Can you imagine running your art business from home all while homeschooling four kids and taking care of a ranch? That's exactly what western artist, Kinsey Artfitch does. In this episode Kinsey and I talk about the need and struggle to maintain a work life balance and not lose track of what is important in life. We discuss making schedules that work for you and finding you rhythm.
Kinsey was the first Art of the Cowgirl Fellowship recipient. She lives in rural South Caroline with her husband and their four children. Find Kinsey online:
Instagram: @kinseyartfitch
Facebook: Kinsey Artfitch Fine Art
Website: https://www.kinseyartfitch.com/
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Instagram: @cowgirlartistsofamerica
Facebook: Cowgirl Artists of America
Hello, and welcome to cowgirl artists of America's podcast, a podcast dedicated to cowgirl artists, I'm CA's founder and your host, Megan Wimberley. I am a working artist myself, and I know personally the level of work and commitment that goes into this business. In this episode, I talk with Western artists, Kinsey Artfitch a past Art of the Cowgirl fellowship recipient, whose inspiration comes from her Western upbringing, as well as a strong rodeo and ranching way of life. She currently resides in rural South Carolina with her husband and four small children together. They train horses, rodeo, and race cattle, Kinsey, and I discuss the very real struggle of balancing all the responsibilities of an art career with our daily life. We talk about time management, the importance of family and finding your rhythm. And now for a quick note from our sponsor, just kidding. Our podcast is brand new.
(:So our sponsor is us, but Cowgirl Artists of America is worth telling you about CAA was founded on the belief that cowgirl artists deserve equal representation in theart world. We have heard time and again about the barriers for entry for cowgirl artists, and the numbers don't lie. We are severely underrepresented. Cowgirl Artists of America is working hard to change that. We are cultivating community and providing resources and education to help cowgirl artists grow their business and improve their craft. Make sure to follow us on instagram@cowgirlartistsofamericaandsignupforamailinglistatwwwdotcowgirlartistofamerica.org. We'd love for you to join us.
New Speaker (:Hello. Hey
(:Megan.
(:Hey. Yay. It worked! Well, cool. Well, are you ready to get started?
(:Yeah. Let's go for it.
(:Why don't you describe what your vision is for your art?
(:Actually, it ends up coming back to the same thing over and over, and that is really just, I absolutely love the west. I was born and raised in Southern Colorado and very much a ranching community and lifestyle and just, I was immersed in it and it's all I knew then. My heart is just still in the west and the Western way of life, the Western it's just who we are and I cannot get away from it no matter where we go. And, and also much of that is just the people and the, the, just the, the spirit of, of the people, and the culture in the west. That's, that's really, it seems to be in my art. What inspires me the most.
(:And you're self-taught yeah, yeah.
(:You know, it's kinda a funny story. I, I was
He was paralyzed from the waist down when I was little girl. And so he that's, when he discovered that he had something he could do with, with his art, and trying to support a family on that. Being raised around that, I, I always had a pencil and a sketchbook at all times when
Yeah. That's awesome, man. It's so interesting. How just one little thing can change the course of your life, you know, in the moment it's just the thing you're doing. Mm-Hmm
Isn't that the truth? Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes it seems like don't really have a choice
(:Either.
Holy smokes. Are you sitting down? No, I'm kidding. Well, so we, we, we live a little bit it of an unusual life for, for, I guess not conventional in that we we've homeschooled since the beginning. We also live very rural. We have, we raise cows we've we rodeo. We just, we stay very, very busy, but it's, it's a lot of fun and, and we, we are so grateful to be able to live of this life. It's a lot of work, but so they just, their age is 10 on down to three. And so it's just always a lot going on
A lot. So what in a week or in a day, whichever makes most sense to you? How much are you painting?
(:That's a good question. It's kinda hard to exactly articulate that, but I will say I've trained myself. I do wake up sometimes three 30, sometimes four 30, if I'm slacking five 30, but I try to keep it around 4 35 max. And just, just get a few hours before the kids get in. Those are my best hours. Start the day with coffee and I try to get in the word God's word a little bit, just get some, get the day going, right. And then, then I have a few hours before they get up and that I get a lot done. And then, then we start school and do chores and kind of have our routine and then nap time, praise the Lord for nap time. That's when I really go at it again too.
That's pretty incredible, especially for homeschooling and having the ranch to take care of. That's a lot of painting. Are you naturally a morning person?
(:No,
What time are you going to bed at night?
(: ly, we don't get to bed until: (:Do you take a day off of everything or some things like, do you have a day that you consider a rest day?
