“I believe humans are in a constant rotational state of inquiry, projection, and reflection, and the state of inquiry is the only ground where we all reside equal.”
Roots of Duality: How Kodi Beverlin’s Origins Shape Her Art
Kodi Beverlin’s artistic journey is deeply intertwined with her upbringing in a rural farming community in Iowa, where creativity was a way of life. She was surrounded by family members who practiced a diverse array of crafts, from sewing and woodworking to painting, gardening, and music. Growing up in this rich environment of makers and doers, creativity became second nature to her. However, at the age of six, her life took a dramatic turn when her family joined the World Wide Church of God, a religious organization often described as one of the largest doomsday cults of its time.
This experience introduced Kodi to a strict, insular community with a strong emphasis on shared beliefs. At the same time, it alienated her from many aspects of her childhood outside the church. School activities and broader societal interactions were often off-limits, creating a profound sense of separation. This duality—existing between two vastly different worlds—shaped her perspective on identity and belonging. Though she didn’t consciously recognize it at first, these contrasting experiences became a recurring influence in her artwork, lending depth and complexity to her creative voice.
Kodi describes her work as an ongoing exploration of opposition and misunderstanding. She sees humanity as existing in a constant cycle of inquiry, projection, and reflection. By probing into these tensions, her art seeks to uncover the shared ground where human experiences converge. This perspective, born from her unique upbringing, has made her creations deeply introspective yet universally resonant.
Kodi Beverlin: A Career Guided by Intuition and Inner Voice
Kodi Beverlin’s path to becoming an artist was not marked by a single moment of revelation but was instead shaped by a collection of seemingly small, interconnected experiences. She believes that creative gifts are innate and that life itself serves as the compass directing individuals toward their artistic destinies. For her, this process has been a combination of chance, intuition, and unwavering trust in her inner voice.
Her artistic career is built on a foundation of exploration and introspection. Kodi’s creative process is deeply personal, as she often sits with an image until it unveils something about herself she had not yet understood. Her art, therefore, becomes an extension of her identity, a tool for self-reflection, and a means of navigating the complexities of human emotion. She is particularly drawn to themes of conflict, imbalance, and the search for understanding, portraying these ideas through nuanced, emotionally rich compositions.
Although Kodi acknowledges that others have defined her artistic style more than she has herself, she appreciates the guidance these outside perspectives offer. Her creations speak to the universality of human emotions while simultaneously delving into her deeply personal experiences. This balance between the introspective and the communal has been a hallmark of her career, earning her a reputation as an artist whose work bridges the gap between personal narrative and universal truth.
A Dynamic Process: Kodi Beverlin’s Ever-Changing Creative Spaces
For Kodi Beverlin, creativity thrives on variety. Her workspace is far from static, often shifting depending on her mood, the project she’s pursuing, or the inspiration of a new location. This adaptability, she says, fuels her perspective and pushes her to explore different facets of her artistry. Whether she’s photographing in a new environment or revisiting an old project, the changing scenery often inspires her to see things from a fresh angle.
Her approach to her work is multifaceted, often involving multiple projects simultaneously. For the past four years, she has been working on a deeply personal essay or book, taking breaks to heal and process parts of herself that the work has unearthed. Kodi embraces these pauses and moments of distraction as an integral part of the creative process, trusting her personal timeline rather than forcing results. This fluidity allows her art to grow organically, mirroring her own evolution.
Kodi’s influences are equally diverse, spanning childhood favorites like the whimsical illustrations of Richard Scarry to the bold advertising of brands like Guess and Benetton during her teenage years. As an adult, her inspirations range from the hauntingly emotional works of Georgia O’Keefe to the surreal watercolors of Salvador Dalí. Her eclectic tastes and ability to draw from a wide range of sources further enrich her work, adding layers of complexity and depth.
Kodi Beverlin: The Art of Emotional Resonance
One of Kodi Beverlin’s most significant works emerged from an unexpected collaboration with her daughter, who was just three years old at the time. Kodi had been teaching her how to use crayons to create vibrant, deeply colored drawings. After completing her work, the young girl presented a drawing of a circular flower on a hill under a dark blue sky. What Kodi initially perceived as a bright, happy scene—complete with a yellow sun—turned out to be something entirely different.
When Kodi praised the drawing, her daughter burst into tears, threw the picture, and ran away. It was then that Kodi realized her mistake: the flower’s petals were drawn inward, the hill was jagged, and the sky was not bright but shadowed, with the yellow orb representing the moon rather than the sun. Her daughter explained that the flower was sad because it was all alone on the hill. This deeply emotional moment struck Kodi profoundly, teaching her the importance of looking beyond surface impressions and delving into the emotions that lie beneath.
This experience has had a lasting impact on Kodi’s work. It reinforced her belief in the power of art to express emotions that often go unspoken. Her chosen medium, photography, feels to her like an unexpected yet enduring love affair—an art form that has been a constant thread throughout her life. While her creative journey began with sewing and crafting, photography emerged as the medium that brings her the greatest sense of peace. Whether capturing a fleeting moment or exploring deeply personal themes, Kodi’s work continues to reflect her ongoing inquiry into the complexities of human emotion and connection.
