Creative Spotlight: Pawsitive Paints

Cocoa, FL- Kelli Starkey of Pawsitive Paints began creating at the age of 5. Her artwork is inspired from her love of animals and combination from the support from her elementary school art teacher. "Ms. Brooker would take me to art shows, where I would compete in children’s divisions. She was and still is an amazing inspiration. "

Starkey creates her "Pawsitive" paintings in forms of acrylic and digital art. Like many artists out there, she has seen her creations evolve as her skills developed. "The amount of detail I can capture still blows me away most of the time. If you see my progression from just four years ago, you can see a massive leap. Practice makes perfect! Now, I have a couple different styles for people to choose from. Can’t wait to see how much I can progress by the end of this year!"

Read more on her interview below:

How do you get into your creative space? People don’t realize how hard it can be to get into a creative mood. I normally put on my favorite show (right now I’m watching the anime One Piece. Yes, I love anime 😂) and then I get to work! If I don’t feel like multitasking, I’ll put on some music in my office. I listen to a wide variety of genres, but some of my go to stations are AmaLee (she does anime theme song covers, check her out!) Panic! At the Disco, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Sleeping With Sirens.. it bounces depending on my mood.

Who are your biggest influences? "I’m going to tell you a secret... I don’t really know much about other artists besides my locals. 🤭 At home, we have a pretty tight knit circle of artists that just inspire each other. We get a little competitive at times, but we all have our niche, and send the correct clientele to the correct artist. Team work is what makes us all busy! Some of those artists are... Courtnee Meier with @paintyrselfclean Todd Reed with @yourlocalartdealer Kole Trent with @kole.trent Ryn Brannock with @lacreations"

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? "I’ve received so much advice over the past years, “ “tHeReS tOo mUcH cOmPetITion!” That’s a trick that our minds play on us to stop us from following our dreams.” - Todd Reed, "I truly don’t know where I’d be without this rad team of support!"

What’s your favorite piece of art work you have created? "Ohhhh I love all of my pieces! But I have a special place in my heart for my galaxy piece of my girl, Gypsy, who passed away at the beginning of this year." 💕

What memorable responses have you had to your work? "It always floors me when people are just so grateful. I received a video from a client of her daughter opening her Christmas ornament I painted of her pup that passed, and it made my heart so warm. The whole family was teary eyed. I love being able to capture memories for people. "

What’s integral to the work of an artist? "To always stick to your guns. Yeah, other people may create super cool art, but develop a style that you LOVE and perfect it! Nothing can get accomplished and no self growth can happen if you piggy back on other people’s visions."

What is your dream project? "I would love to paint a celebrities pet, like Brendon and Sarah Urie’s dogs 🥺"

To any struggling creatives in the world, what advice would you like to give them? "Don’t let other people’s accomplishments deter your own. Everyone moves at different paces. If you don’t get a lot of interaction on social media, like comments or “likes” don’t sweat it!!!! It takes time! I didn’t sell my first piece for 10 years. Then it just took off!"

Anything else you would like to add in addition to the above? "My art has been developing for so long. I can’t explain how happy it makes me, how it’s brought me out of some extremely tough times. It’s one thing that I know I will always have, and I’ll keep pushing my limits!"

You can find Kelli's work below. (And YES she takes custom requests!):

Facebook: /pawsitive.paints

Instagram: @pawsitive.paints

Etsy: pawsitivepaintsshop.etsy.com

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