(:No, you know, I, if I see an opportunity when it should be a rest time and I'm feeling like I'm, I can get at it and it's a good time, I'll go ahead and start painting and jump in there and take advantage of the, of the moments. But I do try to be, I try to be really, really careful because I am a mom and a wife. I feel like the world has such a message to women. That's lesser choice to be a stay-at-home mom or a wife. And I feel like there's just this push, like it's maybe looked down on if you're not doing a full-time career or trying to do something more. And so it's very important to me that I don't get that turned around because I feel strongly like God has given me a distinct abilities and talents to do certain things.
(:I believe every woman does in, in so many different areas and many that I don't have, but, and, and that it brings glory to God for those women to do those things, but not at the cost of the very people that he's put in your life because people are, people are more important than anything. And so people are what is most important and relationships. And so with sometimes I get so frustrated because I feel like I'm not getting enough done. And boy, if I just, if I didn't have them around all the time, how much more could I get done? And oh, I gotta stop myself. I'm like, wait a minute, stop. That is, we're getting this mixed up again. I do the art because it enables me to be a stay at home mama and that's the blessing. And, and I don't ever wanna turn that around because they are the most important work ever in my life. And so and there will be a season, you know, cuz season's changed. And also I feel like I really feel strongly that being a mom has truly made me a better artist because had I not been a mom and had the responsibilities I have, I would not be nearly as disciplined. I've had to learn so much about discipline and working hard work ethic and scheduling and all that.
(:Yeah. I think it is so hard to find balance. And whether it's like between your, you know, your role as a mom or, you know, a wife or a partner or maybe if you're working another job or whatever it is. And then also taking time for yourself too, I think it can be, can be really hard. And I, in this incredibly beautiful space and there are days where I don't go outside for like sometimes I'll step outside and I'm like, oh my gosh. Like I feel like it's like a sin that I, I go out and enjoy of beauty around me. And, and it's just that I have so much work to do. And I sit there in this one spot and I I'm like power through power through power through. And I I've noticed yeah, in the last month about the time Sunday hits, I am like, I am not doing anything on Monday.
(:I have got to go outside and not look at my computer. And so when we, when we recognize those things in big ways, it's easier for us to be like, okay, yeah, I need to take a break or I'm gonna get burned out. But it's important to recognize before we get to that point. And so for me, like one of the things I've been doing instead of having like an afternoon cup of coffee, some homemade hot chocolate and it's like delicious and it gives me that little boost and it's such a pleasure to have. Yeah. And so I've started using that when I'm like, oh man, I really, I need that cup of chocolate to get me through the rest of the day. I'm like, okay, this is a, a reminder to me that I need to take a moment and do something different before I allow myself to make the drink. You know, I sit down and do a little bit of yoga or stretching or go out for a run and that's been helpful, but it is, it is really hard whenever you have so many responsibilities, like I know that you do to yeah. Find that time to chip away for yourself. It just feels like a constant. Yeah, to me it kind of feels like running downhill. It's like, you're just going downhill and you, you just have to, you have to keep with the momentum, you know?
(:Because it's our family time. It's time that we really get filled up and that makes me better. It makes me a better artist. It makes me a better mom. So it's like, when we do take care of ourselves, like you said, and take care of it's it, it does. It comes back around cuz yeah. If we get depleted, then I think it shows was in our work
A certain, yeah. After a certain point it's like, you can't even see what it looks like anymore. Exactly.
(:Yeah. Well the other thing is, you know, and I feel like I kind of have like an intimate understanding of this because I've told you before, but you know, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and thank God it's yeah. Managed really well. I have a great doctor and I really, at this point, knock on wood. Don't have hardly any symptoms from it anymore. Wow. But whenever I first was diagnosed, I was really sick and it gave me this understanding of, I can't bet my life away in my future. Exactly. I think so many people think, oh, I'll do that. I'll do that next year. Yeah. I'll do that when I retire. And for me it's a very real possibility that when I retire, I'm not gonna be able to go on that hike. And wow. I really hope that that's not the case and I try to be really positive.
(:Yeah. But I just have, you know, and that's true for everybody. I mean, anybody could get in their car and get in an accident and have a very bad result come from that. And, and so I think like just remembering yes, your work is important and yes, your goals are important and nothing, nothing hardly really beats some hard work, but at the end of the day, we aren't even guaranteed the next second. And like, how can we try to make sure that we're, we're living our life in a way that we can be proud in all areas of it. And that can be, it can be such a hard thing.
(:Yeah, man, you are so right. I I'm right there with you. It's that is that's. So you're just being all in, ready to ready to go. My, my grandma was a lot, like she was incredible. I mean, she'd be ready to go rafting when she was like 80. I mean she's like, yeah, let's go, let's do it. And I really learned from her, she was always up for anything anytime. And I get it now. Cause you just, you don't know. Yeah. So yeah. I'm I'm with you and I think that's awesome cuz I think that's probably gonna help you go a lot longer and stronger with that attitude too. Megan. Yeah. I
(:Hope, I hope so. I I'm trying to work through not being afraid to venture out, but yeah, I really like your grandma's attitude cuz it is like taking those, those opportunities and yeah. It's just so easy to make excuses to not do them. But so like when you're say you've been in a really good groove, you feel like holistically, your schedule's been working really well. And then whatever it is, like I know you guys have been sick recently and that throws everything off. Do you have any strategies for getting that groove back?
