Meet Kyle Lyle | Visual Artist, Writer & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Lyle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up, I used to say that I was randomly assigned to a school, community and an environment I could not really make sense of – I use ‘random’ because that’s how all these factors and institutions perceived and interacted with me. As a child, I was full of life, perspective and invention but there was no room for me.

All those testing-years dimmed the personality, talent and creativity was pushed out of me. So-typical-to-an-artist, I went on to start my studies in Law and Politics, and in my last year I graduated but honestly felt unhappy – barely proud that I even graduated. I was stressed and confused in my life path yet all these years but art was my most consistent form of therapy, my exercise. So I began taking self-portraits of how I was feeling and my experience. At some point, I started sharing these experiences online.

And I started building a small, but good following. Brands such as Kinfolk Magazine, Nokia Global, Mr Price began interacting with me. I did not book any gigs, but the attention was ever more validating. So I figured, this is realignment.

In my first year in being a freelance creative – I booked really small-paying gigs and some brand work with Nokia, and with some authors. So knowing that I could learn and expose myself to more creative work, and still get paid for it – I then decided, that this how careers are built. But even more, a career should be something long-term – having introspected I saw and understood why I could use art or creativity not just as hobby or skillset, but as a means to create, make sense and connect myself to a world I’ve been deprived of.

A creative career also means a creative life, full of creative power. I realized that quite early into my freelance years, and now I am into so much creative work from photography, to design, writer and brand strategy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started of with photography ( not even the professional kind ), anything that had a camera I would make it work. Taking cute pictures of landscapes, nature and my friends. I genuinely enjoyed experimenting different ways to tell stories.

In hindsight, I am a storyteller at large yet to be explored. And that’s what I kept doing all these years, just saying it differently through different mediums. I used to take pictures, then sketch them on pen and paper. Then I found my style in video, and later in writing. This has helped find my voice and style as an artist.

Through my brand, I tell stories that are honest and powerful, and that connect people to the human experience. We spend so much time looking at things that do not reflect who we are, yet we spend time replicating that to fit the trend. My art speaks about my spiritual experiences growing up, exploring themes of personal identity vs conservative culture, introspection and growth.

I am calm, minimalistic in nature, and I try to extend that to my art. But I am also really spiritually, emotively motivated in my work. I want to create a space in my art is reflected in the viewers experience. Each piece is simple but intent but with a surreal element to it. I collaborate different artforms into a unique art piece or experience, example mixing visuals with words and sounds for a wholesome creation.

I suppose this has showcased my skillset as an artist, and not necessarily pertaining to a specific artform. Throughout the years, I began collaborating with other artists on other projects offering different creative skills.

What am I working on now? I learning to manage brands and artists in the visual department. I work on the visual production for @KLNATURALS creating a narrative that centers identity and self-care. And I just began doing the same for local musicians/artists.

it looks appealing to be an artist. but there is so much worry that comes with it. Challenges are never ending anyway, but personally some of the challenges I faced coming to this point was the
1. the lack of support and being taken seriously. I am still working around that, but over the years I have learned its about talking less, and doing. Collaborate more, and show the creative power. Think about it more as, how can I contribute to this space, this project? I’ve learnt that this makes you more thoughtful and more collaborative, this is how people buy-into your brand.

2. The lack of financial support is going to be my life’s challenge especially for an artist, I have accepted that now. I’ve learnt to not depend on it at some parts of your career. Its even feels impossible to make things work, hen resources and funding are scarce or just not to your favor and in attempt to keep overcoming that hurdle is to collaborate. Be friends with those have spaces (studios), equipment’s, hairstylists etc. You need those, and they need you to. Show up for them, so they show up for you too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am always one for a drive/hike, picnics in the mountainous Tzaneen, Limpopo. I also use the time spent in nature to inspire creativity, so I am most likely to bring a my camera along.

If not, I am visiting cultural events, art galleries and music festivals. Go where you’re inspired, quote me on that.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am really fortunate to find friends and family that believe in my creative dreams and invest in my craft. The community of like-minded entrepreneurs that have contributed to the growth of my dreams and projects over the years.

Website: https://kylelyle.wixsite.com/photography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylelyle_

Linkedin: https://za.linkedin.com/in/kyle-lyle-b5850b56

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyle.lyle.18

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwnpyROlnvmQXe0O_eyi-g

Other: https://www.instagram.com/klnaturals/?hl=en

Image Credits
Kyle Lyle