Kayte Demont - Hard Work and Education Are What Complete the Puzzle (Artist From Maine, USA)

I've been doing art for as long as I can remember, it's just been a part of my life. My mother is an artist and taught art for 25+ years so I had a lot of access to education and supplies at a very early age. 

I took my first dance class at the age of 2 and quickly fell in love with all things dance and performing arts. 

Tell us about your background and journey.

I've been doing art for as long as I can remember, it's just been a part of my life. My mother is an artist and taught art for 25+ years so I had a lot of access to education and supplies at a very early age. I took my first dance class at the age of 2 and quickly fell in love with all things dance and performing arts. 

I continued with dance and tried art in as many mediums as I could all throughout high school. I minored in Studio Art at Gettysburg College but from there I took a more corporate route and entered the world of marketing and brand photography/ content creation. 

It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to get back into the fine arts world.

When and why you decided to become an artist?

Mostly because that's what I did with my mom. I didn't understand that people didn't just have access to an art room or any colour paint that they wanted.

What difference do you feel between digital art and normal handmade art?

The tangibility. There's a whole different experience when you can touch something or experience it through another sense besides just sight. 

I don't know if one is better than the other - I create both - more that it depends on what the situation calls for.


What do you think as a musician, is formal training required or can one train themselves purely based on talent?

I think with any medium, you have to have passion. From there you need some level of raw talent. Many people get extremely far on those things alone. For me, hard work and education are what complete the puzzle. 

Ambition and the foundations of colour theory and composition are what I fall back on when I'm feeling uninspired or up against the ropes and need to produce something quickly for a deadline.



How important is social media validation in your profession?


That's a tough question because I think I'm an outlier. I started my career a decade ago as a blogger/ influencer and have since been working as a social media and branding consultant. I also teach a class on Instagram Marketing where I put a lot of emphasis on transparency and personal messaging beyond just analytics. 

 I believe that social media can be a beautiful tool that opens up doors to opportunities that artists could never dream of. However, there's obviously a dark side to social media as well in which vanity metrics and the "fake life" clout rule.

 To find a balance, it's key to stay focused on your own branding and your own work so that you can attract the right clients and professional connections that share the same mission.



What are your other interests?

I love to travel and swim (I swam all through college - backstroke was my speciality!). Fun fact: I was a nationally ranked race-walker in high school and my best time for the mile was 7minutes and 35 seconds.


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Interviewed by - Ritika Malhotra