(:Well, I think
It's not the end of the world. If you, a lot of times what we build up in our mind, yes, you do wanna meet your deadline. But so often the pressure is from us. Like we wanna be perfect. We've gotta have it this way, this way or, but you know what, sometimes things just, the don't happen the way we see it and they end up working out even better. Sometimes if it doesn't happen perfectly when or how we want it. So I've, I've been learning to just go with it.
Yeah. Yeah. I find like if, if I, I for myself have to be pretty rigid, which I, for the most part don't have any children around, but whenever my partner's daughter is here, then I'm really actively involved with her and my whole schedule just totally changes. Yeah. And she's a delightful child. Like I love having her around and now engaging with her. But as far as my productivity on my business goes, it's just like in the negative. And I have such a hard time getting back in my groove, like, which I think this year is gonna be better cuz I, I just have so much to balance at this point that it's not even, mm-hmm,
You know, one thing for me, I will say that helps me cuz I, I don't do well living by the clock cuz I get frustrated and I just kind of give up if it doesn't work out one day or another, but the drive, the internal drive is what keeps me pushing and pushing and pushing cuz I'm, I'm extremely driven, but I'm not a driven person naturally. I'd have to say it kind of goes along with what you mentioned your attitude about life because you know, you don't know what tomorrow brings and it's, it's kind of similar it's in that, that I feel like this ability to this artistic ability that God's clearly just dumped in my lap. I feel like I am, I wanna be the best steward of it as I can because it's, it's clearly a gift and it's something that's been just a, it's a blessing. And so I don't wanna waste it. I don't wanna waste a day cuz I don't know what tomorrow would bring. So that, that drive is what keeps me get getting back on track when I get out of rhythm. You know what I mean? Mm-Hmm
For sure. I mean, definitely that that's when I finally do get on track, that is what I would end up hitting me there. But I, you know, and I also wonder do you, whenever you get off schedule or you're like not feeling very productive, do you feel guilty about it? Well,
(:I would like to have an opportunity to try
Definitely feel guilty when I'm not painting nothing. Both fortunately and unfortunately, you know, I haven't recently been able to paint as much and you know, for me there for a while I hit a stride where, and I couldn't do this forever, but for several weeks I've been to painting eight to 10 hours a day and was just being really productive. But I started realizing that what I had been doing was I would focus really heavy on one thing. And then I would focus really. So maybe I'd focus really heavy on painting for a while and then I'd switch over and I'd focus really heavy on social media or whatever it was, you know, these various aspect. And that's not really a good way to keep things going, but there mm-hmm,
Don't you think too, like kinda like working out that sometimes when we do take an extended break, we actually come back better. Don't you think sometimes?
(:Yeah. Sometimes. Yeah. Sometimes I think, yeah, it is interesting, you know, there's like science behind sleep and your brain processing things. And I definitely think that there is some truth to that. So I wanted to talk about a couple more things real quick before we get off, but specifically for scheduling. So we got a lot of people who are just so busy and trying to balance all their things. And so maybe sharing some tips or tricks. One thing for me that I've just started this year that has been really helpful is I've scheduled certain business side of things to reoccur on certain days of the month. And so I know for example that every Monday I'm gonna send out a newsletter for my own art and for cowgirl artists of America. And for the week too, every Sunday I have to have written a blog for cowgirl artists of America. And so there's just different, different tests that reoccur and for me that has really helped me manage my chaos of scheduling because I just know what to expect. And I can just tell Google to reschedule it every month. Are there any things like that that you're using?
(:No, you've helped me tremendously in that area actually.
Right. And I can really tell a difference when, and also just coffee
And then I've got, here's what I'd like to accomplish this week in my paintings or which paintings I need to complete, or which commissions I need to get done or whatever. And by what date? So I try to stick by that as best I can. But again, because we are, we just have such a crazy season right now. I have to be flexible. So I do a lot for a lot of extra time in there because it, it doesn't, I, I very rarely get to just sit and do nothing. In fact, I don't even know when I've done that, but
Well, I'm glad that I can be helpful
You definitely are. You have, you have a lot of good good insights and, and, and wisdom.
