Meet kirstie connon | Artist

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

Hi kirstie, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Success, in my opinion, needs to come with consistency and balance. As a full time artist, and especially now in the pandemic, it can be hard to stay rooted in goals and ideas. Being consistent is key and can allow for bigger plans to take fruition. It can help to prevent burnout and keep things organized. Prioritizing smaller goals daily and staying committed to them can help me to build a business based around integrity and respect. Every week, I write myself to do lists for what i plan to get done and organize them in what is realistic and what i can reach for. With this, I can build consistency in all my different projects and paintings.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My name is Kirstie Connon and I am a full time artist. My paintings are here to show hope through a evidentally aggressive subconscious mind and society. My art is whimsical, integrating fantasy with realism. I hope to bring magic into everyday items or feelings through portraiture or landscape. I am a live painter and love to share my artwork with different communities. I am most proud of how far I have come in such a short period of time. I have a Bachelor’s degree in art and psychology. I have dreams someday of becoming an art therapist. My goal with art is to inspire people to create, to make any type of art, and to feel the passion, happiness, and freedom I have when i sit down to paint. I did not set out to become a full time artist. Being in school, and in a more conventional education, I was set out to get a “real” 9-5 job. After wanting to pursue my passion for art in such a way, it took precendence over what my peers were doing and telling me to do in college. , I left college with a dream to make my own business with my art. I dont have much business background but learning more everyday to bring this dream into a reality. I am here to create paintings and to make an impact with everything i create. The pandemic has been a challange for me to really be able to work hard at my online presence and to create a business away from live painting and what i presented at festivals. It was hard, but definitely gave me the opportunity to take myself more seriously after getting a professional website. Other than that, challenges are usually self inflicted, I have a tendency to procrastinate and often fall into self doubt, but I have learned so many lessons surrounding this. With low confidence and low self esteem, people can feel it through what i post or how i present myself in a live setting. People will always respond better and support me fuller when I am honoring my most authentic self. Thats why confidence and believing in yourself is one of the most important things I tell anyone looking to try and get into the art business. There will always be people better than you, its never something against you, and should just be used to inspire you to become your best self.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Moving here shortly before the Pandemic, getting to know Denver has been difficult but I have found a few places that I love. I would recommend Watercourse as a prime vegan resturaunt to check out, as well as City O City. My favorite brewery is Zuni Street Brewing. For art, I would check out most of the galleries on Santa Fe, however Threyda is my favorite, especially for psychedelic and visionary artwork. Going to sloans lake for meditation or to enjoy a nice sunset is always one of my favorite things to do with good views.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d give a shoutout to the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield which addressees the key issues in making changes and getting things done in the eye of an artist, or any creative endeavor for that matter. This book has helped me to stay rooted in what my plans are and has pushed me to get past all the obstacles I create for myself. This book has inspired me to look past procrastination and fear that gets in the way of me achieving most of my success that I know is there for me to access.

Website: kirstieconnon.com

Instagram: instagram.com/kirstie.connon.art

Facebook: facebook.com/kirstieconnonart