Meet KT Peek | Marketer, Visual Artist & Tired Millennial Doing Her Darndest

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

Hi KT, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
“Failure is not an option” – This was my motto for longer than I can remember, and it can be quite problematic when applied to every facet of life. Blind adherence to these five words kept me in toxic relationships, toxic jobs, and they’ve caused me to hyperfocus on projects and goals to the extent that I couldn’t discern when harm was being done. Mental toughness is an extremely important trait, and sometimes it’s our only option to get through life’s challenges. However, awareness of self and situations, introspection, and the ability to walk away when necessary are just as crucial.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

The Background: Post service, I am still in the process of settling into my civilian path as evidenced by four different changes in my career trajectory since 2020. At the time of writing this, I am an MBA student, part-time ABM marketer for a health services company, and visual artist working to get my business off the ground. My art has always been a source of healing heavily inspired by my love of music. As a metalhead, I would buy albums solely for the cover artwork. My style is heavily inspired by Alex Pardee’s surrealscapes and creepily fun renderings for In Flames, Paul Romano’s haunting covers for Mastodon, John Baizley’s eerily gorgeous pieces for Baroness and Kvelertak, and of course, Alex Gray’s ethereal psychedelic masterpieces for Tool.

The Biz: My seedling business, U.F.K. Designs, aspires to help bands elevate their listener’s experience through captivating album artwork, t-shirt designs, and enticing visualizers. In many music subcultures, especially within the metal community, band shirts, patches, and album artwork are badges of loyalty and tangible expressions of identity and personal narrative. I want to create designs for bands that compel the passerby to stop and inquire about the band on your shirt, or download a single because of an intriguing thumbnail.

The Advice: The name U.F.K Designs actually comes from a leadership exercise I had to complete for a management class during my MBA program. The exercise revolved around the concept that every person has four different leadership pillars, forming what is known as their leadership ‘kite.’ Regardless of strength or preference toward certain pillars, every leadership kite has four sides and even crooked kites will fly. I misunderstood the directions when drawing my kite and ended up with a square…my classmate leaned over and humorously remarked, “that’s an Ugly Freaking Kite!” At that moment, I knew I had the name for my art biz. The kite, for me, symbolizes freedom, aspiration, hope and optimism, and connection to earth and her elemental forces. The ‘Ugly Freaking Kite’ serves as a reminder that perfection lacks character, and it’s not required to soar. Find your own breeze, what inspires and drives you, and revel in your own unique journey.

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?
Oh golly…brace yourself for brain vomit…here are a handful of things that I love in Denver!

Food Noms & Hangout Spots:
Trve Brewing
The Brutal Poodle
Moe’s BBQ

Denver is a glorious place to be if you love live music!
Favorite Venues for Shows:
The Oriental
Herman’s Hideaway
The Gothic

Exploration:
THE AQUARIUM -As a marine bio undergrad, I LOVE learning about all the critters of the sea. It is probably a bit counterintuitive to go to an aquarium in a landlocked state, but I promise you, it rivals coastal aquariums.

Meow Wolf – I can’t put this one into words, you just need to experience it.

The Incline, lunch in Manitou, Garden of the Gods – Not technically Denver, but if you are visiting, these locations are certainly worth the trip down south. The Incline is a rigorous hike with breathtaking views which can be followed up with a delicious lunch at the Loop in Manitou. On your return journey to Denver, consider taking the scenic route through the Garden of the Gods Park.

Haunted Tour of Downtown – Make sure you select one that goes through Cheesman Park

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?
My little sister, Genevieve – I left the U.S. Coast Guard in March of 2020 to pursue a different career path. I moved back home to Colorado on a Sunday, interviewed at a PT clinic on Monday, started on Tuesday, and that Wednesday the world shut down. If you ask any military veteran, they will tell you that the transition to civilian life is difficult…really really difficult. Throw in a global pandemic on top of opting to leave the only career and community I had known since I was 18, and you have the recipe for a soup-sandwich of a human being. My sister was my ‘bubble buddy’ during the pandemic and was an extremely grounding presence as I grappled with a loss of my identity. She continues to be a trusted sounding board and inspiration to me; I cannot fit into this tiny space how darn proud I am of her and how much color she adds to my life. If she is reading this…”boops boops!”

Instagram: ufk_designs

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-kt-p-75874513b

Other: Collab work: https://theunsolvedband.com/

Image Credits

Group photo of myself and The Unsolved Band, for whom I have done a few designs.

Me and my sister Genevieve, the vocalist for The Unsolved.

Photo of me and one of my mentors holding artwork I created for one of our old unit’s t-shirts.