Becky Katie Graphic Artist & Illustrator Extrodinaire!

It is my absolute pride & pleasure to introduce this artist. Becky Katie has not only been a massive inspiration to myself pre-Buddy Mary days but I feel was a great support in helping me start my business. Full of helpful advice, Becky Katie was always happy to answer questions and offer moral support. Over the past year Becky Katie has been the first to apply for my CannaCraft Fayre 3 times as well as hosting her own virtual crafts fayre.

I was drawn to Becky's art like a moth to the flame, the flame made of vibrant colours & a powerful message advocating self care, self love & mental health. He work has continued to develop into such a unique style I just want to see more and more of.

I asked Becky about Cannabis and her Art business....

When/how we're you introduced to Cannabis? What did you know if it before?

I was first introduced to Cannabis when I was 18, by my now ex boyfriend at the time. I did know of cannabis before but only really in the most basic sense of that it was something you smoked to get high, and that was it. A lot of my knowledge of cannabis came from the stigma of it within films and tv shows, of the lazy hippie stoner characterisation that it was always paired with. It wasn't until I was 18 that I learned more about the healing side of cannabis, and also the multitude of different ways it could be used/applied/etc, and how it could be something much more powerful and useful other than just a method to get high.

How regularly do you use cannabis/Why do you use cannabis?

Honestly I use cannabis now a lot less than I used to when I was 18 - 20. At that time I was dealing with a really difficult abusive relationship, and in turn very much abused cannabis consumption as a way to step away from my body and what was happening to me, and just completely check out, I used it to try and calm my constant nerves, and to get some sleep through that very stressful period of my life. I do still use cannabis but my relationship with cannabis has definitely changed in the last couple of years since I left that abusive situation. I still see it as a tool to calm myself and to take a break, but not in the same extreme as I did before. I don't use it to check out of my body anymore, but simply for relaxation. I also much prefer the healing benefits of CBD now. I used to be all about high THC content and saw CBD as something that didn't bother me and didn't get me high so wasn't something I was interested in, but I think that mainly stemmed from the way I'd been taught to see cannabis by my ex boyfriend. These days, CBD is much more important to me than THC. 

What mode(s) of administration do you favour?

Personally I'm very common when it comes to how I use cannabis, I tend to either smoke it in a spliff, or use it through topical ways such as CBD oils, bath products, etc. I also so partake occasionally in the use of edibles. 

How do you family/friends feel about cannabis or your use of cannabis?

I have a lot of friends who use cannabis in varying ways, and a lot of friends who used it in similar ways as I used to, for similar reasons. I don't think cannabis has as much of a stigma with people as it used to, obviously there's still a way to go, but I think a lot of people are seeing how common it is, and also the many benefits it can bring with pain relief and relaxation. I think my family, and a lot of people generally, tend to see the THC side of cannabis as 'bad' and the CBD side as 'good', and I think a lot of that comes from the way that retail wise, the two sides of cannabis are separated and given that aura about them just through the legality of some products but not others. 

What mode(s) of administration do you favour?

Personally I'm very common when it comes to how I use cannabis, I tend to either smoke it in a spliff, or use it through topical ways such as CBD oils, bath products, etc. I also so partake occasionally in the use of edibles. 

How do your family/friends feel about cannabis or your use of cannabis?

I have a lot of friends who use cannabis in varying ways, and a lot of friends who used it in similar ways as I used to, for similar reasons. I don't think cannabis has as much of a stigma with people as it used to, obviously there's still a way to go, but I think a lot of people are seeing how common it is, and also the many benefits it can bring with pain relief and relaxation. I think my family, and a lot of people generally, tend to see the THC side of cannabis as 'bad' and the CBD side as 'good', and I think a lot of that comes from the way that retail wise, the two sides of cannabis are separated and given that aura about them just through the legality of some products but not others. 

How long you been creating for? We're you always artistic?

I've been creating art in various forms since I was really young and have always been super artistic, I've tested out a lot of different methods and mediums from traditional pencil sketching, oil and acrylic paintings, photography, etc.  I even remember having a dressmakers dummy in my bedroom as a teenager and making my own ballgowns out of old bedsheets!

 

Can you tell us about you creative journey? 

Like I say I've always been very creative, all through school art was my favourite subject and something I spent so many hours of my day doing, inside and outside of school. I also ran an online blog in my teens which led me to dabble in photography and writing. I went to university in Lincoln in 2016, but left shortly after starting as I didn't feel the fine art course was right for me, and then after a while of trying to figure my life out and a lot of contemplation I took up hairdressing. I've always been one to play around with my hair, and if you follow my insta you'll notice my hair colours are still always changing, so I loved hairdressing, but it just didn't satisfy my need to keep challenging myself and my want for change. I eventually ended up at Sheffield Hallam Uni doing graphic design, and then the merging of their design and illustration courses led me to consider a route in illustration - and here I am! I started creating art with a digital medium specifically in June 2019, and started my own online shop last June, and I couldn't be happier with the path I've chosen, it took a long time to figure out what I wanted to do but I finally feel like this is right for me.

How did you start your shop/website? 

I started my shop last June, as I'd created my bestselling mental health journal as a final project for my last year of my graphic design course, and it just grew into a larger project than I ever expected, people really loved it, and it's undergone so many changes and updates as people supported the project. I got a lot of people contacting me about purchasing copies of my journal, and initially I was just selling it via instagram, but I ended up getting a lot of interest and eventually moved it over to Etsy and started selling from there! 

What do you do/specialise in? Any projects you want to highlight here? 

I specialise in illustration around the themes of mental health, femininity, spirituality, and positivity. I love to create a variety of work, and a lot of my work is either super bright and colourful and bold, or strong detailed black and white pieces. I always like to create things for a purpose, and I love to create books and zines, as well as prints. I also am trying my hand at new mediums lately using my digital pieces, such as clay work, jewellery, and t shirts. 

My main project that has brought me the most success has been my mental health journals, they're full of a mash up of thoughtful illustrations around mental health, interactive reflective pages where you can write in the book to track your moods, medication, goals, and more. They also contain factual pages that talk around the basics of mental health and a variety of topics such as OCD, PTSD, abuse, and ways to control anxiety and panic attacks. 

I also do a lot of commissions, so I do a lot of custom portraits, as well as logos and brand work, album artwork, and also campaign work. I worked on a commission last September for Ella Daish, a well-known anti plastic advocate, that was a series of illustrations to support her campaign against Tampax's excessive plastic use, the campaign ended up featured in a lot of large magazines and websites, including Marie Claire! That was a really proud moment for me and something I was so happy to get the chance to work on with Ella. 

 

Where can people find you if they wanna know. More or buy your work?