Meet Kata Stack in Rockland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kata Stack.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kata. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up loving art and being crafty, but it was mostly just for myself. I liked learning new techniques and skills but basically just hoarded them all because I wasn’t sure how to turn that into a viable job, even though that was the dream. In lieu of college, I jumped into work, and had a lot of different jobs, serving, retail, cleaning houses, Starbucks. By my mid 20s and realized that it was of now or never to try and make it happen, and I had to put myself out there. I already had access to a ton of different people on a daily basis and who knows, maybe they need some art, or some creative work done. I started to put my work out at the coffee shop, I started to tell people what I really did when they asked, and those led me to a lot of creative gigs. I had a lot of experience with all kinds of stuff, so I never turned down something that came my way. I restored metal sculptures for the city, photographed a wedding in the Dominican, designed an album cover, designed lots of logos, made custom dolls and toys, painted signs, etc. Anything that came my way I’d give it a go. And it was all through word of mouth. I made great relationships with people, and would become their go-to girl for any creative stuff they needed and they’d recommend me to someone they knew, and so on.

It also led me to my current job managing and teaching at Muse Paint bar in the Hingham Shipyard. I’m lucky enough to be able to do that full time now, but I do still take on creative gigs here but I do get to focus a little more on personal work now, which is mostly painting and soft sculpture/fiber art these days.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. I struggled with putting myself out there after keeping my work to myself for so long. Once I got over that and started to get work, then I realized there is really no guide for any of this. Everyone’s experience as a working artist is different, so you have to learn to circumnavigate it on your own, and trust your gut and be willing to make mistakes and bad business decisions and learn from it and move on. And if you’re lucky you start to meet your people, and that helps smooth out the road for sure.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Kata Stack – what should we know?
I am a bit of a jack of all trades type of artist. I have experience in a lot of creative fields and they all have intertwined in one way or another. I’m really proud of the fact that most of my business came from word of mouth; I am that ‘friend of a friend’ that would be recommended to paint your dog’s portrait/make signs for your business/make that plush toy your kid imagined up and they now it’s the only thing they want for their birthday, and I love it. It’s never boring and I get to make use of all of the art skills and mediums I’ve hoarded over time. Currently I work primarily in paintings and soft sculpture and fiber art.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Equal parts work ethic and a good personality.

Contact Info:

• Email: KataStack@gmail.com
• Instagram: @KataStack

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