CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS:
Janett Kabeh

From afar, you will notice beautiful silhouettes of women of all shapes and sizes in shades of blue. When you move closer, you see much more. Janett Kabeh is the contemporary artist behind these sensual images made from denim using the technique called "pointillism". I sat down with Janett to learn more about her denim artistry.

How did you get started?

I studied fashion in college and once I graduated I realized it wasn’t my passion so I decided to take a break from fashion, but not art. I came across a denim curtain and it sparked inspiration for me so I gathered different denim to turn into a wall for my apartment. Later on, I connected with a fashion designer who was hosting an art show. He saw my denim wall and wanted it to be a part of the show. I thought why not? Let’s see the outcome of this. From then, I started creating different denim tapestries and being a part of more shows. The shift happened when one of the art shows changed their theme to “Intimacy” and I wondered how am I going to correlate my work to intimacy? Later, I was unpacking my apartment and found an art piece of an elephant’s silhouette from college that I had made using pointillism. I wondered, can I do silhouettes, denim and pointillism? That’s how it all began.

What inspires you?

I feel like inspiration comes from what I’m going through in life whether good or bad. It depends on my mood and I create things that reflect that.

When you hit a creativity wall, how do you get over it?

I don’t force it. If you try to force it, it won’t come out right. If I have a creative block, I may take a day off, I may take a week off, or I might take a month off but when I go back to it, it’s always the perfect time. When I hit a wall, I try to get into something different. For example, right now I’m trying to teach myself how to play the keyboard. Whenever I hit a creative block I won’t keep working. I’ll take a break and walk away and I feel like when you walk away from things and come back to it they work out the way they’re meant to be.

What advice would give to other people in pursuit of their passions?

Learn how to not be fully in control of every move. Take a break and let life happen. Life will show you different things, it’s important to not live in fear and step out in faith. There will be people who will question you and why you aren’t pursuing what you went to college for or what you’re known for but these same people are unhappy with their lives. So it’s up to you to stay focused and motivated.

Philautia, 2018

"What’s beautiful about art is that you can make something out of nothing."

Janett Kabeh

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Live for yourself and don’t worry about what other people say. You have to do what you want to do and not what other people want you to do.

What’s your next project?

I want to combine my small canvas pieces with big scale installations.

How do you feel you resonate with NSF?

NSF is a brand that creates without worrying about being accepted by society, and that’s how I think. There’s someone out there who will accept my work. I’m not going to change who I am for someone else, so if you like it then cool and if you don’t then that’s fine too. NSF and I have the same attitude: we stay true to ourselves.