Life & Work with Kat Loetterle of East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Loetterle.

Hi Kat, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, I always had a fascination for art – especially fantasy. I watched any movie I could get my hands on and read any book that tickled my goblin brain. From there, my little goblin self would draw to my heart’s content: Fairies, dragons, anything from 90s/2000s animated shows, Disney, Studio Ghibli, and many more. Time passed, however, and I was drawing less and less. Coming into adulthood, and all the fun challenges life throws at you, mental or otherwise, largely contributed to me not being creative for almost a decade. Ever so slowly, things began to change. It look time to stoke that fire that is my creativity, but eventually it roared back to life. Being creative and drawing was the only solid way I could express myself, but it took time, and lots of self-love, to learn that lesson. This moment came to a head at a specific art market my husband and I frequented. On that day, I made a pinky promise that this time next year, I would have my own art business and vend at this specific art market. Fast forward to now, I have been a professional artist for 2 years. I have vended not only at that specific art market, but many other markets and conventions across different states. So, here I am, embracing being a weird and whimsy goblin and absolutely loving every second of it.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish the road was smooth, but I like to think that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for me riding the struggle bus on that sometimes very bumpy road. For me, my biggest struggle was my own mental health and coming to terms with my neurodiversity and how that impacts me and everything around me. I’ve learned to give myself love and plenty of accommodation. The world, unfortunately, doesn’t give folks those kinds of things all too often (if at all). So, it has been truly a struggle to learn more about who I am and how my brain works. While being neurodiverse is wonderful and I honestly wouldn’t change how I am, it has definitely made an impact on my art. For many, many years I rarely drew and I was rarely creative. In seeking help, though, both medically and finding my person (my wonderful husband) has done wonders for me. Yes, the road is still a little bumpy, but I now have tools and people I can rely on to help me navigate that road. I like to think this shows in my work or at the very least how I present myself and business. I try to create a space where everyone, no matter who you are, is welcomed wholeheartedly. Because I know the feeling of being alone – of being “different.” I don’t wish that on anyone. My hope is that people leave with a smidge of happiness when they stop by.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an illustrator who has a real passion for digital art, but I also love to play around with traditional mediums from time to time. Much like a crow being attracted to all the shiny things, so it is with my art. My most popular works are all my critters (think cats, frogs, possums) and my swords, which are my own little way of creating fan-art. Lately, I’ve been diving deeper into D&D and fantasy themes, even creating my own magical world for future projects.

I take a lot of pride in my work and feel grateful to be doing what I love, despite the obstacles along the way. Living out my goblin dreams, I strive to infuse a sense of magic and love into everything I create and how I run my business. What sets me apart is my belief in creating art purely for the joy it brings, not only for myself, but for others too. My goal is to bring a smile to people’s faces and sprinkle a little bit of magic into their day.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I enjoy about our city is the friendliness of it and how people really support the arts. There is a beautiful community of people that come together, and I am so happy that I am a part of it. There are numerous pop-ups for art markets, and you can find all sorts of art styles and mediums. On the flip side though, I wish it didn’t get so darn hot! But I know Arizona’s fiery summer will come to an end, and we can then all venture outside and enjoy what Arizona brings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katthegoblin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katthegoblin/