Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Jones.
Kari, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am an open book, but I’ll try not to over-share to much. I grew up in South Jersey with two older siblings, and I’ve always been creative in one way or another. When I was five, I wanted to be a pop star, I’d sing Hillary Duff and Kelly Clarkson songs at the top of my lungs strapped in my car seat looking out the window, pretending I was in my own music video. Throughout grade school, I anxiously doodled on every paper margin and used drawing as a way to cope with bad days and mean kids. Finally, in eighth grade, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and was put on antidepressants. With some clarity and therapy, I entered high school, where I took a calligraphy class with an amazing educator and woman that continues to be a source of inspiration to me, Sharon Russell. She made a huge impact on my life and encouraged me to actually pursue a career in art, and gave me the love I have today for the art of typography. SCAD was brought to my attention by my father and was actually the only school I applied to, and I guess you could say my path was anything but orthodox. I was diagnosed with ADHD freshman year and started at SCAD as an animation major, based solely on the fact that I enjoyed freshman drawing classes. When I realized the attention span it took to make short animation sequences, I was quickly uninterested. Then I changed my major to furniture design, based purely on the fact that I enjoyed the many weekends spent growing up in the garage woodworking with my dad. Let’s just say I didn’t thrive there, and both my professor and my father actually told me I should reconsider my future with furniture design right before I left for Lacoste, France my sophomore year. I left for Europe unsure of everything; little did I know that little mountain in the south of France would change my life. It was the first time I felt true peace and saw true natural beauty, helping me find my footing as an artist. I took a Fibers for non-majors class while there with professor Kayewah Easley, she sat me down and explained that within fibers, I could be an Illustrator through surface design and pattern, or a furniture designer that designs and upholsters fabric, or if I changed my mind again, I could do so many other things. Kayewah helped me gain perspective on my options and took the pressure off my shoulders. Then I fell in love with the textile practices themselves, making indigo vats to dye fabrics, weaving fibers of cotton and linen on looms to make yards of fabric, and drawing motifs to create digital patterns and prints. I’m currently finishing up my senior thesis titled “Comfort Within The Uncomfortable” for my degree in fibers. Through that collection, I launched my company Sad Lil Psycho in hopes to create a community of people that want to laugh at the things they struggle with instead of crying. My goal is to destigmatize mental illness and create quality products with my audience’s comfort in mind. I’d love for my kids to grow up in a world where it’s okay not to be okay.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Oh it has been anything but smooth, personally I have been through a lot of abusive relationships and drama over the years, which has directly impacted my art and the course I took to get here. However, those dark days are over with help from family, friends, my amazing fiancée, and lots of therapy, I can now honestly say I have never been so happy, so its no surprise that my artistic practice has followed suit. But I would say the biggest struggle I have faced through my artistic process is finding the inspiration and motivation to create through my depression and anxiety. It’s something I wake up every day and make the choice to not let define me while still allowing it to be a muse. When I first came up with my senior thesis, “Finding Comfort within the Uncomfortable,” and decided to create the Sad Lil Psycho brand, I think it did make a few people uncomfortable. While that was my overall intention, now it is my job to create comfort for those individuals within my brand to show them mental illness is not a downfall but could very well be our superpower.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would say I’m a bit of a jack of all trades; I know a little bit about a lot of artistic practices. That’s why I believe I chose the fibers department at SCAD. I adore drawing at my core creating graphics and illustrations along with creating print and pattern through surface design. However, Production has my heart; I love to create with my hands and, at the end of the day, have a finished product that I can be proud of. Right now, I am really getting into crochet accessories like hats, bags, and ski masks. My Badass Bunny hats are probably my most popular design to date; they are comfortable, unique, and fashionable crochet hats with long fluffy bunny ears and attached earrings and trinkets to fidget with. What sets me and my brand apart from others is I’m not afraid to say the things that occupy the darkest corners of our sad lil minds because it’s relatable and, let’s be honest, funny as hell. For example, one of my sad lil shirt designs says, “Nobody’s perfect, everyone has their shit, you’re doing great.” We all strive for perfection, but what is perfection, If not a construct that we all know isn’t attainable yet still strive for. And sometimes we all need a reminder that we are doing the best we can in this life and that is enough; you are enough. I would like Sad Lil Psycho to become a community of like minded individuals that can collectively make a change in the harsh stigma surrounding mental health today. Because, in my opinion, it is far better for us to laugh than to cry into our pillows!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Well, I religiously listen to Crime Junkies, Dateline, and small-town murder every week, usually while creating, doodling, or driving to and from Savannah. But the music I listen to probably influences my work most. Right now, Corook is a huge inspiration of mine; she is an amazing artist from Pennsylvania (side fact, I was also born there). She is bluntly honest about her struggles with mental illness and has created a community of people worldwide that relate to and help destigmatize the culture surrounding things like anxiety and depression. I would give the world to work with her someday!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sad-lil-psycho.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sad_lil_psycho/
Image Credits
Wyatt Junnila
Sophia Lee
Gabriella Marvaldi
Krist Mai
Dakota Blue
Michela Vector
Mike Posner
