About Me
Kiersten Madsen, 25
About Me
I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana; the first child of two teachers. My mom has been an elementary school art teacher for years and is a natural nurturer of creativity. So of course, my childhood was filled with crafts and color. Art always came naturally to me, no matter the form. I always stood out as an artist in school and left high school with a brief legacy of memorable art assignments, many of which I still sell today. I also did show choir throughout middle school and high school. Singing, dancing, and performing took me out of my comfort zone, and ultimately became my favorite forms of expression. I started freelance modeling around the age of 20. I’ve met so many beautiful, inspiring creatives through this, who’ve taught me how to walk with confidence and poise. They showed me how beautiful I am and how beautiful life can be when you express yourself freely and do what you love.
For the past few years, I have been exploring myself and learning about spirituality. This is a common theme throughout my work: going through the darkness to find the light. I have grown exponentially as a person because of spirituality and mindfulness. I’ve found myself in it. My purpose is to bring love, light, and connection through the emotional expression of my art; to bring people together in emotional understanding, and to express what we feel as a collective. I am here to convey the magic this world holds, and the emotions it bears. No matter the form; art, music, or poetry, I want my creativity to heal myself and others.
I have surrounded myself with so many beautiful creatives as well, so willing to help. I have collected so many incredible pieces from people across the world and have connected with crazy talented people. I surround myself with art: online, in my home, with my friends. I spend most weekends selling my work in person at the YLNI Farmers Market in Fort Wayne. Most importantly, my friends are my biggest supporters; I am blessed to be surrounded by creative people who inspire me to fight for my dreams and live the life that I desire.
“Most artists create to survive their mental state”
- @madworldink on Twitter
My Experience
And Personal Style
My Experience
My experience in the art industry began after my first semester of college. As a goodbye gift to one of my dorm friends, the iconic “Bold and Brash” painting was requested and born. I give all credits to him for coming up with the idea, and the Spongebob character designers for the reference. Fortunately, and unfortunately, it took off, and for the past few years, I have been the number one search result on Google and Etsy for “Bold and Brash.” The unfortunate side is that the company that owns Nickelodeon thought it was too good, and I can no longer sell it online due to copywrite issues.
Of course, when I posted Mr. Tentacles, people went wild wanting to get one too. The meme industry always sells. I figured out how to scan in my painting, print a quality copy, and the rest was history from there. I have been selling my work on Etsy for the past 6 years. Although my actual artwork gets lots of love amongst peers, I never really sold much other than Bold and Brash for many years. It was upsetting at first, honestly, but it became a funny little thing about my life, that I sell Squidward on the side. Recently, I have gotten more traction with my own art. I got invited to start selling prints and stickers at farmers markets around the Fort Wayne area. Luckily, that has been more successful than I had expected, and gave me that boost of confidence that I needed in my own work. And when my friend Caleb Swanigan (RIP 50), purchased my originals for his music covers, I felt seen in the world for what I can contribute. Seeing my work on Spotify and being appreciated for how I create in multiple forms of art made me realize that this is what I was born to do; create.
Over time, I have gained knowledge of how to properly package, print, and maintain my art business to the highest standards possible. I have worked with many different suppliers to get where I am as far as quality of my product. Each print I do myself from start to finish. I use Lightroom to edit scans of my work, because sometimes you can’t always achieve the colors and vibe that you want with the materials that you have and/or from the images scanned. I have my own professional art printer, my Canon PIXMA-iX 6820, and hand cut and package each print with love. For stickers, I use Sticker Blitz and Sticker Mule, companies which I have loved for many years for my own car bumper stickers. For canvases, I use Printify, which has gone above and beyond my expectations as a canvas supplier. Since coming back to Fort Wayne, I have saved enough to purchase my own home with an extra bedroom that I use as my art studio. Being in my own environment with space to create has been so incredible. And I have created a beautiful fairy wonderland at my home in which my soul can be free.
“All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.”
- Pablo Picasso
My Style
I like to call my style of art realistic surrealism. My abilities lean towards realism; attention to every detail, every angle, every color. My mind works in surrealist ways, and I do my best to express that in my work. I am very philosophical and spiritual as a human being, and try to incorporate those ideas into my message. I want to help people see our reality in a way that our eyes cannot perceive. There is so much more to our reality than what we can sense.
I am a multimedia artist, especially since a lot of my work was done in school, I was assigned different media forms. My favorite ways to create are through painting and drawing. I typically paint in acrylic or use acrylic markers. While I do enjoy oil paint, that can get messy and expensive. For drawing, I typically work with pencil or marker.
My favorite thing to create is the human body. As a bisexual woman still learning to love herself and her body, I specialize in the female form. It’s what I can relate to. I utilize aspects of surrealism to convey the magics of spirituality and our universe. I express what we feel but don’t realize that many of us feel the same way. I showcase how beautiful the world can be. Or at least that is what I aspire to be.