Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaycee Lane.
Hi Kaycee, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on the naval base Roosevelt Roads. We moved to North Carolina (my Dad’s home state) when I was 3 months, so I don’t have any memories of the place, only what I’ve seen in pictures and what I’ve told. I stayed in North Carolina (Union County) for the remainder of my childhood and adolescence.
Art has always been a large part of my life; I spent my childhood watching my Mom paint, do stain glass – always having a creative fix to almost any problem; particularly when I would tell her a school project was due the next day – she always came in with the fix. I loved watching her get ready to go to a gallery crawl in the “big city” when I was younger and yearning to go with her. Some of my fondest memories are going to gallery crawls with my Mom and Godmother after my parents divorced at like 10 or 11 years old, and just knowing that this is the life I want to be a part of.
As a kid, I just never quite fit in with the rest of the group. I always seemed to fall just short of fully comprehending most academic subjects. I talked a lot and seemed to be a mile-a-minute, finding it hard to stay on topic. I think I just wore kids out.
I was lucky enough to be diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD/ADD (surprise surprise) at a younger age than most. I have found that great things come with my diagnosis though like making art or being creative! I found a space where I could be myself and use all the things that made my life difficult in the past to work in a creative environment.
I moved to Utah twelve years ago and as much as I miss my home in North Carolina, I have found more opportunities here. Charlotte is a wonderful city, but it isn’t as established as Salt Lake and I’m grateful for the experiences I have had over the years in my growth as an artist.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest struggle that I think any artist faces is finding where you fit in the vast art world. You have to find that sweet spot between sellable, and excitable. Throughout the years, I went from 2D art such as graphic pop art to collages. I stumbled upon making art with doll parts and it seemed to really click. I use all kinds of toys, gadgets, and gizmos. Not everything has to be cute, and not everything has to be bloody and Gorey.
I really wanted to find the happy medium between cute and creepy… which is why I decided to call myself vintage creep. Thankfully I found acceptance in this with the local drag community, the UAA, and other outlets. You find your people eventually. I think another struggle would be having a full-time job, a family life, and trying to balance art at the same time.
It can be taxing and exhausting but it’s worth it in the end. There’s also the chance that people might not like your art. You put so much time and effort into this and it’s very personal. It’s hard to see something of yours not be received in the way that you wanted it to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The question ‘what do I do?’ is a hard one to answer or to answer simply. I have really found my niche in creating what I call “trash and luxury”. I create mostly wearable items and curate spaces with an air of fantasy and whimsy with materials that others would throw away or are typically unwanted.
I am best known for my doll part jewelry and over-the-top headdresses, especially in our Drag community in Utah. Honestly, though, I can make almost anything or at least help make your idea happen. Projects and ideas that I can’t pull off come very far and few between, if ever, and that is something I am proud of.
In summation, the why of what I do is simply this; We are very much our things. We surround ourselves with what we have become and become one with the things that complete our lives. Reflecting varying degrees between sanity and order, from madness and organized chaos.
At the unrepentant Church of Aesthetics, it should be understood we all pray at the altar of consumption, thus there is a need for things, and these things are sacred, physical or psychological. The things people choose to keep gives others insight into who one is, marking all of us as individuals but also connecting us to a group. I feel that my artwork gives that opportunity for others to have that connection and that is why I do what I do. I want to be what gives insight unto others about themselves.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Honestly, this is a hard one to answer. I feel I’m authentically myself to everyone I meet. There is little up to the imagination and I try to reflect that in my artwork as well
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vintage_creep
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@vintage_creep?lang=en
