Meet Kai | International Street Artist

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

Hi Kai, how does your business help the community?
What we do comes from a place of love. And, I believe the moment you decide to put love out into the world you begin to connect with people, one person at a time. The intention is to create a ripple effect so that the people you impact then affect the people they communicate and interact with. My hope is that the love we put out becomes contagious and it spreads.

Sometimes, the work that we do also helps people reflect on their lives. In today’s society there’s so much noise between social media and the news, so having an outlet outside of all that can be helpful. It’s like a little gem to help you appreciate what you have or realign on what’s going on in your life.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about.

What sets me and what we do in the studio apart from others is intention. Everything we put out, everything we release into the world—whether it’s street art, a t-shirt, or fine art—we do it with purpose. No detail goes unseen, everything is meticulously examined for meaning and quality of the work. If it isn’t, then it’s just an object and I believe art should be an experience. It’s an emotional thing. So, I always want to stay true to that.

I’m excited about everything. Today we have close to 10-20 pending projects, which is a lot for a studio our size. We have a collaboration with PUBG and Trolli coming soon. I’m getting back to the streets and my roots with a street art tour across the US. We have our first ever tabletop sculpture coming out soon, which has been years and years in the making. And, I’m really excited about what we’re going to be able to put in people’s homes and help them connect and make memories around.

There’s a big show coming up in December and a monumental sculpture that we just started on that will be done in two years.

I could go on forever, but I’m excited about all of it. I try to dedicate as much attention to all of them. Everything makes me happy.

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Persistence and respect is the main way I got here. It wasn’t easy. There are days you want to quit but if you go and do a little work on those days then you’re getting ahead. And, you do it the right way with respect and intention. And, you just keep doing it. Baby steps.

With anything in life, if you really want it bad enough you need to do consistent work to see results. It’s like going to the gym, going to therapy, eating healthy. If you can dedicate yourself to it and create a regimen, you’re more likely to get what you want. Like Venus Williams said, “Discipline is freedom.”

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

As shared, we do things with love, purpose, and intention. But, if it’s not for you, that’s ok. No hard feelings. We’re going to keep doing it and if it connects with one person, we’re doing the right thing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s start with a day in LA, because my days are intense. We’d wake up at 5am and, while I’m not a big hiker, I would probably take them on a hike. It’s a good way to get the blood flowing, be outdoors, and still get to have a conversation.

We’d then get ready for the day and I’d take them to All Time—a little breakfast spot with great energy. I’d then take them to the studio so they could get an idea of what we do and hopefully share their perspective—which could translate into us doing something better, a new work of art.

For lunch we’d go to a food truck by the studio. Then we’d go across LA, from North Hollywood to Venice, to walk on the beach, be outside, feel the energy. If they were up to it, we’d go into the ocean.

We’d grab dinner at Sugarfish in West LA before visiting with more friends. Later, we’d go to The Velvet Martini lounge and head upstairs to the Piano Lounge. Or, we’d go to the Sunset Tower bar.

If we had a few more days, we’d do the Eagle Rock / Griffith Park area. We’d head to the Palisades, maybe Malibu, and Studio City. I love Studio City because you get all the perks of Eagle Rock without the congestion. I’d also take them to Nido Cafe, Forma, Backyard Bowls, L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Matsuhisa, Big Bar, Felix Trattoria, Chateau Marmont, Giorgio Baldi, and Fat Sals.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a few people.

First, thank you to my parents. There’s a time in every parent’s life where they need to either be onboard with what their children want to do or fight against it and push them towards something more stable and secure. I am lucky to have parents who were very open to the idea of ‘do what you love and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll figure it out.’ There’s a blessing in that and it gave me the courage and the support that I needed when entering a field that is so uncertain. They are extremely hard workers so they were always leading by example. They were honest, had good morals, did things the proper way, and treated everyone with respect. They were… are really important icons in my life.

Thank you to Moose. We’ve been friends for close to 14 years and he was always the first to call me out whenever I started to waver or lose focus on what I was doing. I think in order to succeed you need to have people who will put you back in your place. It’s easy to get lost in the everyday struggle and to look for quick and easy solutions. He helped remind me who I was as a person.

The next person would be my ex-girlfriend. She gave me the space to be me, to be creative, and made me feel like my creativity and my ambition had a purpose. When you give what you do a purpose, you can fight harder and stronger. And, having someone who truly believes in you and is there on the bad days, you can’t put a value on that.

Lastly, Gilbert Benhamou was one of the first people to help me understand that I shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed that what I do deserves to have monetary value. As an artist, there was this weird moment where I didn’t really want people to pay for my work because it’s coming from the heart. But, you need to eat, you need to pay bills, you may have dreams of building and doing more beautiful things and that costs money. He helped me see that what I do has value, and I shouldn’t be ashamed of asking for that value.

“Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art” is the first street art book I fell in love with. It opened the idea of how creative and how large art could be. It’s been the inspiration of my career.

Website: https://www.kaiart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-art-5996749b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaiart?lang=en

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Kaiandif