Ken West shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Ken, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Who are you learning from right now?
My oldest brother, Jada! I’m always learning from him like it’s been since the beginning when I was 9 years old. My brother was the one who taught me how to make and manage my money. He was the one who had me make my first $100 at 9 years old. When I had my bike, he would send me to the store to pay his phone bill and I was able to keep the change from the money that he gave me. Still, till this day, my brother is teaching me how to do other things like work on my cars when they need mechanical work done and how to paint them.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ken West the Artist (Kenyada West is my real name)! I was born and raised in Memphis, TN but currently reside in Middle Tennessee (Putnam County area). My brand name is 7 Foot Visions, I specialize in pencil art, using graphite and charcoal and I also love to paint, using acrylics, oil and watercolor. I am currently working on a new thing with Art, by engraving and burning wood pieces.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
That was when I moved out of Memphis and decided to stamp my name across the state of Tennessee drawing and painting pictures everywhere. I moved to Cookeville with nothing but hopes and wishes. I didn’t even know how to break myself into this environment, so I started taking my artwork to the library and drawing there and started posting more on social media. Once my artwork took off out here in Putnam County, I just felt like I was on top of the world with what I do, so I started moving into doing different things with Art, such as engraving and painting more.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
That dream of being a police officer is not your calling. Lol. On a more serious note, I would tell my younger self to be prepared for it all. You have a very long road to follow with your artwork and you need to be prepared for it, so stay patient, stay consistent and use your time very wisely.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
“There’s a lot of money in Art and that’s why I do it!” To me that’s the biggest lie in the Art industry that you will ever hear. The reason I say that, is because a lot of people get into Art because they think it’s easy money. That could probably be about 70% of people who draw. The other 30% are pretty much the people like myself who actually love what they create and continue to create, for their love to Art. If you’re getting into Art just for the money, then that would be a bad mindset for yourself. It looks like an easy investment, but, if you think about it, working as a full-time artist comes with a big price tag that some cannot afford to pay for. Not only is it a financial issue sometimes, but it’s also a time issue if you have a lot to do outside of artwork, such as, if you have kids, like myself, or if you have a lot on your plate with family and personal life. Don’t be the person who depends only on your artwork to pay for everything in life, like rent/mortgage, food expenses, etc. Art sells come a dime a dozen. It can be stressful sometimes also. Make sure that you are financially, emotionally, mentally and physically prepared to do this full-time before jumping straight into it. You don’t want to hurt yourself in the long run.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Most definitely! I tell people all of the time, especially my children, even when no one is looking, give it your best shot at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish and be successful with. Just like if you’re posting on social media, post your talents, your work, your pranks, whatever it is that you feel comfortable enough to share with the world. If you make those posts and you get 0 likes, shares, comments, whatever, don’t pay attention to that. Keep posting your work! Keep showing your work to people on the streets if you’re not on social media, even if you are on social media, show it off in public, because everyone doesn’t use social media. Eventually your time will come! When you think no one is watching just because you didn’t get a reaction to it, trust me, they’re watching, they just haven’t said anything yet and the best support usually comes from people that you don’t even know, so stay focused!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@kenwesttheartist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artworkbykenyada
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kentheartist89
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenwesttheartist
Image Credits
Photo credits: Ken West the Artist
Artwork by: Ken West the Artist
