Artist Profile: Kristin Shafel
Kristin Shafel is an artist, photographer and musician. She relocated back to her hometown (Madison, WI) in 2018 after spending more than a decade in Kansas City, Missouri as a musician—and two years abroad in Singapore, where she had the opportunity to fully devote her time and attention to drawing. Kristin’s photorealistic graphite pencil drawings have been displayed at Working Draft Beer Company; UW–Madison; the Isthmus’s office; and the Madison Optometric Center. She also has provided photography for Isthmus; UnderBelly; FPC Live; and Madisonian Apparel in addition to writing for KCMetropolis and the Harriman-Jewell Series. Another of her creative outlets is playing double bass in the Middleton Community Orchestra.
1) What are challenges you've encountered to generating a viable income from your creative endeavors? I’m fairly new to considering myself a professional artist, being nearly entirely self-taught and only starting to market and promote myself as such in the last couple of years. I’ve always needed a full-time job to pay the bills since income from the arts can be unpredictable. I’m still working towards building a full-time career in art. (Someday!) However a big, general hurdle I’ve observed as a musician for many years, and now as a visual artist as well, is the steady devaluation of the arts. Creative work requires years of skill development; it has tangible worth and deserves fair compensation for the time and effort it takes, just like any type of work. Finding a balance between standing firmly by fair and competitive pricing, yet also creating work that fits within a client’s budget is something I continually work on.
2) Share 2-3 tips for other artists on how to network professionally. Being active both in person and online is key—most opportunities I’ve been fortunate to receive have been the result of simply being present and open. I followed a lot of local artists on Instagram since moving back to Madison and have been fortunate to end up meeting many of them in person. Online platforms are where I began to learn about the art community in Madison; engage with other artists in the community; get insightful feedback; and develop meaningful friendships. Before the pandemic, I attended talks and workshops and joined a weekly drawing club—all of which introduced me to some fantastic artists of different mediums. I loved going to gallery openings and artist receptions as well. Virtual panels, presentations and interactive experiences have taken the place of in-person events for the time being due to COVID-19, but there’s still a lot happening. Madison is bursting with creatives and opportunities to meet and connect.
3) How do you continually seek out new muses? Music inspires me daily. I’m almost always listening to music, and the majority of it is made by my friends. Photography has become another big inspiration and creative outlet for me in the last year and half. In July, I participated in Photo Fantastico: a 48-hour, prompt-based photography contest and it pushed me to my creative limits. Checking out other artists on social media and seeing the breadth and depth of myriad artistic styles shows me that anything I can dream up is possible. Always learning and seeking knowledge, I just applied to the graphic design program at Madison College. And I love reading—I constantly have a few books I’m reading at any given time. An area I’m starting to ruminate on lately is how my art can be a vehicle for storytelling.
4) Give an example of an "artistic collaboration" you've contributed to? I love collaborating! I contributed a piece to local funk band Phat Phunktion’s Funk Out Cancer concert/silent auction to benefit the UW Carbone Cancer Center last fall; had a photograph of mine reimagined for an UnderBelly art show; plus made portraits of Kansas City band The Freedom Affair for its upcoming album art. Currently, I’m in the middle of a series of drawings based on work by a few photographer friends I admire. After this, I’d like to start a long-term project of creating a series of portraits of my musician friends in Madison, Kansas City and beyond. Musicians have been hit so hard by the pandemic…I’d like to shine whatever little light I can on their incredible work and talents during this difficult time.