Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Victor.
Hi Kayla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in the lively city of Los Angeles, California. I grew up with my older brother, mother, and father. My parents were both hardworking individuals that instilled valuable morals and ethics in both myself and my brother. They were both powerful influences in my life, as my mother was an intelligent paralegal.
My father, a conscientious tow-trucker, taught me the importance of hard work and perseverance. It was because of their guidance that I became a straight-A student throughout grade school and even today. My parents encouraged me to do my best in every situation, whether academically or socially. My brother encouraged me to follow my hobbies, which later on became my passion and my career. He introduced me to the world of art and creating characters. However, he wasn’t as enthusiastic about it than I was. With my parents’ impactful guidance and my brother introducing me to my passion, I became an unstoppable force of determination and creativity. I became fully immersed in drawing around the sixth grade, where I practiced daily and honed my skills to improve my art. It has been twelve years since I began practicing art, and it is now my goal to become a successful illustrator. I want to create stories and children’s books that deliver a positive influence to people around the world. I want to give the world my fresh and whimsical ideas while having fun reading my tales.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Before I graduated high school, I had several people in my family questioning what I wanted to pursue. They often told me that being an artist “doesn’t make a lot of money,” and I should focus on “being a doctor or an athlete.” I was a bit discouraged as a 15-year-old, not knowing if I would be as successful as I thought I should be. I put heavy consideration into other career possibilities and couldn’t come up with another path I could see myself immersed in. Eventually, thanks to my mom’s encouragement, I decided that I would do whatever I wanted that would make me happy and that my success is not comparable to anyone else’s but my own. That was one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve gotten from anyone about my career choices.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work explores everything that I care about and what I believe in. The influences of being an African American, a woman, an active reader, and a devoted feminist allowed me to focus on what I want to promote in my artwork. I think that this awareness is what makes me a strong artist and storyteller that distinguishes me from other artists. I support diversity in my work with the inclusion of different cultures, ethnicity, and genders. I want every viewer of my work not only to understand these diversities but to embrace them. I believe my talent is a superpower, with the ability to unite and personally reach others by seeing themselves in my work. What I am most proud of is a personal project I created called “Colorful Kids”. After reading a 2018 study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, the percentages of people of color in children’s books were collectively less than 23% in the United States. This prompted me to create this project where I illustrated a diversity of children from different genders, ethnicities, religions, ages, and disabilities while doing their favorite hobbies in alphabetical order. My goal was to have everyone look at my pieces and see themselves or someone they know in a character I drew while having a brief connection of saying, “Hey, that looks like me as a kid!” or “Wow! That looks like my son/daughter!” because, at the end of the day, all kids are different. When kids see themselves portrayed in books, they can value themselves and others.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think that what most people don’t know about me is that I have a huge interest in designing more young adult content. It’s funny because when you see my artwork, you would think that I love drawing cute cartoons and characters, but secretly, I draw action and comic book-like violent scenes in my sketchbook. I grew up with my older brother that had a huge influence on me, so sometimes I love adorable cartoony things, but on the other hand, I love Marvel and DC with epic fight scenes! I would love to draw a dramatic action-packed comic series one day!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.kayydotts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayydotts/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayla.victor.524/
