Kindred Post Journal

Blog Menu

Artist of the Week: Sarah Campen

Posted by Christy Eriksen · October 04, 2019

"The person who is drawn to multiple fields has something special to say about the combination of those things and the relationship between them."

Presenting our Kindred Artist of the Week series! We are big fans of all the artists we work with and we are so excited to share their stories!

This week’s featured artist is Alaskan multimedia artist and organizer, Sarah Campen! Sarah's collaborative work amongst diverse voices/movement/words captivates our attention and uses co-creating as a metaphor for building community. Be a part of the co-creative community tonight as Sarah installs an interactive collaborative piece at Kindred Post during First Friday! Stop by between 4:30-7 to see what Poetry in Motion all about!

Who are you?

My name is Sarah Campen. My parents are Brenda Campen of Sitka and Gary Campen of Pt. Townsend, WA. I grew up in Sitka and now make my home on Taas Daa (Lemesurier Island) in Icy Strait, near Hoonah and Gustavus.

What do you do?

My first love is dancing; I study people and things move in the world. I am a multi-media artist, which to me means acting as a translator. I love translating from one medium to another; taking one idea and viewing it through the prism of multiple art-forms. Dance and movement are usually at the core of my artwork, layered with other mediums I am drawn to: words, video, sculpture, textiles, audio.

I am also a community organizer, and making collaborative work is essential to me. I love seeing what happens when a community of people come together to add their voices, their movement, their words into something new. There is such power in building and making together. It is practicing a model of how we can build our communities.

Who/what inspires you?

Recently, I have been inspired by the idea that it is not necessary to choose one artistic medium and forego all others. It is true that someone who exclusively studies violin has better technical skill in that area than someone who studies violin and basketball and mathematics. But the person who is drawn to multiple fields has something special to say about the combination of those things and the relationship between them. The artist Austin Kleon encourages people to simply let all the topics they love talk to one another: let your vocation and your hobbies and your passions all percolate together. For someone like me who has so many interests, that was a revelation: that my artistic voice comes from the sum of my experiences and interests, the collective whole of myself, rather than only one piece.

What’s your favorite moment in the process?

I love that moment of pushing hard on a project, alone or with friends, usually late into the night. Getting to really focus and dive in, that's my favorite.

What’s a trick of your trade, or a piece of advice for other artists in your medium?

I often find myself overwhelmed by the hugeness of an idea or project. When things seem too large, it's like freefall, it feels impossible. I am learning to break things into small pieces, to put borders around each step. The writer Anne Lammott has a great piece of advice that I think of often: she keeps a 1"x1" picture frame on her desk to remind herself she only needs to write enough words to fill that square. Bit by bit by bit those squares grow into a manuscript. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

I have started applying this philosophy to my own creative practice. A blank page or a block of time set aside to make art can be scary: How do you fill it? Where do you even start? How much is enough? I've started giving myself really specific prompts. This puts a frame around the task, and helps me get to where I want to go.

What’s next?

I am working on a podcast! It's called A Piece of Kake, and is interviews with Kake community members about food and history and family. That project is entering the editing phase, and will be available later this winter.

This winter I also am beginning a new Instagram choreography series showcasing movement in my everyday life. Look for me on insta: @scampen

Artist of the Week: Jamie Redmond

Posted by Christy Eriksen · September 27, 2019

"The beginning portion of every new project is so precious. Just sit with it and play until you think you are ready to share, and then sit with it and play some more."

Presenting our Kindred Artist of the Week series! We are big fans of all the artists we work with and we are so excited to share their stories!

This week’s featured artist is Jamie Redmond! She had us at hello with her hilarious Animal Tales; a fantastic collection of photography and fiction that finds you in all your feelings. Read more about her work, her inspiration, and more.

Who are you?

Jamie Redmond, a writer, and photographer out of Upstate NY. I am also a proud dog mom to 3 of the craziest furbabies in the world (okay, 2 are crazy and 1 is so normal he seems like he must be mad).

What do you do?

I create fun and quirky little visual stories called the Animal Tales. Ever since I was a kid I've been creating images and words together; for me, it's hard to create one without the other.

Sometimes life can be amazing and give us things to celebrate, and sometimes it's just hard; the Animal Tales were created as little pep talks wrapped in laughable life lessons that could be shared. I like to think of them as sending hugs or high-fives through the mail.

Who/what inspires you?

I am endlessly inspired by the wonders of nature, the antics of my menagerie of pets, and the lessons my parents taught me.

I lost both my parents in my 20s and in every Animal Tale I can see my mother's love of literacy (my earliest memories are of her teaching me to read) and my father's wicked gift for storytelling. It's a way for me to stay in touch with them and share their love.

What’s your favorite moment in the process?

I always get asked if I write the stories or create the images first. Honestly, it can go either way. But my favorite moment is when I come up with the exact story at the same time the shutter clicks. There is something so serendipitous about an image and story being perfectly made for each other.

