Meet Downtown Artist: Cathryn Bozone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathryn Bozone.

Cathryn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always wanted to be an artist since I was very young. I grew up in a family of artists so I was influenced throughout my life by art and culture. My sister and I pursued art throughout high school and I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of West Georgia this past spring. Now I live in a loft in downtown Atlanta pursuing my passion and expanding my artistic knowledge! I just recently got into chalk art – I’ve chalked at many Atlanta festivals and enjoy the performance and temporal aspect of chalking.

Has it been a smooth road?
I grew up in a household with a single parent who’s a teacher. It was never easy for my two other siblings, my mom, and I. But we are passionate and creative people and we know being different is a blessing. Fighting against the grain is always going to go with being artistic. ESPECIALLY when you get a degree in art. People don’t get it. There is such a stigmatism against the arts and the “right” kind of profession. I’ve been offered office jobs and have been told “That’s not a real job” or “you’ll never make money” but I would rather be poor doing what I have a passion for than conforming to societies expectations of “success”

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
I want to expand my artistic knowledge through travel and exposure to other cultures and places. I would love to bring my art to other places around the US and around the world. I know there is so much to learn from others and I would love to apply that to my art and help that inspire me as a creative! Also, I just love meeting new people and new experiences!

Let’s explore some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way. What was the most difficult part of your career so far?
I think one of the hardest times in my career is shortly after I graduated. School is such an inspiring place filled with professors and people who feed your creativity and have similar goals as you do. But when you get out in the real world, people tend to like to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing. No matter what you’re doing in life, everyone is always going to have their input on how it should be done, or that you’re wrong, or that it’s a waste of time, or that there are better options. People tend to try to bring you to their reality or bring you down and I’ve learned just to do what you want. Do it no matter what people say. Do it even if it’s not socially accepted. Do it even though its not normalized or “cool” (especially with art). Don’t turn your art towards mass appeal or to commercialization, do what makes you feel giddy and exhausted at the same time! Do what challenges you! And when anyone says otherwise, forget them. Because, in the end, you’ll end up being the happy one. It seems like such a simple point but we get so caught up with money and with jobs and with what we are “supposed” to be doing, we forget about the abstract things that make life worth living.

Are there days when you feel like you’ve done everything you wanted to, careerwise – the “I’ve made it” kind of moments?
I am a hard worker. I have always been an extremely hard worker. One of the biggest disappointments I’ve realized in life is hard workers aren’t always successful. Talented people don’t always get the praise they deserve. Phrases like “It’s not what you know, but who you know” are terrifying to someone who works their butt off. And sometimes you’ll stay up multiple nights in row surviving purely off energy drinks and those really crumbly nature bars and produce something that doesn’t seem to pay off, which, unfortunately, is a reality to a lot of people. The key is to keep going and not give up. In 2014 I was told about the Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt Competition – you can submit a design and the winner gets their design on that year’s t-shirt and a cash prize. I was told about the opportunity and the publicity and I was stoked. I wanted it so bad! (understatement) So I worked my butt off for months designing and ended up a finalist! I got multiples articles written about me, people interviewing me, and a lot of people looking my way. It was just one of those moments where I had decided I wanted something, worked really hard for it, and saw real actual results. It gave me hope for future projects!

Contact Info:

• Website: catbozoneart.com
• Phone: 678.270.0742
• Email: catbozone@gmail.com
• Instagram: @catbozoneart