Today we’d like to introduce you to Skiggity & Kate.
Hi Skiggity & kate, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In the spring of 23, I (Kate) was living in St. Louis, working in marketing for a cannabis company in KC that had a location on 18th street in the Crossroads. The company was planning to open a consumption lounge on the second level and wanted a local artist to paint the stairwell leading up to the space. My boss introduced me to Skiggity over text and we met in KC in person the next day – May the 4th – and the connection was instant. (We’re both huge nerds and celebrate our meetiversary since it’s Star Wars day) A couple weeks later I signed a lease in KC and one week after that I was fired.
The same week I signed my lease, Skiggity was signing one for an art studio across the street from the dispensary we had met at. A muralist, designer, creator, and all around renaissance man, Skiggs was looking for a space he could create in that could also house his screenprinting equipment, all his spray paint and art supplies. Lease signed, equipment moved in – we began to develop Astronomical Ink.
The first iteration of Astronomical Ink was built around providing high quality merch. Our website was a love letter to space movies, with hidden gifs and videos of famous movie scenes you could only find by clicking the right spot. We hosted live screen printing at the studio for a couple of First Fridays, but fell off in the colder months. Then a few side gigs popped up – some murals for Skiggs and packaging design for Kate – and Astronomical Ink just kind of sat, with the occasional small shirt job from people we knew.
Cut to this past spring, we’re chilling with a friend, talking about all of these big ideas and he’s like ‘what are y’all doing? you’ve got all these ideas and skills and passions and like you’re still asking yourselves ‘what should we be doing.’ you already know.’ As soon as he left, I looked at Skiggs and said, ‘Astronomical.’ He said ‘BRILLIANT!’ We began revamping the website that evening.
A month later, what had started as a screen print shop morphed into something that encompassed all of our passions. allowing for creative expression in every format and the ability to make a real, lasting impact with our work. From there, we’ve really latched on to the idea of ASTRONOMICAL – creating projects that can be seen from space, holding on to ideas that might seem out of our reach, and having out of this world fun along the way. We have our sights set on large scale ground murals that reconnect neighborhoods and communities by providing vibrant and visible paths for kids walking to school, neighborhood crosswalks, pathways, bridges, buildings and more – all visible from space 🙂
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
is any road really that smooth? and if it is, would it be that fun? we like to joke that we’re getting all of the mistakes out in our early years, but we’re doing what we do best – learning. building a business is one thing, building a business while also building a relationship and life with your business partner is another. on top of the obstacles the business has faced – wasted materials, tight deadlines, an eviction notice, the list goes on – our relationship has faced challenges as well. we’ve had to learn how to operate as life partners and business partners and find a balance between the two. there’s definitely a bias, but we think we’re doing pretty well at it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the base of it, Astronomical Ink is a one stop shop for murals, signs, and designs. The idea is that we take the identity of a business and turn it into a mural for their space but then help the business design and produce merch, products, and experiences inspired by the artwork so they can further spread their message, and make the most of their investment to maximize organic growth, foot traffic, and word of mouth exposure.
What we’re doing isn’t really original – there are thousands of talented muralists and sign makers, designers and creatives, especially here in KC – providing the whole package definitely helps with setting us apart, but it’s the combination of Skiggs & Kate that makes Astronomical Ink unique. We’ve learned we see the world differently than most, and can often find beauty in overlooked places, Our ideas tend to feed off each other, growing organically and Astronomically.
Our ultimate goal is to help make Kansas City the most colorful city in the country. From painting client murals, to large scale city based opportunities, to corporate level gigs. We can do it all! Hell, we’d love to just paint your entire building a bright solid color, but whatever the job is, our best work comes when we’re given full creative freedom and our minds can wander to the wildest corners of the imagination.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
it sounds cliche, but communication is crucial. good, deep, honest communication. in our case especially, where we are building a business and a life together, it’s been the biggest and most important lesson so far.
and beyond that, we’re always learning something new – whether we didn’t grab enough paint or the correct color, we brought a ladder but it’s not long enough, we’re ALWAYS checking the weather, because it could snow, in April, during a huge, outdoor job, (which actually happened). Like any job, this one has its lessons, but for us, it’s just fun. we literally get to draw, color and paint for a living, our younger selves are screaming with joy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.astronomical.ink
- Instagram: @astronomical.ink
- Other: www.skiggity.com , www.katedesigns.art