What’s a trick of your trade, or a piece of advice for other artists in your medium?

Indulge in personal project, keep it to yourself, and don't rush it. I know it is hard, so much of our lives are on display and shared now.

But in the beginning portion of every new project is so precious. Just sit with it and play until you think you are ready to share, and then sit with it and play some more. This really allows you time to develop confidence and follow your creative instincts without having to worry about making mistakes or work that 'isn't good enough.'

The Animal Tales weren't a project I could have created if I sat down and tired: I would have second-guessed them to death. I started the Animal Tales as a personal project to challenge myself artistically and to make myself laugh (all of the Animal Tales, but especially the early ones, were pep talks that I needed hear at that time). I worked on them for about a year before I started to share them. And I wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world.

What’s next?

More Animal Tales…seriously, I am always coming up with new ideas. But my focus for 2020 is going to be writing the longer stories behind the Animal Tales. You may not know this, but every character you see in the cards is always that same character, and each card is just a snapshot from their lives. So as I am adding to the card line, I am writing their life stories in the background. I'd like to do a book of about a dozen short story Animal Tales. Its something I've been working on privately for nearly a year now, and pretty soon I think I will be ready to begin sharing that new work.

See more of Jamie's work here!

Artist of the Week: Angela Gonzalez

Posted by Christy Eriksen · September 20, 2019

"I love the healing nature of beading. It connects me to my family, ancestors and culture."

Presenting our Kindred Artist of the Week series! We are big fans of all the artists we work with and we are so excited to share their stories!

This week’s featured artist is Alaskan artist Angela Gonzalez. Like so many Alaskan artists, Angela wears a lot of hats - including public relations with First Alaskans Institute and writing on her popular Athabascan Woman blog. Her generosity of spirit and skills is seen in her digital life (check out her youtube with beading tips and tricks!) and throughout her beadwork.

Who are you?

I am Koyukon Athabascan. I'm from Huslia and live in Anchorage with my family. My parents are Al and Eleanor Yatlin. My maternal grandparents are the late Edwin and Lydia Simon. My paternal grandparents are Alda Frank and the late George Frank and Minnie Yatlin.

What do you do?

I work in the public relations/communications field in Anchorage. I am presently the Indigenous Communications Manager at the First Alaskans Institute, a statewide Alaska Native nonprofit. I enjoy sharing photos and stories of life in Alaska, with a focus on Athabascan culture and people on the Athabascan Woman Blog. I love beading! For the past few years, I have focused on making slipper or moccasins. I bead on smoked moose hide and sew them onto the vamps. I add beaver fur trim. So far, I made nearly a 100 pairs with most of them being gifts to family and friends. I customize the beadwork for each person, like a favorite colors, sports team, flower and more.

Who/what inspires you?

I’m inspired by my mom, aunts and late grandma Lydia Simon. They are all great beadworkers who have taught me how to bead and are willing to help when I want to learn something new or how to fix my mistakes. I am also inspired by people who I’m making them for and love the challenge of a new design.

What’s your favorite moment in the process?

I love the healing nature of beading. It connects me to my family, ancestors and culture. I also get filled up when I gift a pair. In someone’s lifetime, they may only have one pair of custom-made beaded slippers. I know how much it means to people. When I was gifting slippers to my nieces, my nephew asked, “Can boys have them too?” I was planning to make some for my nephews too, but I immediately got started on his pair.

What’s a trick of your trade, or a piece of advice for other artists in your medium?

I love sharing how to videos on my YouTube channel and blog, and someone can learn tips and even how to bead slippers. I love following Indigenous Beads (@IndigenousBeads) on Twitter to see their creations and learn about their process. They have a new host each week, and I have been fortunate to host occasionally for the past few years.

What’s next?

Recently, I’ve gotten into beading earrings on smoked moose hide, and especially love making bead soup designs. I have beaded glove tops, but want to learn how to sew them onto gloves and add beaver fur trim. I recently learned to harvest silverberry seeds to make beads, and can’t wait to use them in my work.

See (and smell! Mmmm that smoked moose hide 😃) Angela's work in person at the shop!

Artist of the Week: Melissa Garcia Johnson

Posted by Christy Eriksen · September 06, 2019

"It's a delicate balance of intention and freedom."

photo by Sydney Akagi

Presenting our Kindred Artist of the Week series! We are big fans of all the artists we work with and we are so excited to share their stories!

This week’s featured artist is local artist Melissa Garcia Johnson, principal designer at Frenchie's Floral Studio! You may have seen the seasonal bouquets we offer on First Fridays or holiday weekends -- they're all made fresh from her hands and feature seasonal, regionally-sourced blooms. Her fresh, whimsical work will be in full bloom tonight at our 5 Year Anniversary Party from 4:30-7:30! Melissa will be here with stems and bouquets at Frenchie's pop up Flower Bar; come get yourself some living beauty.

Who are you?