(:Well, thanks. Yeah. So I think, I guess just for, for everybody listening, I would say also that a couple things that keep in mind is that something that works for someone may not work for you. And so, like I know for me it would, it would have to be an extreme case where I could wake up at three or four 30 in the morning to paint
Yeah. And you know, for sure, there's that point where you are passionate and dedicated and you do it. And that's, there's a lot to be said for that. But I think one of the things that I've worked really hard to do is to work with myself and not against myself, because for a long time I would set up strategies that were beneficial to like these business dudes, you know, that were really successful and they would write about it and I would read something they wrote, oh yeah. And be like, oh, you know, like I gotta do this. And it's so hard and I'm kind of failing at it. And I realized that it was because I was trying to build a structure that was based on somebody else. And so you like keep talking about getting in this like rhythm. And I think part of that is being in the rhythm with your own body and your own family. And so for me, I know that I do my best office work in the morning. Mm-Hmm
Yeah, exactly. I think you're, you're, everyone's got their best, their prime time, I think, for sure. And before, like I said before, I had these, this set of kids, there's no way you could have, I would never have worked well in the morning and I did my best and the evenings and late at night. So I think it's important that you identify it and, and then really capitalize on it and then go for it.
Yeah. And I think that that takes us as women checking in with ourselves, I think it's easy for women to continue give, give, give, give, give, and sometimes it feels bad to not like to be like, okay, I can't give for a moment. Like I need to be thinking about, I need to check in with my own self here. And so like acknowledging that your own self is important and, and checking in and being flexible, like working with myself and not against myself and then working to not be judgemental against what I'm doing or trying have just been a much more fertile ground for creativity and growth and developing better systems. Because if we sit there and we judge ourselves, we're always gonna be second guessing things. We're always gonna feel unsure about it. And so, yeah, you mentioned earlier every morning's a new morning and I think that's something I think about quite a bit is just trying to remember that every morning, you know, we just had this new year and everybody feels fresh and being that feels good.
(:And we can remind ourselves that that is something that we can do every morning or, you know what, like, even in the middle of the day, it's like anybody, who's a horse person. Sometimes you're like riding a young horse and you start practically getting in a fight with 'em. They've just, you've both got two different opinions about what is supposed to be happen. And, and you just have to be like, okay, okay, we're gonna stop a second and we're gonna, we're gonna patch your neck and we're gonna, we're gonna sit here and calm down. And then how do we, how do we be productive? Because like fighting with ourselves is just like fighting with that young horse. Like you're not gonna get anywhere. And if anything, somebody's gonna get upset, you know?
(:Yeah.
I think it comes down to balance, you know, and balance, can it balance? Isn't always like everything is exactly. Even like sometimes this one side needs more than the other and that's okay. Yeah. You know, and that's where that non-judgment comes in. But I think like, yeah, as long as you are trying your best, nobody can ask more of views than that. Like at all's and you'll you'll grow and you'll gain the skills and just take advantage of know opportunities to learn. It really it's amazing. Like how much is taking an educational opportunity or like even just talking to your artist friend, who's, you know, a little bit further along than you. And, and I think recognizing, and, and this is really important for me, for cowgirl artists of America, is that recognizing that we're all in this together and that all rise together and that there is enough to go around and there, we don't need to be feeling this constant feeling of competition with one another you.
(:And so I just, it's kind of funny to me when you mentioned like me being super productive and I'll tell you some of those are tricks of social media.
It was just, you're making these conscious decisions. It's really neat. Yeah. I, so you make these conscious decisions. I think we often feel dishonest if we do things like that. And I really that's true. Yeah. I want to encourage artists to not feel that way because being an artist is a very unique sort of business and recognizing that it is a business and that you have a business and a brand, and that is in some way, separate from the art that you're creating, nobody would look at if Nike made a new shoe and they waited six months or whatever it was to post it and market it nobody'd be like, oh, they made that shoe six months ago. That's so dishonest of them. We'd be like, oh, that's business and marketing. And it is okay for artists to do that too. When you learn how to manage social media, that way it can take so much pressure off of you. Mm-Hmm
Wow. That's really good advice. And see that's, that's why we need you Megan.
Sure. Well, Kenzie, thank you so much. I know you've been so busy and I really appreciate you sharing your time and your insights with everyone. I just hope that people are excited to get involved and join us because it's just such a great, a great community.
(:Yeah. I thank you so much, Megan. I'm really excited to see where it's headed and, and just really commend you and what you're doing and just honor to be here and, and Hey kudos. No kids barged in, so we did awesome. Oh, nice. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much. And I look forward to more in the future and seeing, seeing where it's headed.
(:I hope you enjoyed today's episode with Kenzie art Fitch and feel inspired to live all aspects of your life to the fullest. If you have a topic you, the like tear covered in a future episode, reach out to us@cowgirlartistsofamerica.org and make sure to check out Kenzie's work links to our website and social media can be found in our show notes.