Conversations with Kristen Cox

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Cox.

Hi Kristen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve loved drawing since I was little, so it was my plan early on to become an illustrator. Creating art for other people has always brought me a lot of happiness, and I have always enjoyed the challenge of drawing or conveying an idea through pictures. As soon as I graduated, I left for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, to study in their fine arts program. While there, I took classes in painting, drawing, and ceramics, earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Drawing. Fairbanks, AK was very far from where I grew up in Lucasville, OH, so I was very homesick. Often, I would make art about home–the animals, plants, and places I missed; I also would tell the weird monster stories I heard growing up: the Frogman, Grassman, Mothman, Goatman, and other bizarre things that lurked locally after dark. People really enjoyed the monsters and I was always excited to tell them more. It felt like sharing a little piece of home. Gradually, I carved myself a niche, almost exclusively creating art on folklore subjects and Appalachian culture. After graduation, I began working as a freelance artist, illustrating others’ books, board games, and other projects, usually fantastical in nature. On the side, I focused on the monster stories I had grown to love and see as part of myself, eventually publishing my own book on them. Selling and exhibiting my art across Appalachia, I have found and grown an audience of people who find themselves drawn to these strange local novelties, legends, and cryptids (creatures not proven to exist). The folklore side of my work is what people know me most for, now. While I still create work on my beloved local horrors, I am more often working on commissions for others’ local legends, as well as bringing to life the weird or scary things clients believe to have witnessed or encountered.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a working artist is not particularly easy. The starving artist stereotype is not too far from the truth! Early in my career, I took no days off and worked all day. I would take any side gig I came across, regardless of what kind of art work was needed. I tried to be as versatile of a creator as possible, any style or media I had access to, from formatting books and designing packaging to painting rooms and making custom order beads. Of course, I got burnt out really quickly, Working from home can be tricky, as you always feel like you’re at work; it can be difficult to turn off your work brain and actually relax.

AI art generation has presented new problems within the last few years. In general, art orders are decreasing, and there is the new concern of art being stolen, scraped for AI databases. Art theft has always been a problem (I have found many of my designs being sold online, and even in local shops); with all types, it is a constant fight, with few useful, easy solutions. Being an artist is being flexible. You have to keep evolving, learning new skills to compete, be seen, and not be taken advantage of. You are always trying to balance passion and business, trends and your own style.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Appalachian artist that specializes in traditional illustration (pencils, inks, markers, paints) and ceramic art. I work under the pseudonym “Ballyraven,” a silly, bird-like character I made up and use as sort of a mascot. Most of my work focuses on a subset of folklore: cryptids. Many people have a deep attachment to these weird creatures, either as symbols, something they truly believe to exist or to have experienced, or a combination of both. I am most well known for cryptids, especially my series of illustrations depicting them as nature journal entries. Inspired by antique, scientific illustrations and field journals, the series imagines what these fantastical or horrific beasts might be like if they truly existed and were observed. They include detailed notes (how they sound, smell, look), anatomical references, and information about their environment, history. The drawings are often based on real, local animals, featuring facts alongside folklore, blending reality and fiction; they are made with a combination of pencils, ink washes, and sometimes markers.

The majority of other artists in my community are believers in the supernatural, paranormal, and many cryptids. I am one of the few who don’t believe in anything. I enjoy using cryptids to spark conversations about the natural sciences and skepticism, two things I am very passionate about. That doesn’t mean that I, or my work, are very serious. I try to emphasize in my art that it’s also about having fun, sharing a laugh or story, and not taking anything too seriously.

Over the years, I have diversified, making a lot of different things in several mediums. Out of everything I do, I think my pen and ink illustrations are my best work. They are what I call ‘medieval style illustrations,’ as they are meant to resemble art found in old bestiaries, and are made with a dip pen. Dip pens are an old tool, sort of like a quill. I do dabble a bit with digital art, turning my scribbled, sketchbook ideas into a web comic with a drawing tablet. I also produce a podcast about folklore, “The Cryptid Guide,” which function as companion pieces to my drawings.

While it is not the best thing I create, my comics are my favorite thing to make. As most artists will tell you, art can become tedious, soul-sucking work. You have to have a project that you do for the love of it, to keep art-making happy and fun. My comics are for me. I am most honest, free, and joyful when I am working on them.

All in all, I prefer traditional art to digital art. It is fun to learn about how things were once made and try to replicate the process. It makes you appreciate how much easier everything is now, even drawing or painting. With traditional art, there are a lot of little imperfections, too; while that might seem like a bad thing, they are subtle details that show a human made it with their own hands. There’s something special and personal in that.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
There are so so many other artists in the world that are incredibly talented at what they do. It can be daunting, because you are always comparing yourself to all of the other artists and art you see online. It can feel like a pointless endeavor, like there’s no chance you’ll ever get by. I am very fortunate to have found success in such a niche community–one that is also quite supportive of the arts. I have also had some great luck online, my drawings seen and enjoyed by millions of people. While the bulk of these views have been due to my work being shared without credit, I still count it as a win; many people still put in the effort to find me, and it is definitely a mood boost to have people see something you made and say nice things about it, even when you don’t directly benefit from it. I always count myself lucky that in a sea of art and artists, people have been able to find me at all. No matter how hard you work, how much effort you put in, the pieces all have to come together, and you don’t control all of those pieces.

One of my greatest strokes of luck is having a very supportive partner. We both work and take care of chores, which really reduces stress! He also helps me run the business, packing orders, going to the post office, traveling for exhibitions and festivals, setting up and tearing down vending equipment. Having a partner who is always happy to help, give honest feedback, and encourage me to take time for myself is the luckiest thing that could have ever happened to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ballyraven.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballyraven_folklore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ballyraven/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC16X_p-SQGAlJpSec0AUGhg
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZBVsBBSPT5etApN7WOgLY?si=caf2fb1ba7cd4ae3