Sun-drenched diaries

Joy Kinna

The founder behind Pocket Art, a monthly fine art subscription series that introduces subscribers to a different artist each month through a limited edition print and personal letter.

Can you tell us a little about Pocket Art and what inspired you to create it?

Pocket Art started as a little passion project. I wanted to get more connected back to my audience. My personal artwork grew and expanded really quickly years ago, and I felt as though I wasn’t able to keep up or keep track of my collectors around the world. It felt less and less personal. Pocket Art was an effort to bring something physical back to my collectors. Very quickly, it shifted from just my work to sharing new artists each month. It’s a way to get art in your hands in an accessible way. I really enjoy the curation process; it uses a totally different type of creativity than my painting practice.

Pocket Art has been around for over a year now and is steadily growing. What have you learned about people’s desire for opening, collecting, and keeping tangible artwork?

Tangible items have never been more important. Our whole worlds are increasingly more and more online, and the art of the physical is fading. Pocket Art is a little pushback from experiencing art on a screen and allowing you to experience an artist's work in your hands. And people are loving it. We hear time and time again that people are excited to check the mail, that they haven't had an envelope addressed to them, outside of bills, in a long time. I think the nostalgic desire for collecting and feeling something with our hands is alive and well.

  • “Fall brings more clarity. It brings focus, rhythm and honestly helps all my creative dreams come alive.”

    The Changing Seasons

As we head into the fall, how does the changing season influence your creativity?

I adore summer and the energy it brings, but fall brings more clarity. It brings focus, rhythm and honestly helps all my creative dreams come alive.

As a busy artist and mom, what are the small daily rituals or moments that help you feel like yourself? Do you have a weekly rhythm?

I love starting the day with a warm drink; right now it's an oat milk matcha. Sometimes I can make it in silence; other times my daughters are helping me whisk it up. Most evenings I set aside 20-30 minutes for meditation practice and journaling. It really helps me put the pressures of life aside and take some time to care for myself.
Otherwise, lifting weights, long walks and finding time for somatic movement have been huge.

We have a very loose weekly rhythm. Right now weekends are family days, Monday is our “planning day,” and Tuesday - Friday are my work days. My kids are in an alternative school, so they are only there three days a week. This leaves a lot of room for time together, and they really become a part of our work/business and life! Fridays are my pocket art day, and I sneak out early to end the week with a family movie night.

  • “We rush through so much of our lives; we miss a lot of the goodness all around us.”

    Making More Room for Creativity

What are your current creative bucket fillers? (A nod to her insta roundups)

Knitting is a big one. I am a huge type B girl, so I put off knitting forever even though I come from a family of knitters. I finally picked up needles last winter and haven’t put them down. It is a simple ritual, repetitive, and you can do it almost anywhere.

In addition to this, I always find time to spend in nature, near the ocean. Taking out my film camera and intentionally capture this phase of motherhood I am in.

If you could encourage someone to make more room for creativity in their everyday life, where would you suggest they start?

Noticing. Noticing what fuels their creativity and what drains it. Noticing the small moments of beauty and pleasure. We rush through so much of our lives; we miss a lot of the goodness all around us. As a mother, I don't always get long, uninterrupted creative time, but creativity comes in bursts; sometimes it's short and intense, and I scribble a few thoughts down in a journal. Other times it's more contemplative and drawn out. Ride the wave of creativity and lean into what fuels you and draws you in.

Joy's Favorites