Meet Kaitlyn Kee | Artist, Mama, and Holistic Health Guru

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaitlyn Kee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaitlyn, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to do something creative and/or artistic with my life. I have put time and energy into multiple creative outlets over the years, including: painting, writing, music, chalk art, fashion design, interior design, clay work, song writing, poetry, and photography. My whole life has been about artistic expression. I’ve longed to be able to communicate my thoughts and ideas throughout many types of art. There’s something so magical about art and the way that it’s perceived. Whether it be song lyrics, an instrumental tune on a piano, a photograph, or a painting/piece of art. Two people can hear that song or look at that piece of art, and it will mean something totally different to each of them. It’s giving voice to thoughts, feelings, ideas. The artist is able to express their feelings and ideas in a way that makes sense to them, but the consumer also is able to relate, while having an entirely different understanding of what the piece means. It brings people together, while allowing for their own interpretations. And there’s just something so beautiful about that to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A lot of where I am today has been hugely based on recommendations of others or me just deciding to take the risk and put myself out there. Which has been extremely hard for me, because I am my biggest critic and have major social anxiety (a painful combination, if you ask me). I definitely feel like I’m still working to be where I would like to be in the art world. Yes, I do have people interested in my art, but at the same time, I feel like I would love to eventually get “out there” more. I’m a mom first, though, right now. So I’m finding it hard to have the time to regularly create art. I’m learning that I need to let go of some things and prioritize what’s most important to me. And currently, that’s being there for my kids and family. I can put more time and effort into my work when they’re older and start to need me less. But I will never be able to go back to these years and their childhoods if I chose to spend most of my time at my art table. As far as what I enjoy creating the most, I feel like my art focuses more on memories in general. I want to create something that feels like magic to transport you into a specific place in time that brings back all of the things you loved the most. For me, specifically, that’s cotton fields and old country churches. So I do find myself painting a lot of those two things in various ways. Though, I don’t think that there’s many of us from the south who don’t have memories of cotton or little country churches. I’m currently working on a piece that will be a tablescape scene, including an antique crotched tablecloth, inspired by one my grandmother owns. I think if I could tell people anything about me or my art, it’d be that I’m obsessed with “the good ole days”. And I love creating pieces that feel like home.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Nashville is my favorite city. If I were to be able to take someone around Nash for a week, our first stop would probably be McKay’s. I love perusing all of the book, movie, and music selections. I’ve never gone to McKay’s looking for something specific and not found it. They literally have everything. We’d follow that up with lunch at the Lovelace Cafe. Those biscuits and jams are to die for! My go to order is the country fried steak. I’d definitely be sure to check out the week’s events at Plaza Mariachi. They have great food, fantastic entertainment – think acrobat shows and Latin music! – and are always having family centered events.
We’d have to spend a day doing all the shopping! Hillsboro Village, White’s Mercantile, Five Points Alley Shops (used to be the Idea Hatchery), this cute little music shop called Fanny’s House of Music, and we’d probably stop for lunch around here, because there’s this neat little hotdog stand called I Dream of Weenie out of a yellow VW bus. Then we’d head on over to the Opry Land area and check out Cooter’s Garage for all things Duke’s of Hazzard. Right next to that is Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and Nashville Souvenirs. Afterwards, we’d make our way over to the Opry Mills Mall and do some more shopping and wine tasting at Amber Falls Winery. (The peach wine is the best!) For supper, we could either grab a bite from any of the restaurants or food court within the mall. By this time, it’s probably be about dark, so we’d head on over to Gaylord Opryland Hotel and walk through their gorgeous greenhouses. It’s seriously one of my favorite things to do, especially this time of year when it’s all decorated for Christmas. It’s magical and absolutely stunning. They have a boat ride within the hotel and even an indoor water park, as well as many food options. We could even take a horse and carriage ride! During the winter, they also offer ice skating, tubing, and several other holiday activities.
Another day could be spent at Centennial Park, taking a relaxing day walking around the park and visiting the Parthenon. There are usually food stand options, or we could pack a picnic lunch. Then we’d head to downtown Broadway and check out the Johnny Cash Museum. I also always enjoy going to check out all of the cool murals that Nash has to offer. Supper would most definitely be at Demo’s. Demo’s is a delicious Italian restaurant – always get the cheesy bread! Even though it’s a small drive and doesn’t have a location downtown anymore, it’s totally worth it.
Now. You can’t do Nashville without at least experiencing the nightlife just once. Our most favorite place to go is Kid Rock’s Big A** Honky Tonk. We’ve eaten there before, which was actually good for bar food. IYKYK. There are five floors and four stages that house different bands. So there’s pretty much a guarantee you can find someone to listen to that fits your vibe. The rooftop has a great view of Broadway. And you might even get lucky and get to hear Kid Rock himself sing. Order the Sweet Southern Sugar. Trust me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Throughout my life and many pursuits, I have had the absolute best support system. I’m probably biased, but there is no greater family in the world than mine. And I’m including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles… they have never hesitated to share, wear, or hang up my art in their homes. They’ve never hesitated to support me in whatever endeavor I randomly chose to pursue. They’ve read stories I’ve written, songs, let me take their family photos, have my paintings hanging in their houses. They’ve encouraged me when I’ve failed, and have never once told me that I couldn’t do something. My parents have gifted me art supplies through out the years, and piano lessons, and instruments, and taken me to songwriting workshops, bought me my first “real” camera, and done literally everything they could to give me the tools that I needed to succeed. My aunt, Judy, has given me art and chalk lessons, pottery classes, has sat countless hours with me drawing dresses when I was younger, and has gotten me to paint several things for our church, be it decor or event props. My husband, and I understand how cliche this will sound, but he’s probably my biggest supporter. Even when we were dating, he would always hype up my work. I’ll never forget him telling me one time I had showed him something I’d finished, and he had said he was looking forward to our future home having all of my art on our walls. But my mom and my mother in law, I think have probably acquired most of my paintings. It’s always funny to show them my latest and see who will ask for it first, haha. I could literally spend forever talking about how great and supportive my family is, though.

Website: mycupofkee.com

Instagram: @mycupofkee

Image Credits
Images provided by me, Kaitlyn Kee.