Hi! I’m Kelly*. I am never bored because my lens always has a layer of oddity-humor-curiosity-color applied over whatever is happening in real life.
Everyone has an imagination. Too many of us disconnect from it in the midst of doing too much, keeping up with Joneses, general adulting, trauma and etc. If we think about it, we feel sad that we "lost" it. Yet, unfettered imagination often gets labels like "dreamer", "childlike", "weird" -- as if those are bad things. But if nobody dreams, there would be no evolution, no growth. Children are the most open and best learners (and teachers). And weird...well, it makes you think. It makes you consider. Weird makes things fun.
So with a middle finger to the itchy confines of beige, I decided a while back that life is best traveled when my soul feels alive, curious; when i welcome a sense of wonder and fascination; when there is kindness (with self! and others, claro), and laughs, and color. Lots of it. And on shitty days, what gives me energy is thanking my lucky stars that I'm alive. That energy makes space for my imagination to come out and play.
And so, I make art that captures fleeting moments and ideas that remind me to be fully present. I create magical animals and landscapes that keep me excited about possibilities, and help hold the door open for negative thoughts that serve nobody to take a hike. I use color, shapes, and language (Spanglish is a favorite) to make art for good mental health, a happy home, and as a reminder to be thy magical self.
Nothing amazing ever happens from a beige idea, and everyone deserves the joy of imagination. I'm here to grease the wheels.
*Vola Bean is not my given name. Bean is a nickname from my childhood. My dad gave it to me. It came from his playful side–play not being something promoted in our home under my mother’s reign. Vola–in Latin, Italian, Spanish in various forms– is the imperative “to fly”. When my nickname was invoked, it felt like someone giving me wings. Being given a nickname feels like unconditional love, belief. So that’s how I carry it with me.
Play every day.