Rising Stars: Meet Kishara Buford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kishara Buford.

Hi Kishara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m 27 years old, born in 1995. I grew up moving around Watts before moving to Lancaster when I was 13. I always loved to draw. I would see the graffiti murals around me and imagined myself being able to one day draw that well. I would doodle on paper in class and had notebooks filled with drawings as a kid. I even got into anime and video games which fueled my passion for art even more. But I never felt that I was an exceptional artist growing up, I did not think I had a talent for it, even though it was a passion, I had decided to focus on another career choice instead. After graduation Lancaster High in 2013, I went to Cal Poly Pomona for Industrial Engineering. I learned a lot while taking the classes, but I was not happy with how I felt my life was progressing. I realized I did not want to have to work a job I did not enjoy in order to live but wanted to work towards loving what I did for a living.

So I ended up changing my Major to Graphic Design, which before graduating changed to Visual Communications. I learned so much from my teachers about art, drawing, originality, and creating my own style. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in May of 2020. With the pandemic closing everything and my job laying me off, it seemed like a sign to move forwards making art that I want to make. So I spent the next year designing clothing, programming a website, and developing a brand for myself until I launched KuDaichi Designs LLC in 2021. Since everything was still shut down, I focused on online sells and getting traffic to my site while I created more designs for my brand and looked into new avenues. Now, I have clothing, prints, and even a shoe line centered around my art. But now that everything is opening back up, I am branching out and off the digital site by popping up all over SoCal as a vendor as well as in local galleries as an artist.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Though I have not been up very long, it definitely has not been a smooth road. Starting in the middle of the pandemic made person-to-person contact with potential customers impossible. So I had to rely heavily on online growth, which has proven to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. As the brand grows so does my workload, being the sole employee of my brand. But the in-person reaction to my work always seems positive and with events starting back up, I see much more growth than before.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Graphic Designer. I focus on illustrations, logos, and branding. Though I want to expand the brand by hiring more artists, right now I am the sole designer at KuDaichi Designs LLC. I am really proud of the work that I have done there and continue to do; especially my BunnyMan and SpaceBoy collections which seem to be fan favorites. Most people notice my eye for color and contrast in my art first, but my best-selling print in my DreamWalker, which is a black and white scratchboard piece on Indian Ink. my favorite art piece personally though is my Dessert Rose illustration, Prisma pencil and oil pastel on black paper.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If I had to give any advice to someone, I would start by saying; it’s okay to not be perfect in the beginning. It’s okay to not get sales and not get gigs. It’s okay if not everything is a hit and you don’t get famous overnight. Nothing felt more exhilarating than my first sale. Nothing makes me smile more than my work catching someone’s eye as they pass by. It’s been a slow process, but whenever I see someone passionately enjoy my work I know I am on the right path and I adjust from there.

Pricing:

• Posters Starting at $10
• Sweaters Starting at $25
• Shoes Starting at $77
• Bags Starting at $22

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kudaichikish.design/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kudaichi_kish/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/1331Dachi

Image Credits
Models: Kaia Johnson, Markise Johnson, Anthony Johnson, and Kristian Johnson