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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
I’m Kit King. A Canadian fine artist who specializes in hyperrealistic oil portraits. Working along side my artist husband- Oda.
Your current job :
full time oil painter.
In which city are you located?
Curran, Ontario.
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
disciplined.
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..) :
well the obvious: paints, brushes, mediums. But I’ve recently become addicted to linen wrapped birch panels from Trekell- I simply cannot live w/o them these days.
As far as the technological aspect- the internet. W/o the internet I would not be able to share my works with the large audience I do now.
What does your office space look like?
Clean. Open. Rustic.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
Classical. I love Ludovico, but I do like to wiggle in some Chris DeBurgh regularly.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work ?
I always start my day with emails. Before I even get out of bed. I start work right away. It helps me stay focused, and keep on top of the never ending “to do” list. It’s easy to fall behind and become stressed if I do not keep up with the business aspect, of being a self employed full time artist. You double as a businessman. By tending to the business sides first, it enables me to paint w/ a peace of mind- not fretting about what’s still left to do. This way I can paint until my body is ready to crash for the night. No time wasted. Every hour is utilized properly.
What tips would you give to improve productivity ?
I suppose if you follow a similar regime as I do, it tends to raise the productivity level. If you start your day out, while you’re bright eyed and bushy tailed, by tending to everything you tend to procrastinate on, then it gets it out of the way, so you can’t dilly dally throughout the day to avoid it. The rest of the day then becomes open to focus on the things you’d rather do.
Also avoiding things like your phone, and social media, until you’re on “break”. It’s crazy how much surfing and browsing can chew up in a day.
Have self discipline and be stern about where you allot time for things. Be mindful of time management. Always expect something to take a bit longer than you initially think. This way if things run overtime, you’re prepared and you won’t have to adjust your agenda around it. And if you’re under time, then you’ve freed yourself up to tackle more things. You’ll feel productive, and therefore be productive. I know if I feel behind, or unproductive, it tends to snowball. Jointly with productiveness – if I feel productive, that momentum continues also.
You’re better than your colleagues to
I don’t like the term “better”, however I recognize I tend to reply to everyone, and quicker than my colleagues. I do not sort out the “important” emails, while disregarding the ones I do not feel are worth my time. I reply to every single message, email, and question. I always respond promptly and sincerely. I put 100% into everything I do.
What is the best advice anyone has given you ?
Best advice.. I have two of equal importance to me. One from my mother, and one from my father.
My momma would always tell me at the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and face yourself. At the end of your life, will you look back and be proud of the things you’ve accomplished? Not what you’ve accumulated. She would remind me that I won’t be buried with my possessions, and that loved ones will come and go. But the choices I make, and how I lived my life is what will matter. To make every choice count. To make this life count.
Do the things you love. Pursue passion. Live life with love. Give more than you take.
And my father: “Be yourself, people will judge you without the right to do so, because they have no idea of what you have gone through. Only you know the full extent of the person you were yesterday, the person you are today and the person you can become tomorrow.”
What is your best tip for saving time ?
work smart, not hard.
What is your routine start and end of the day ?
as I mentioned before, it started with emails. Then I eat breakfast while tackling the business side of things. This will include updates to websites, accounting, orders, packaging, promoting, and the like. Then I dive into painting with my husband. The rest of the day and night is spent in the studio, creating until our bodies feel like they are failing us and we need to stop. We’ll clean up, tend to the animals, then crawl in bed, where I then do another round of emails and social media check.
I don’t have any down time. I’m very much a workaholic. My life is my work. I never leave, I don’t have people over- unless it’s a student, or someone recording our art, or for interviews. My days are the same- spent doing what I love, with my love.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
I’m not big on gadgets, however I do like having my iPad up while I paint, to see my reference.