Artist Kasey Blaustein Opens up About How She Uses Play to Enhance her Creative Process
When talking about creativity, you can’t escape the concept of play. Exploration, experimentation, and curiosity are elements of both play and creativity. Many cognitive abilities and effective processes critical in creativity also occur in play. We sat down with artist Kasey of Kasey Jones, Ink., a one-stop creative studio, to talk about her process and how she utilizes play to develop art-powered experiences and products.
So, what is Kasey Jones, Ink.?
“We’re a one-stop creative studio…Creative Brand Consultants, for short,” says Kasey. “We use our artistic expertise to infuse color and energy into brands, events, and products. We love the intersection between art + activism and art-powered experiences and activations.”
What influenced you to pursue a career in art?
“The women in my family are very creative and have an innate talent for painting, decorating, crafting, and all that stuff. As much joy as it brought them, I could tell, especially with my grandmother, that there was underlying frustration that their talents were solely exercised as a hobby in the home. I always hated that. When the photo backdrops I was creating for parties started getting organic traction, I took it as a sign to take the leap of faith and pursue a career in my art. Many of the art-powered services I provide and the products I design are rooted in creativity, attention to detail, and influenced by the power of play that I’ve learned from my mom and grandmothers over the years. I channel their lessons in everything I create and very much think of my company’s success as our success.”
How’d you get to where you are today?
“It’s been an evolution, similar to how creativity evolves and flows. However, what remains consistent is that all the services we offer and the experiences we create originate from the love and power of play. I launched Kasey Jones, Ink. with an interactive photo booth experience now called CHALK SHOT. CHALK SHOT was created on a whim when I designed a chalkboard mural for my 30th birthday party and asked a friend of mine to set up his camera so we could create a make-shift photo booth. The energy in the booth was palpable and evident in the photos! With the help of social media, the pictures went viral, and I started getting requests for our “photo booth service” from brides, event planners, parents organizing their kid’s Bar Mitzvahs. All of it!”
“Once I started posting photos of the creative process behind the photobooth murals on social media, I began getting inquiries from brands and agencies about doing art live at tradeshows and conferences. Our Live Art Activation services are now one of our most popular offerings, and we’ve executed on-site experiences for international brands including Kettle Chips, TeenVOGUE, and Pottery Barn!”
“Over quarantine, when we were confined to our homes, the struggle to stay sane was real. I tried bringing joy into our house by painting images and inspirational notes on the windows and mirrors to celebrate special occasions and holidays. Our Coloring Kit products, some of which benefit grassroots nonprofits that advance social change, were born and subsequently featured on the news (and on Paris Hilton’s Instagram!). In short, it’s been a constant cycle of tapping into what sparks my creativity and brings me joy and marrying it with what’s in demand. It’s a dance, and I feel fortunate to bring energy, color, and fun to homes and businesses.”
So, what’s your creative process?
“It depends on the type of project and client. When I’m working with brands, it starts with me exploring ideas and brainstorming with their marketing team to get a full understanding of what the brand is trying to communicate to consumers through the activation.”
“Some brands are fully hands-on, while others prefer to hand over their assets and let us create. From there, my team experiments with digital mockups of our design concept for review, and then, based on the client’s feedback, we start bringing the activation to life. It’s a similar process when we work with event planners.”
“When I work with like-minded creatives or influencers, it’s more collaborative. We discuss our goals for the partnership and work as a team so that whatever we create showcases both of our unique styles and we meet our initiatives for teaming up. Often, the initiative is simply to support another creative and have some fun. Either way, it’s important to me to always keep my curiosity sparked throughout the process. It keeps my mind active and my creativity sharp!”
“Many times, as I described with CHALK SHOT and our Coloring Kits, the creativity comes from wanting to produce something for myself or a friend, and it goes from there. The most recent example of this is when I created a gorgeous gift box for a friend’s birthday. The box was filled with three different funky bottles of Amaro (his favorite spirit) nestled in a beautiful arrangement of colorful flowers and dried fruit. I showed photos of it to a few friends who work at marketing agencies. Now we’re locked in to create over 150 flower boxes for a Pride celebration campaign. The power of play, I tell ya. The creativity flows naturally when you’re having fun!”
How do you overcome creative blocks?
“Because I love what I do, I can get sucked into a weird creative vortex, and I have a hard time shutting off. This isn’t the most effective approach and almost always leads to creative blocks. Over time I’ve learned that for me to remain creative, I need to step away from my studio at least once a day and, at a minimum, take a walk.”
“There is a quaint little coffee shop about half a mile away from me that I walk to and get a latte. I often bring my English Bulldog, Zoe, along because she likes to stroll slowly and sniff everything. She reminds me to take in my surroundings and be mindful. I also use the opportunity to call my friends or family, which is a great mental release. Weekly yoga, Pilates, and hikes are also an essential part of removing creative blocks.”
“I think because you have to be fully in the moment and concentrate on the task in front of you, and I always find that I have even more time in the day when I workout. It’s like a weird magic trick, but I’ll take it. Baking also became a huge part of overcoming my creative blocks during quarantine, but now I have an urge to start a pastry gift basket business, so, in the end, creativity and play always win.”
CONCLUSION
Straight from Artist Kasey Blaustein, “play enhances the creative process and gives the gift of new ideas!” Not only does it make creating fun, but it also allows space for exploration, experimentation, and curiosity to take the wheel. So remember, don’t always take tasks or problems too seriously. Stop to entertain yourself to keep your mind ready and refreshed.
