Name: Kayla Newnam
Facebook: Kayla Mae Art
Instagram: @KaylaNewnam
Website: kaylanewnam.com
Age: 28
Title: Mural Painter
Married/Single: Single and vaccinated!
City you live in: Phoenix, AZ
A typical day in my life includes… Speaking to my dogs about their hopes and dreams, drinking coffee, painting something, answering emails, sitting outside staring at the ground thinking about all of the things I need to do. Soon, it will consist of a lot of driving and camping on my way to my next mural!
I was born… 11 lbs 10 oz
My favorite thing about Arizona… Monsoons! There is nothing more magical than when the sky opens up, dumps rain and lightning on us and makes the world smell like creosote.
I’m listening to… A lot of audiobooks. I have run out of true crime podcasts. Send podcast and book recommendations for my trip!
My family… is all over the place. For the most part, everyone in my family is self-employed, and taught me how to create my own path in life. My parents drove me around from softball practice, cheer, dance, golf, gymnastics, figure skating, basketball, acting classes and a lot of other strange interests I had as a kid. Art seemed to be the one consistent thing I was interested in. I am very grateful for them letting me try out all of these activities and for buying all of the various shoes required for each sport. They have been super supportive of my creativity and always let me go where I needed to go to figure it out for myself.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolf anyone really from that era of SNL
One thing I cannot live without… Trader Joe’s Hatch Green Chile Mac ‘n’ Cheese
When I was younger, I wanted to be… my sister.
I’m inspired by… very strange corners of pictures or dreams I have or things that I think are funny. Traveling always gives me a refreshed sense of creativity and makes me think of environments in a different way.
The one person who motivates me is… a lot of people motivate me. Nothing motivates me more than when someone doubts that I can do something. Then I am on a mission to prove otherwise!
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… to have people just be nice to one another. A lot more progress would be made if people came from a place of compassion rather than fear or anger.
The perfect day would be… having a day off, getting a massage and pedicure then sitting on the beach with a margarita.
My first job was… lemonade saleswoman and business owner at the stand in our backyard.
My favorite escape… our cabin in Pinetop doesn’t have any internet so it is my favorite thing to go up there and unplug alone in the forest for a few days.
My life… is a little overwhelming right now. I seem to thrive in chaos though so hopefully it will all work out the way it looks in my head!
I’m currently working on… prepping for my nation-wide mural tour! I just kicked it off at Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix and have lots of organizing tools, clothes, emailing, taking pictures, forgetting things, filming, ordering merch, trying to do better about documenting and posting what I do. I need to call my accountant this week and get a new battery for my trailer.
Always… brush your teeth.
Never… undervalue your work. No one else can do what you do so don’t be shy about knowing and charging your worth.…
Biggest Dream… having a gigantic mural in the NYC skyline.)…
More About Kayla Newnam:
I paint big walls! I have been painting professionally for 6 years and am always seeking bigger, weirder places to paint. I use a lot of bright colors and quirky patterns to create unique environments. My goal is to bring people together through public art! Walking into a gallery can sometimes be intimidating, walking down your street shouldn’t be. For the next few years, I am taking my renovated art camper across the country to create a mural in each of the 50 states. I just kicked off this mural tour at Desert Ridge Marketplace, go check it out!
