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My internship with Kay came to a close quicker than I could have imagined. Though a lot of the time

was spent in conversation while I was sewing and stuffing, I was happy to have learned a lot from

Kay. I think some of the most valuable things I learned through working with Kay have to do with

mindset, how to carry yourself as an artist, and approaching work with an open heart and truth to

yourself. We talked so much about existing as a person in the world as it is, our responsibilities as

artists and humans in America and Philadelphia, and how to pursue what it is that we care about.

There are ups and downs in any field, but to really put your heart and soul into your artistic practice

is how to make it sustain through the ebbs and flows. Meeting yourself halfway with solid planning,

organization, and foresight doesn’t hurt either though, and that’s something that I could definitely put

to practice that Kay has gotten down pretty well.

Our last couple days together were spent prepping and photographing Kay’s work before she left for

Sweden for her residency. She has had her work photographed before, but felt like it appeared flatter

than she liked in the photos. After spackling and painting the wall Kay had to display her work on,

our final meeting was when her work was shot. I think it is always good to soak up as much

information as you can, even if it seems like it won’t always apply to your practice.That's what I was

trying to do as I helped assist with lighting. Simply hearing the photographer talk about how he was

lighting and photographing Kay’s work was helpful to me in understanding how to take better photos

of my own work. This is another one of those things that I think can make or break an artist’s

success, and this one hits home for me as a sculptor. I really need to find the best way to portray my

work two-dimensionally!

Kay and I were able to say goodbye before she left for Sweden at a little gathering she and Greg

had. It was so sweet, she gifted me the Making Your Life as an Artist Workbook. I appreciated her

understanding that something like that would be really helpful to me, even if I wasn’t able to get to it

immediately.

A few weeks whisked away and I found myself meeting back up with Kay at the end of summer. It

was great to catch up with her, to hear about her residency, to know that this would not be the last

time I would see her, and hopefully not the last time I’d work with her. I am so grateful for the

experience I had during the Summer Fellows program, and for the new friend I have in the art field.