Melissa Garcia Johnson, Principal Designer and Manager at Frenchie's Floral Studio. I'm also a doggie mama, wife-to-be, and nature lover.

What do you do?

Frenchie’s Floral Studio is Juneau's neighborhood flower shop located in the downtown Historic Flats District. With a focus on regional, seasonal ingredients and elevated design, we strive to create lush, organic, and artful florals that are unique and custom tailored to all of life's moments. We love serving the Juneau community through daily designs & deliveries, and also offer wedding floral services to couples in love. We are the only flower shop in town that allows you to shop by the stem, offering you the chance to play artist and curate your own bouquet! In addition to all things floral, our little shop also offers an array of juicy plants and thoughtful gift items. Most of my days are personally spent bouncing between armloads of flowers and administrative tasks at the shop.

Who/what inspires you?

Nature, always. I was raised roaming the foothills of Northern California and spent many summers as a child on my grandparent's ranch, knee deep in mud, grass, and wildflowers. I had (and continue to have) a love for the natural world and can often be found dissecting the elements around me to learn more about their form, color, and texture. The movement of blooms and branches in the real world informs most of my designs in the studio.

What’s your favorite moment in the process?

I have two: the first is selecting color palette. I love working with color and always pay very close attention to the way that colors interact with each other in florals and foliages. I believe a solid color palette and top notch ingredients are the foundation of any design, so establishing this with each of my designs brings me a lot of joy.

After that, once I have flowers in hand, I find the first few steps of the process can often feel tedious and challenging because I'm mostly focused on building out the structure of the design. There's almost always a moment in my work where I absolutely hate what I'm creating. But then, I usually make one small tweak or one killer stem insertion that dramatically changes the design and brings the whole piece together. It's a lot like problem solving, and that moment of resolution makes the rest of the design just flow. From that point on, I'm in my element and can groove and play until the design is done.

What’s a trick of your trade, or a piece of advice for other artists in your medium?

A simple piece of advice for those who like to buy bouquets from the store and then design their own arrangements at home: play around with height and dimension. When all the stems are cut at the same level and placed in a vase, depth or dynamic movement can be lost. Give each stem a moment to shine and accentuate its shape and character.

For those who dabble with flowers more frequently, I'll share this (and it's advice I offer to myself often too): just trust your intuition and don't take yourself too seriously. When I first started in florals, I felt like I needed to be super precise in how I designed because I was such a beginner. I found that I was constantly tweaking things and couldn't just let a design be. Now, I really heavily rely on my gut to just know when a design is done and I feel like a lot of that is informed, again, by nature and the awareness that, when things grow in the natural world, they're not perfectly curated but still hold so much beauty. It's a delicate balance of intention and freedom.

What’s next?

We're excited to keep on flowering for the lovely people of Juneau and surrounding communities here in Southeast. We've seen a lot of really exciting growth with weddings over the past year or so, and I'm over the moon to meet our 2020 couples as the 2019 wedding season minds down. We're also game planning around workshops and community events in the future, so stay tuned for that!

See Melissa and her work tonight at the party, 4:30-7:30pm!

Artist of the Week: Carley Thayer

Posted by Christy Eriksen · August 30, 2019

"I love to accentuate what is naturally there."

Presenting our Kindred Artist of the Week series! We are big fans of all the artists we work with and we are so excited to share their stories!

This week’s featured artist is local artist Carley Thayer! Between her origins in the Aleutian Islands, her career in commercial fishing, and her home in Southeast Alaska, Carley has grown up on the ocean. At once glamorous and elegant, her work is a fresh combination of her heritage and the sea. P.s. Otter fur is the softest in the world; we encourage you to come in and feel them!

Who are you?

Carley Thayer currently living in Juneau, Alaska. I am an artist, a fisherman, a wife and a mother! I love every part of my life and am blessed to have a hard working husband so I can create and be a mom full time.

What do you do?

My business Bering Sea Designs is inspired by the Aleutian Islands where my ancestors harvested Sea Otters for many generations. With the use of a tradition material and metals I create modern Sea Otter Fur Jewelry. I love the combination of Fur and Metal!

Who/what inspires you?

With my current designs the variation in the Sea Otter Fur is what inspires me. Often times we only see what is on the outside, but the layers underneath are so beautiful. I love to accentuate what is naturally there.

What’s your favorite moment in the process?

When I come up with a new design I am usually just messing around and after several hours of tinkering out comes a piece. When a new piece is birthed out of my studio and I see what I created with my own two hands; thats the most exciting part.

I also love when people are picking out a piece. I brings me joy to help in this process of finding the perfect one; to encourage them to be bold with their choice. When they put that piece on and their face lights up, you just know its the one. Thats a pretty special moment.

What’s a trick of your trade, or a piece of advice for other artists in your medium?

With fur I feel like there is so much to explore so have fun with it and go for it!

What’s next?

I will be at Juneau Public Market again and hopefully I will be releasing some new designs!

See more of Carley's work here!