here for two-thirds of my life. I came out here to finish art school and get some emotional support from the healthier part of my family, and then I was going to move to New York and hit the big time. Instead. I worked at Woolworth’s (You’ll have to Google that, kids) and went to a tech school for commercial art before going on to other things. Now most of my family has moved on to other states (or forms), and I’m hanging out and wondering where forty years went. I mostly earn a living as a freelance graphic production designer and editor-writer-proofreader, not necessarily in that order. When I’m not hustling, I’m doing all the things that make the hustle possible: I meditate twice a day, swim a few times a week, walk, cook, and am just climbing out of despair to the point that I can resume my studio practice again. So much has happened in the world and my faith in my ability to do meaningful work has been shaken, to put it mildly.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think I’ve met a single person who would say their life has been easy. I’ve had a lot of messes to clean up since my young adult days–inherited as well as self-inflicted. I feel like I’m just getting a handle on some very basic things, like how to navigate the working world without being what’s considered, um, blunt, I guess, while maintaining a core sense of integrity and being honest and forthcoming. After all this time, I find the culture challenging in various ways and have found remote work to be a real blessing, because I can interact with people “from away,” as we used to say in Maine. I’ve also developed a deep love of craft and service that has been very satisfying and has enabled me to take pleasure in the most tedious, repetitive, often invisible labor.
The other big lesson I’m still learning is to have real self-acceptance and a sense of worth. I’m getting there but some days are tough. You can’t be in any kind of creative discipline and not develop a tough hide. What I do isn’t for everyone but it doesn’t stop me from wanting everyone to like it! At a certain point I understood that I don’t need everyone to like my work; I just need enough to keep me afloat, and that’s been a great lesson. All of us are taught that our value is based on how we look, what we own, what we do, who we know, instead of the important stuff like how we treat each other and the world around us. It’s pretty messed up–especially at this particular moment in history.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I provide a variety of mostly print-related text and image services and enjoy working with small, mission-driven organizations. I hope at this stage of the game I’m known for being a good problem solver, for pitching in and doing whatever needs to be done, for being of good cheer, and for delivering quality work. I try to show up that way in my art and non-art lives because in the end, no matter what anyone is trying to accomplish, it’s the relationships that matter, and we’re all in this together. I also love learning and am very grateful to have clients who appreciate the value I deliver while giving me the room to stretch and grow. That’s pretty special.
When I’m not producing publications or slogging through long quality assurance projects, I make non-objective mixed-media sculpture and drawings. I haven’t produced or exhibited much in the past couple of years but that’s slowly changing. I need to make things to feel balanced and whole, and to feel some sense of agency in the world. I also believe in the power of radical optimism and joy. Art and love are medicine, as is wonder.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’m skeptical about “happiness” and am much more comfortable talking about contentment, purpose, and peace. I’ve worked very hard for a very long time to be optimistic and at peace in a durable way. “Happiness” seems too dependent on external rewards–I mean, they’re great. It’s great to have enough money to pay all the bills, do stuff, maybe buy something nice. It’s great to be recognized for one’s gifts and efforts. And it’s great to feel the high of doing a good piece of work, making a good meal for someone I love, or getting a new opportunity.
But what really makes me happy is that I finally figured out what I need. I need to take good care of my body, mind, and spirit every day, as best I can. I need to attend to my relationships, open up, and relax into them–to receive as well as to give, which was an enormous lesson. I need to do my life’s work. And I need to accept my limitations–which also sucks sometimes. It’s particularly hard in art because you have to be nuts to try to do it professionally in the first place unless you’re hugely lucky, talented, hardworking, and/or connected. It’s like you have to have this almost religious belief that you have something of value to say, can say it differently from everyone else, that it will be *good,* it will be seen, and it will matter to people in a substantive way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kimmatthewsstudio.com/
- Instagram: @kimmatthewsart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimMatthewsArt
- Other: https://www.matthewsartservices.com/
