Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Lebel.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In retrospect I have always been making art but I think I started considering myself an artist in college. I went to school in Southern California where I graduated Magna Cum Laude with Departmental Honors from the University of Redlands with my BA in Studio Art and an emphasis in Alternative Processes in Photography. I’ve lived in Atlanta for the last nine years where I’ve been teaching art to all ages and making my art practice part of my livelihood. I kind of switched gears from photography and moved into textiles and illustration and eventually landed in ceramics. I’m currently a Teaching Resident Artist at Arts Beacon in Grant Park where I focus primarily on my ceramic work and teaching art classes.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve been really trying to retrain my brain to see challenges and struggles as opportunities for growth. Life will always have obstacles, but if you shift your perspective a little and see them as a chance to learn, then life feels much more loving.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in ceramics right now – I think people see my work as playful, fun and unique. My biggest inspiration is making art with children. The way they see the world will always and has always inspired me- they have this boundless creativity that is so contagious and it influences my work and the way I see things in a very big way.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Reach out to people who are doing the things you want to be doing or are interested in. Everyone starts somewhere and it’s ok to be a beginner. I think that most of the time, people want to help each other and I think that is one thing that makes the Atlanta arts community so great- there’s this warmth and welcoming fellow artists extend to one another that feels really special.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katielebel.com
- Instagram: @katielebelmakes
Image Credits:
STATE the Label
