Daily Inspiration: Meet Karla VonDeylen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla VonDeylen. 

Karla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Art has always been a massive part of my life. Growing up I watched my mom, Kristin Kaminsky, live out her dream creating stained glass and owning her own gallery. I always knew I wanted to be a creator but could never really find exactly what I was meant to do. I tried a little bit of everything! Then in 2017, I came across dot painting. I was so drawn to the symmetry of the mandala work. I jumped in with both feet! 

I’ve struggled my entire life with OCD tendencies and severe anxiety. This style of painting has helped me cope with my struggles by throwing me into a meditative state of patterns and a lot of counting! This has help my daily routine on so many levels. 

After figuring out how to make the “perfect dot” I opened my mind to the world of sacred geometry. When this happened, I felt a door open to endless possibilities. I no longer questioned what I had been doing and ventured into such a beautiful state of free flow. These structured paintings that I create start with no end in sight and no begging to question. Each dot placed only worries about its matching partners in sequence. Giving me a blissful feeling of direction without worry of what’s to come. 

All of my paintings have three different faces. Natural light, ultraviolet, and glow-in-the-dark. Showing you that through fresh eyes you can perceive something so differently. But, in the dark, we are all light with our own inner glow. Creating life with light and connecting everything all through one dot. 

These psychedelic acrylic dot paintings have helped me see that there is no such thing as perfection. It’s all an illusion of one’s perception. But in the end, it’s beautiful. Whatever way it is you choose to view them. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a smooth road! But I’m learning how to pave my own way. One of my main struggles with art has been patience. Nothing happens overnight. I’ve found if I make a mistake to step away instead of frantically trying to fix it in the moment. When you try and fix something that is unstable (wet) all around it you are bound to mess something up next to it. So, waiting give your structure time to settle in and your mind the time to settle down. Being able to fix the problem with ease. I practice my patience one dot at a time! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a psychedelic acrylic dot painter. When people think of me, they think DOTS! When I set up my art booth, I love watching people absorb what I have to offer. Then to see the same people come back at night to have their minds warped into a different dimension in the ultraviolet light. The look on their faces is what I do this for! 

As an artist, we normally have one thing we have created that we are most proud of. In my case, that art piece is Dabby Dotty Doodles! Dabby is my clown persona. Not only do I feel beautifully 100% myself but people view me in such a different light. I’ve always looked different and stood out in different kinds of ways. Making me question what I’m supposed to actually, well, be. I feel as if people look at me exactly the same but through those fresh eyes I keep talking about. I do all the same things as normal, but people smile and say oh she’s a clown so that’s normal. They look at me and smile. Yes, with intimidation because clowns make people feel some type of way. But with joyful intimidation. Not just me looking different with tattoos and dreadlocks and people questioning Karla. But people questioning Dabby in a joyful way. All the same questions but with those fresh eyes, new light, and a bright red nose! 

Not only do I create art, but I become art. Yes, this is for me, but I do that for you as well. The joy I see on people’s faces is what makes me, me! I create because I feel it is my purpose and seeing someone’s raw emotional response brings me peace of mind and comfort to my soul. I’m rich in light and love and will do everything to share that with the world. 

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 was such a crazy experience. I had just quit my job as a server to pursue my art career. With everything being shut down and no way to create revenue I went to social media. I had never been one to understand what it was all meant for. But it showed me the connection of people that were still there to support what I could create. I did live videos, answered questions, and showed off my inventory. In a time that everything felt so low and hopeless I saw support and love. My social media account went up to almost 5k followers. I saw people gather to support the joy in the hard times. Working together to help each other stay positive. So not only did I learn that working together with love can keep everything going but I learned how to run my social media to support my business! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/call.me.karl?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karla.vondeylen?mibextid=LQQJ4d