Beautiful culture, bright illustrations + bold girls are all of the flavors that Kprecia Ambers mixes into her fresh designs!
Minneapolis-based Designer + Illustrator, Kprecia Ambers, is the founder of Kp Inspires which uses illustration as a tool to empower celebrate black girls!
“It’s important to see yourself in the world.” Realizing a lack of diversity within the Graphic Design field inspired Kprecia to open her own door of possibilities. Drawing from her positive spirit and desire to see people of color represented, she began creating illustrations painted in her mind and turning them into surface designs. She has since expanded into freelance work and is excited for the unlimited possibilities her career can bring.
“In following my dreams my hope is to inspire others like me to build their own door to walk through.”
Let’s get to know Kprecia a little better…
From your stunning illustrations to your beautiful accessories your pieces are instantly eye-catching! What first triggered your love of art + graphic design?
That’s a good question. I have always loved drawing, but as I got older I grew away from it. When I got to college I originally pursued a degree in web design and was introduced to Graphic Design along the way. I loved the idea of creating something eye catching that the consumer could relate to. This lead into my interests in Surface Design, which in my definition is the art of creating for a surface haha. I wanted my work to be seen, but meaningful. When I graduated I took my passions and desires to see black woman represented and started making illustrations from photos. My goal has always been to push positivity into the world. I do this by celebrating and empowering black women, highlighting individuals I find inspiring, sharing quotes in conjunction with my art, using images that display confidence, and topping it off with bright colors. I love bright colors, it’s captivating, exciting, and pure joy.
Being an entrepreneur + running your own business is an amazing accomplishment, how has your life shifted since starting Kp Inspires?
My life has shifted tremendously. The upsides is being able to choose who to work with, having total control of my schedule, getting paid from my passions, and supporting others through my services and home decor products. The challenge is learning to wear multiple hats. Making art is fun and all, but running a business requires you to understand business haha. That is something that is not always communicated. Learning pricing (still), contracts, legal work, financing, etc is all things that require patience. Thankfully, I am surrounded by entrepreneurs so the support is awesome. But listening and getting guidance is still very different compared to actually doing the work. It’s something you have to do in order to understand.
Your artwork embodies black girl magic with such an authentic flavor! Why is it important that your art represents the beauty of our culture?
It’s not out there enough! I see women on Instagram and Facebook who are killing it from creating art, and products, to opening restaurants. They do an amazing job at representing black culture and understand why it’s soooo important for it to be out there. The problem is, society has yet to fully understand the importance of representation. We have to fight to be seen. My goal is to become a black artist who is creating and producing work that celebrates black culture on a major scale. I feel Illustration is my voice in bringing light to social injustices, combating negative stereotypes, and giving hope to black youth. Purposefully I display black woman as confident queens because we need to see ourselves in a positive light. It helps our dreams feel more attainable.
What’s your favorite or most meaningful piece you’ve ever created?
I love all my work, because each piece has meaning. I will say I am excited about personal projects I am working on. When I present myself to the world, I don’t just want to be an illustrator making pretty pieces. I want to be a business making art that contributes to something bigger. My hope is to work alongside major black owned brands incorporating my illustrations and to create a successful home decor brand celebrating black girls. I want my line of pillow characters to be printed on everything under the sun and to reach little black girls around the world.
Being young, juggling responsibilities while walking towards your dreams can sometimes get to be a bit overwhelming, how do you regroup and motivate yourself when you’re feeling a little defeated?
Listen to myself. Sometimes it’s time for a binge-worthy break. I am only human and I can only do so much. There is a guilt that tries to feed my brain into believing I am not working hard enough, but I have to shut it down. When I need inspiration I watch documentaries, interviews, listen to music, and read. Anything where I see someone fighting for their dreams. Sometimes focusing on other things aside from illustrating is a nice way to stay productive when not feeling motivated. This could include giving attention to other aspects of the business, educating myself on spiritual well being, hair care, and other things I feel is important. When I do feel defeated I give myself permission to be frustrated. I cry when needed, release, and move on. No matter how I cope or regroup I am always reminded that my talents are bigger than me. I have purpose and it’s my duty to use my gifts for good. That is my biggest motivator.
We are all about empowerment, what does EMPOWERMENT mean to you?
Empowerment to me means contributing to building and pushing out positive energy. I can’t give anyone the power to overcome whatever they are facing but I can encourage them to.
What advice would you give girls who want to follow their dreams and passions but are nervous or intimidated?
Be authentic to yourself (this is what makes you special) and start, but take things one step at a time. Don’t get too overwhelmed thinking ahead of yourself. Break down your goals and create schedules. One thing I am learning is you can’t just put “brand” in your schedule like it’s simple. There are a bunch of small steps in between before the bigger picture is actually accomplished. For example, If you are creating a logo spend time beforehand thinking about your business; What is your purpose, what makes it special, etc. That way your logo and brand can better reflect your company. When you do accomplish a goal rather it’s big or small check it off your list as a mini celebration. It feels amazing! Remember, you will always be growing so don’t get caught up in perfection. It all takes time, but starting is what will allow you to improve. Also I encourage investing time into learning business. No matter what you are doing/pursuing you will need to understand taxes, filing your business, financing, and other legal matters.
Time for faves! Celeb Crush? Artist? Food? Movie?
Celeb Crush: Rihanna is my female crush she is amazing and her style is lit. I also admire T.I. Given his age I have never dreamed of being with him lol, but I love his accent and how he carries himself.
Music Artist: Jhene Aiko, J.cole, Chance, Kevin gates, and a lot more. I love conscious rappers but there is always room to be ratchet or turn into a hustler haha.
Movie: I am not sure if I have a favorite movie, but I love animations and mystery films period!
Keep following Kprecia + her beautiful work + journey here:
Instagram
Website
, or rather your identity? Trust me, there are people all over the world that struggle just like you. Sometimes finding who you are can be difficult both as a teen and an adult. However, they’re people who may disagree with your personal journey of truly finding yourself because it’s against their beliefs or mindset. This can often trigger or affect the state of your mental health and self-esteem.
