Type Tuesday: Kal Barteski

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Kal Barteski's Work/Life illustration. 

For today's Type Tuesday, we have a special post featuring Work/Life 3 illustrator Kal Barteski. You might be familiar with Kal's "Link with Love" campaign as well as her exuberant prints of inspiring inky scrawls. She also has a profound fondness for polar bears and was recently honoured to present at TEDxManitoba.

I am pleased that Kal is part of Work/Life 3 and look forward to her work gracing the pages of the magazine at some point. Below is an excerpt from our interview.

 

Does your personal life (i.e. children, working from a home studio) affect your career?

I think that my personal life has definitely had an impact on my career. I work at home—which means I never really leave the "office". I also have three small children so I wholeheartedly recognize the value of leaving my work when my time is up for the day. I do not spend as much time with social media as the world would lead me to believe that I should. But, life trumps the internet and I draw my creativity from being fulfilled in my real life. It's been an interesting battle to learn from over the years and as my personal life has changed.

How do you maintain a balance between your work and your life? (or not?)

I do my best to maintain balance by having set hours to "work" on my illustration and art. It is still a struggle to "fit things in" before I know I have to close the door and join my family. It has also been a gift to see how my work patterns and sequences have changed to meet my parenting/life needs.

What is your ideal day?

My ideal days start early. I have breakfast with my husband and three funny girls, I walk my oldest daughter to kindergarten when our super-fantastic nanny arrives with a smile. And after that I get 8 solid hours to paint, draw, sketch and make my career dreams happen in my studio. I have lunch with the kids. I paint all afternoon before shutting the door and reuniting with my family for dinner, baths, games and bedtimes. Life is chaotic right now, but I love chaos. I've also found that I need to be creating art to be a good mom, wife, daughter and friend. It's a priority for me to give the ones I love my best self by creating a space and time that I can do that.

Kal Barteski at work.