Life & Work with MacKenzie Koncher of Aurora

Today we’d like to introduce you to MacKenzie Koncher.

Hi MacKenzie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I explored painting pouring a few years ago, just for fun. Then, life got busy, and I didn’t paint pour again until March of 2020. I picked up paint pouring again as a creative outlet or hobby during the shutdown in the pandemic. I posted some of my paintings, and friends started reaching out to see if they were for sale. Eventually, more and more people were buying my art and reaching out to me to do commissioned pieces, so I decided to form an LLC as I was consistently selling my paintings and wanted to make sure I was doing things the right way.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

There is so much to know when starting a business. I watched my husband go through the trials and tribulations when he opened his cooking school, and then I experienced some of those challenges first-hand when I started Elevated Soul Art. Learning about how to market your work, set up a website, form a business, do the taxes, and how to keep track of things can be more challenging or time-consuming than one would expect. Once you take the leap from hobby to business, you have to stay committed.

My biggest challenge with taking my art from a hobby to a business has been the inner turmoil I have faced when creating commissioned pieces. Paint pouring is fluid art – it can be very unpredictable, and I will never be able to recreate the same piece as I don’t use a paintbrush. Every piece is unique. There is a science behind mixing your paints to the right consistencies for different techniques, and it only gets more challenging on larger pieces. It has also been a learning process with the weather. I took over my garage as my art studio, and my garage is not climate-controlled. I have to be conscious of my paintings not getting too hot or too cold (some paintings have cracked as a result of the cold weather); I have to be conscious of not opening the garage door so dust and bugs don’t fly in – there are so many considerations. I am constantly checking in on my pieces after I create them like they’re my babies.

I have shed many tears over commissioned pieces – having the fear that the client won’t like them, or having that actually happen and having to repour or redo pieces can really take a mental toll. But, it is the sweat and tears and time and energy to create this art that makes it special. My art is an extension of me, a piece of my soul.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

While I am a small business/small commercial Underwriter as my full-time profession, art is one of my biggest passions. Elevated Soul Art is primarily paint pour art. I have transitioned over the years from sketching and drawing, to doodling, to paint pouring most recently. I have many pieces I am proud of. All pieces evoke different emotions and imagery for different people. I have to tell myself even though I might not like a piece, or it might not have turned out how I wanted it to, someone may love it just as it is. What sets my art apart from others is the intention I put into every piece. I am a reiki-master in Usui reiki and a level II in angelic reiki. I infuse all of my paintings with reiki and white light and call in the angels and set intentions for my art to bring joy/happiness, calm, relaxation, and healing to whoever may own my art. Essentially, whether you believe in any of that, know that I am setting the intentions for good vibes into all of my paintings, and that can’t hurt, right?

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?

Success for me is the healing and creativity I experience in creating something beautiful. Success for me is having someone find beauty and enjoyment in my art every time they look at it. The most important quality or characteristic important to my success is persistence and resilience.

Contact Info:

• Email: elevatedsoulart@gmail.com
• Website: https://elevatedsoulart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatedsoulart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatedsoulart

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Erasmo Casiano