Purpose Statement

CHAT GPT says I should shorten this entire page,

but WTF…this was written by a human, not AI.

A woman, Kristin Simmons, sitting with her original version of life-sized drug themed Candyland made in 2012.

I quit my day job.

Hello, I’m Kristin

I’m absolutely crazy and infatuated with art, aesthetics and design. I am an acquired taste, but in truth, all of our tastes are acquired. We now have a cultural obsession with universality, but there is a dangerous tendency to conflate representation and inclusivity withuniversality”. I am not interested in much of anything that will appeal to everyone…

If you change the way you look at things,

the things you look at change.

Kristin Simmons painting ice cream.

Universal appeal is a dreary, bland thing - like a sepiatone instagram filter. It has no sharp edges, no flawed surfaces. It is indistinct and unmemorable. I believe things that are universally appealing are “unacquired” tastes; they don’t require any real consideration and are easily discarded.

I paint things that consume me - as well as things I have consumed. Drawing from this, my work has been described as a commentary on personal desire, cultural habits, and rampant consumerism. My work is definitely an acquired taste; but while acquired tastes may be more challenging, I also believe they are also infinitely more valuable. 

Kristin Simmons as a child making a sculpture with wooden blocks.

Creative Code of Conduct

  • Actions Define

    You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.

  • Expect Apathy

    Nobody gives a f**k; you can either find this soul-crushing or liberating.

  • Neutral Aversion

    When you make something no one hates, no one loves it.

  • Unreasonable Consistency

    How you do 1 thing is how you do everything.

  • Embrace Paradox

    Your greatest strengths are your greatest weaknesses. More than one thing can be (and usually is) true at the same time.

  • 5x5 Rule

    If it’s not going to matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it.

  • Read the Room

    If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.

  • Be a Codebreaker

    Solve people’s problems and you will never run out of money.

  • Moral Fiber

    Be a good person, but don’t waste time to prove it.

Let’s be friends!

DROP ME A LINE