Kate Ellen
Q What do you do?
“I am an artist. It took a long time for me to understand and accept that about myself, but once I did, everything about my life started to make sense. Like any good slashie, I do and make a lot of things, but it’s all driven by something broader and deeper—a longing to understand and connect to a larger consciousness.”
As far as what people pay me to do? I am a strategic creative, which means I blend the entrepreneurial with the creative—bridging branding with systems. I create websites that are pretty but also serve as systematic hubs for operations, that sort of thing. My dream is to help other artists and creatives unlearn the myth of the 'starving artist' and see their ability to generate wealth, health, and connection as another aspect of their creativity.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I started as a social worker, a sex educator, a teacher—and then became the founder of a fine jewelry company for 15 years. I owned a brick and mortar boutique in the heart of downtown Oakland and specialized in responsibly sourced jewelry. The thing was… I was always covertly doing something else as a jeweler: I was building community, helping people find their true expression, and helping them turn up the light within that they were reluctant to let shine. It was diamond rings, sure… but it was something else altogether.
Every circuitous reroute in my life, in retrospect, now feels absolutely essential—I've integrated everything into a unified practice that blends all my interests into something absolutely unparalleled.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My background in energetics, meditation, somatics, and psychic training. Essentially, we all have four quadrants of intelligence: IQ, which most people have developed significantly by adulthood. Beyond that, there's our EQ—our emotional intelligence, our BQ—our body intelligence, and our SQ—our spiritual intelligence. I have been developing all four quadrants of my intelligence so I receive important messages not just from my mind. That makes working with me quite different.
Oh! And also, my obsession with alternative economies and radical thinkers. I believe there are other paradigms awaiting us—we just have to imagine them, and who better than artists and creatives!
Q What are you working on right now?
I got my cute little fingers in a few things - an email marketing campaign revamp for a Yosemite property that is reimagining how to engage creatively when visiting natural spaces, an album launch for a funk musician, and a branding and strategy pivot for a ceramics artist.
Q What’s your style?
I light up when I see someone in their full expression—it's irresistible. My job is not really to express myself in my projects as much as to be a conduit for my clients, to be an avid listener—so I'm a bit of a chameleon on their behalf. I can and do get immense pleasure from lots of different expressions; they just need to be done exquisitely and carry a story forward. I feel this about music, fashion, design, photography—I want to be convinced of the world. If it does that, I can find the beauty in almost any aesthetic, even if it isn't really my 'taste.'
I personally like to express myself in a lot of different ways; it's a mood more than a style. In my own personal fashion, for instance, I notice that I like to wear things that make other people smile and talk to me, so that can be all kinds of things. It's not really a specific aesthetic. It's a feeling, a vibe.
I will say that working in the luxury space for 15 years has taught me visual discipline, though I love being able to color outside the lines now too. You can see this in sites like www.jaimeeliza.com or www.supernovasupport.com.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Music. I am a singer/songwriter and recording my debut album under the name Little Door. In an alternate timeline, I am just focused on that project.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Maybe less of a frustration, but something I am curious about... I think people are struggling with right now with how to be brave enough to be themselves in a world which is constantly showing them other people "succeeding". I guess I'm curious how to help people feel more motivated to take a risk on expressing themselves than adhering to a template. It's risky, but worth it. The world needs all of us to start thinking way outside the lines of what has already been done.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I don't know what to call this, but like: a digital spring cleaner? Someone to keep my digital life tidy and organized for me -- I do a good job but wouldn't it be nice to just have someone handle that?
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Nope! I love myself and where I am at so profoundly - I wouldn’t change anything. I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would love to be taken in to learn from indigenous elders to learn - well, I don’t know exactly what the offering/responsibility would be and that’s exactly why I would want to engage with it. Or work with other people who are exploring how to decolonize the mind, heal, create alternative economies, generate community, work with spirit. You know, regular stuff.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Strategic creative projects—I work project-based or on retainer, blending what a brand needs across multiple touchpoints. This can mean brand distillation and brand books, websites, copywriting, email marketing, photography, art direction, or even consulting on operations. I especially love serving creative brands or brands with big, fat hearts.
I also do brand readings, my own proprietary card-sorting process that helps you get to the archetypal energies of your brand, guiding your brand storytelling. Brand readings bridge the wide gap between the metaphysical and the practical—giving you both mystical insight into the bigger picture, along with grounded positioning for your brand
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I’d love to work with more independent musicians.
Q: What is your rate?
My consulting is $150/h, Brand Readings are $300. Bigger projects like brandbooks are $4,000 and websites start at $4,000.
BUT, my dudes, I told you that I’m into alternative economies, so I also take offer-based partnerships with select clients. For folks without access to this type of capital, you can instead ask yourself "What can you offer, and what will you contribute when you succeed?"
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Hit me up by email kate@kateellen.me. I love getting non-algorithmic song recommendations, so if you have a song that means a lot to you or one that has you hitting repeat obsessively , send me a link! (no shame, no judgement - I literally LOVE music)
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Shanté Honeycutt - Multidimensional writer, editor, digital curator, & mystic.
Holly Gold - Energy Healing & Consciousness Training.
Sarah Morris - Social Media Consulting.
Supernova Support - Vocal and songwriting coaching.
Jaime Eliza - Photography.
Solee Darrell - Artist
Alicia Goodwin - From my jewelry days - a pal with a unique POV.
Alice Son - Another jewelry comrade.
Eva Kolenko - Food photographer. Cookbook anyone?
Ricky Watts - Murals!
Matt McDavid - Audio Recording Engineering and Producing
Coby Leibman - Somatic Awareness
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Your energy is golden ✨
This member profile was originally published in December 2025.