Meet Kat Lam | Artist & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kat Lam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For the majority of my life, I’ve had a pretty healthy relationship with risk and choosing to do things that make me uncomfortable. Often times the safer decisions are ones that offer you comfort because the number of unknowns is pretty low. I prefer to take risks because they encourage growth—the last thing I’d want for myself or anyone with a passion they’re pursuing is to become complacent. People tend to get stuck because they get caught up in trying the same thing over and over and over again. If something isn’t working, it’s always beneficial to challenge myself and take a leap of faith every now and then. Is it scary? It’s been terrifying at times, but I’ve never regretted trying because I end up learning something new as opposed to learning nothing at all by staying in the same old day-to-day. The best example of this was when I quit my very stable 10+ year career as a full-time Creative Director because I just wanted to paint. I recognized that chapter of my life was expiring and I owed it to myself to focus on painting murals instead. It wasn’t the smoothest transition by any means, but after starting my own business I really surprised myself at how resilient and resourceful I can be. I would have never known that about myself if I didn’t take the risk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have an incredible amount of influences that impact my work but, at my core, my diverse upbringing has given me a lot to run with. I’m first-generation Chinese American, grew up in Texas, and have a Mexican stepfather so my aesthetic is a mish-mash of a variety of cultures. I grew up as an art kid with an obsession with creating and I fell in love with the process at a very early age. For the early parts of my adult life, I always viewed art as a hobby.

It wasn’t until after spending 10+ years as a creative in advertising that I realized I could combine my hobby with the skills I had learned over the course of my career. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m grateful for all of the opportunities that come my way. Starting my own business without really knowing what that entailed forced me to figure things out as they were thrown my way. I suppose you could say I built the plane as it was flying, ha. I really familiarized myself with that saying when I was first starting out. I learned to ask a lot of questions and take a lot of risks. Trial and error became my best friend. And a shift in perspective was (and still is) crucial. I am constantly reminding myself that the best I can do is try and that failure isn’t always a negative thing.

After painting my first couple murals, I realized how much of an impact art has on communities and neighborhoods. I saw first hand that people really want a sense of placemaking and it’s always been so rewarding seeing the coming together of a community during and after mural installation. The more murals I paint, the more I consider the communities my artwork can affect and I take that into the next project. Each project really helps evolve the next one. That all being said, projects that excite me most are ones focused around a greater cause as well as projects with spaces that incorporate multiple surfaces (not just walls) and media. I see so much opportunity in transforming spaces so people are completely immersed in the experience and hope it invites a shift in perspective, whether it be just a brighter moment in their day or something longer lasting.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My best friend did come to visit the area, so I’ve already lived the answer to this question! Denver has a killer vegan food scene, so we went to a few of my favorite spots: City O’ City, Watercourse Foods, and Make Believe for soft serve. Stowaway Kitchen is a great brunch spot, no matter what kind of food you like to eat. They have something for everyone. Also, Ash’Kara is a fantastic spot for dinner.

As for things to do, Red Rocks for a concert is always a good bet—it combines nature and live music, which are some of the best things the world has to offer. I also took her to the mend-bending experience that is Meow Wolf (my favorite of their 3 locations). Definitely worth your time if you want your head to explode from an incredible immersive art experience!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ironically, my first mural was at my last full-time job. I went into the office one day when we were all on holiday and painted the big wall in the office kitchen without permission. I’d like to thank the founders of that agency for keeping that mural up because that wall actually got me so much mural work that I had to quit full-time and follow my passion. I also owe a lot of my resilience to my best friends who have been unbelievably supportive along this crazy journey of mine. Last, but not least, shoutout to all the curators, small business owners, and other collaborators along the way for trusting me to pretty up their walls.

Website: lamkat.com

Instagram: @lamkat

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamkat/

Image Credits
Kat Lam, Mike Grosshandler, Constanza Lastra