Meet Kelly Maker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Maker.

Kelly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been a creative person and drawn to anything remotely creative I could make. I started off shooting35mm photography with my friends which quickly grew into creating art with those images. At first, it was hand-making sketches by drawing overprinted images with different coloured sharpies. I add a positive response from a brand I was collaborating with and they decided to feature me on their website.

I can remember the exact moment I created my first every paper artwork.

Sitting at home, I had just received my film photos back and was looking at them on my computer. An idea suddenly popped into my head when I was thinking on how I could change the top the model was wearing to something better. Somehow I decided that trying paper could be interesting.

I posted that on my Instagram sharing to my 300 or so followers and it got an amazing response. I started to create more of these and within 3-6months my account had taken off, being reposted by influencers, brands, magazines, celebrities, etc. it was wild and completely unexpected.

My art forms slowly changed and became better as time went on. I incorporated new styles such as glitters, line art, my signature ‘invisible bikini’ art and animations (to name a few).

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m fortunate that my journey was much smoother than what is usually expected in this kind of industry.

Being an artist starting from scratch, logic and history would dictate that nothing would happen for a long time. However, I tapped into an idea and created a new style that no one had seen before. It was enough to get me noticed by the right people and therefore boost my presence within the industry.

However, with popularity came the inevitable plagiarism and copying issues.

I’m sure you’ve seen a myriad of other artists and everyday people re-creating my art. Apps have been using my art for a long time in order to sell their product as a ‘do it yourself’ with zero credit or remuneration to me.

I struggled with this for a really long time and spent quite a lot of time worrying about how to stop it and how to make sure everyone knew that these styles they liked so much came from me.

As I’ve matured however I’ve learned to embrace the re-creations and even share them with my fans.

Using #kellymakerinspired allows me to see what my fans have made and appreciate their love for my art.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m known for my unique and creative collages I call edits. Most know me for my paper and glitter edits. These have been shared worldwide and are extremely popular.

I specialise in adding my edits to images either photographed by me or sent to me by a person or company.

I’m also a photographer and regularly shoot my own imagery as well as content for brands.

I’m exceptionally proud of the fact that I started this business with absolutely no guidance or help. I knew nobody in the industry and I come from a small town in Australia where the goal was to finish school, go to uni, get a well paying 9-5 job, get married and settle down.

It was hard for everyone around me when I decided against that and quit my job to pursue art.

I’m lucky that it has paid off and I’m now in a place where I can support myself and run a successfully business.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
As previously mentioned, I had no help whatsoever when launching my business. No mentors etc.

I started off editing influencers images and those influencers would re-post them. Of course, all of my fans deserve so much credit for supporting me. Especially those who have done so from day one!

My family as well for trusting and supporting me, even though the tough aspects of this career choice.

My former manager whom I connected with about two years in. We both learned a lot together and mutually supported one another. She is a great friend and still one of my biggest supporters from the sidelines despite no longer being my manager.

Contact Info:

• Website: kellymaker.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/kellymaker

Image Credit:
IMG_1: Paper art by Kelly Maker
Model: Yovanna Ventura
IMG_2: Line Art by Kelly Maker
Model: Rafa Cosentino
IMG_3: Glitter Art By Kelly Maker
Model: Elsa Hosk
IMG_4: Glitter Art by Kelly Maker
Model: Gigi Hadid
IMG_5: Glitter/Galaxy Art by Kelly Maker
Model: Kendall Jenner
IMG_6: Floral Art by Kelly Maker
Model: Georgia Fowler
IMG_7: Paper Art by Kelly Maker
Model: Allana Booth

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