Capturing Depth and Light: Ki'ami King

Meet Ki’ami King, a passionate photographer and entrepreneur whose creative journey is deeply intertwined with her personal experiences and artistic vision. Through her project “Depth of Violet,” she explores the intricate balance between technical expertise and emotional expression, capturing moments of beauty while navigating challenges such as creative blocks and self-discovery. In this interview, Kiami shares insights into her inspirations, lessons learned, and advice for fellow photographers and creatives seeking to establish their own unique presence in the digital landscape.

What led you to choose the name “Depth of Violet” for your creative project/business? How does it reflect your artistic vision?

“Depth of Violet” is a creative endeavor that has multiple meanings for me. It’s a play on the photography term “depth of field” while incorporating the concept of violet being the most complex color on the light spectrum. Ultraviolet (UV) specifically, is not visible to the human eye, but we would be lost in the dark without it. UV can be very harsh and can cause damage, but it can also be so beautiful; Illuminating things that we normally wouldn’t be able to see and making some things glow. Violet is also the connection between red and blue, two of my favorite colors. It’s a powerful, complex and beautiful color. Violet has all of the characteristics that I strive for in my artistic expression.

At the end of the day, everything I do is just about capturing depth and light, so the name seemed to just fit with my vision!

Could you delve into some of the challenges you faced while pursuing your creative endeavors, and how you overcame them?

In general, I struggle with communication and expressing my true feelings to others. Social interaction takes a toll on me, which means I sometimes require more downtime than the average person. I also deal with some pretty heavy mental health and physical issues that make it hard for me to be able to do everything I want to do. Because of this, I’ve always felt like an outlier, like maybe I don’t have a place with everyone else. In the past, I craved acceptance and was a textbook people pleaser. I would place others’ needs and feelings over my own which more often than not, lead me to feeling underappreciated, devalued and burnt out. I eventually noticed these patterns about myself and saw that every time it would leave me no energy to pursue my own creative endeavors. I found that I tend to go through phases of time where I’m filled with life and creative energy, but I often stretch myself too thin because I take on too much from fear of not capitalizing on the burst of energy, which leaves me to end up recovering for days from extended socialization. To combat this, I have been trying to be more intentional with who I give energy to, how I spend my time, and knowing when I need a break. I’ve even started scheduling time for when I can just be alone. I also try to be very present when I’m with family or friends. I put my phone on “do not disturb” and just try my best to live in the moment I’m in. This is an ongoing process and some days are better than others, but looking back at where I was a year ago compared to now, I feel like I have been able to understand myself so much better and I’ve found that having healthy boundaries and limits means less time feeling burnt out. Life is too precious and moves too fast for me to spend time on anything that doesn’t fulfill my heart.

In your experience, what have been some of the most inspirational moments or turning points in your career?

There have been a handful of moments that I will always deeply cherish because they were times when I felt most alive and gave me purpose like “I’m doing what I was meant to”. In particular, the times that I’ve gotten to work on productions with whole teams of creatives have been some of the best times of my life. Even though we were all technically “working” it didn’t feel like work because the creative energy just flowed freely between all of us. Those have been times where we were genuinely having fun with the creative process and in those moments I felt truly blessed. Working with a team of highly skilled individuals really changed how I look at work in the creative field; Every time I leave from a successful day of shooting, I feel so energized and inspired to do more.

Photography often involves capturing moments of beauty, but it also requires understanding light, composition, and emotion. How do you approach the balance between technical aspects and artistic expression in your work?

Intuitively, I feel like I’ve always had an eye for beauty. I grew up constantly creating; Whether it was drawing, dressing up, making up stories, etc. I always knew exactly what I wanted to see in the world, but the act of executing my ideas out into the real world was always the part that held me back due to the lack of the right skills or tools. As I got older and discovered photography, I started documenting everything. I was constantly looking at things from different perspectives, studying shapes and how light falls on different subjects. I’ve practiced photography as a hobby for over 12 years, but it wasn’t until late 2022 that I decided to actually pursue photography and art as a career. Since then, I’ve been learning from anyone and everyone who had something to teach me. I didn’t have the luxury of going to art school, so I went out into the world with a camera and made connections with other creatives, many of whom are now lifelong friends. Getting out into the world and learning from others was the key. At the end of the day, I’m still constantly learning. I’ve been so fortunate to have so many incredible artists and creatives take me under their wing, whether it’s for one project or many. I don’t like to say that I’m necessarily a “self-made” artist, because so many artists have come before me and have taught me so much. Rather, I am the product of every piece of art I’ve consumed, every person who has ever taught me something, and I am overflowing with gratitude for all of it.

Have there been moments where you felt stuck creatively? If so, how did you navigate through those times?

So, so many times! Creative art block is one of the most frustrating experiences, but forcing yourself to do something when the spark isn’t there can sometimes just do more harm than good. In times when I feel stuck, I reach out to my loved ones, my family, friends, my therapist, and lean on them for support. I have been so fortunate to have deep and meaningful connections with the people close to me who help foster an environment for vulnerability and openness. I can fall apart and I know that they will catch me. Having a community of people I can go to has been key to getting through creative ruts, or even just life’s hardships in general. It also helps to know that I am not alone by having such a communicative support network. I get to experience their hardships as much as they get to experience mine. We’re only human and it’s important to remind ourselves of that.

What are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned along your journey as a photographer and entrepreneur?

A friend told me once, “It’s okay to be friendly without being friends.” Which really resonated with me. As a creative at heart, it is so easy to empathize with one another and immediately want to be friends. However, as a photographer and entrepreneur, not everyone will understand you or have your best interests at heart, but you can always be friendly and professional while still protecting yourself. You can and should be particular about who gets to have access to you. It’s okay to turn down opportunities.

It’s also okay to take time for yourself. You are creative and being creative takes time. Your work is valuable, not because of the quantity but the quality. Focus on creating things for yourself and the right people who value you and your work will find you.

As someone who’s built a presence on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, what advice do you have for aspiring photographers trying to establish their own online presence?

A reminder I try to tell myself is this: “You are not a machine meant to constantly pump out content for algorithms to digest and spit out. You are a human being meant to experience this life and share those experiences with others if you want to.”

Social media can get very overwhelming and it can be so easy to get caught up in the never ending wave of content that is constantly flashing before our eyes. But it’s really important to remember that social media posts are the curated 1% of what goes on in our lives. The everyday grind is unsustainable and oftentimes the things we see online are not representative of everything that goes on behind the scenes.

We’re all just trying to do the best we can. I try to remind myself that I’m doing the best I can. I’ve found that balance is key and to pace myself when it comes to posting on social media. I don’t share everything all at once; I try my best to limit my time scrolling my feeds (“doom scrolling”, specifically). I don’t personally like the idea of posting just to post and content for the sake of content. In the past when I’ve tried to “keep up” and post daily content, I find myself burning out quicker and my desire to create weakens. This is why I try to balance my time spent on social media and off. In order to do what I do with the same level of quality and passion, I can’t just pump out art at the snap of a finger because that’s not how genuine feelings work. When your feelings are so closely tied to your work, you need time to process them and transmute them into art. By staying balanced, I’ve been giving myself the space and flexibility to be able to actually do that.

How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during challenging times or creative blocks?

I’ve been through creative blocks that seemed to last for months (maybe even years), but I find it really helpful to shift focus to other things and change up my routine during those long periods. Changing my routine could be as simple as making a small shift in what my house looks like or as big a change as leaving the country. I’ve had many times when I just needed to leave and completely change my environment. I’ve lived in two countries, three states and more cities than I can count; Everytime that I’ve changed my environment or even just disrupted my routine, it always reignited my spark to create.

I think that is one of the main reasons why I love photography so much because every time I find myself in a new place, I just want to take pictures. Shifting things around, not staying in the same place, and not doing the same things over and over are all things that help my creative process. Even with not leaving the country, I also enjoy treating myself to working at a cafe sometimes to have a change of scenery!

Looking back on your journey so far, what advice would you give to your younger self just starting out in the world of photography and entrepreneurship?

I know you’re scared, but just do the thing. People with half the skills you have are out here doing everything you know how to do; Sometimes doing it downright wrong and confidently! You only think you’re not good enough because you’ve set the standard impossibly high for yourself. You wouldn’t treat anyone else the way you treat you, so why continue to beat yourself up? Let me tell you a secret: Everyone is faking it. None of us know what we’re doing, but we think everyone else does. We all pretend we know what we’re doing.

So, just do the thing. The right people will notice. If you’re worried about embarrassing yourself, do it anyway. Other people are far more preoccupied with how they appear to others than they are with whatever you just did. They’ll forget about it, so you should too. Remember to treat yourself as a friend rather than an adversary because only you know what’s best for you. You get to decide what you do in this life. Choose wisely and be confident that you made the right decision!