We had the good fortune of connecting with Kitara Amet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kitara, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’d say the most important factor behind my success as a professional creative is my tenacity. The fact that I’d never give up on myself or my dreams no matter how hard it
would get. No matter the obstacles, I knew I’d over come them all because the faith I
had in myself was unwavering. So also an important factor in success in general is
Faith. Faith in yourself; in your journey, in your gifts, skill, and talents, in your path, in
your purpose and in your dreams. Faith and tenacity really go hand in hand because
you wouldn’t keep going if you didn’t believe you could. I’ve spent my entire life
sharpening my resolve. Relentless is my drive, knowing that I can achieve every dream
I’ve ever dreamt. So I put in the work to make that my reality. Next thing I know, I’m
crossing off goals left and right and truly experiencing not just success but creative
abundance. Success is a fickle concept because everybody perceives it and values it
differently but abundance.. fruitful amounts of opportunities to not just do what you love
but also do it the way you want with the people you want. Now that is the proper
foundation for prosperity and that’s my biggest goal of all. So as long as you remain
tenacious, grounded in faith, and fortified in your resolve, you won’t even have to chase
success because at that point it will end up chasing you.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Kitara Amet is a multidisciplinary textiles artist; creating works that explore the construction and interpretive use of garments and design techniques within Pan-African
cultures. Discovering and then portraying the influences they’ve had on the
anthropological transition of image and identity within America’s Black spaces. Her
personal experience in the evolution of Black Popular Culture acts as the catalyst for the
translation of her research to her audience. By intergrationally utilizing her favorite
mediums like textiles, fashion design, drawing, music, poetry, modeling, and directing;
she gives herself a kind of creative freedom that allows her to process and translate her
research with an abundant executional energy.
Kitara began establishing her niche for blending artforms during her time at
Georgia State University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a
concentration in Textiles. While in attendance, she won first place at Georgia State’s 5th
Annual Artist Competition with the first piece she ever made for her Durag Diaspora
series. The series consisted of wearable sculptures emulating durags, constructed by
culturally historical textile techniques, topped with jeweled embellishments. As she dove
deeper into her cultural textiles research, she started to recognize its relationship to her
own ancestral history. So she developed a collection of rust and jewel tone fabrics she
titled “Adirebori”, paying homage to the ancestral influence behind the dye techniques
she used to create the collection. It was through the admiration of that collection from
Georgia State’s Artist Alumni, that she got to display Adirebori at the Kyoto Shibori
Museum in Kyoto, Japan.
Amet continued to expand her creative palette by joining Georgia State’s fashion
organization, PanthersALLURE. There she gained practical experience in marketing,
wardrobe styling, makeup application, and modeling. She deployed these new found
skills to produce peer-driven creative works that appealed to the nuances of her
generational collective. It was because of these works that Kitara was able to make out
a clear path for herself within the creative industry, where she’d be free to not only
utilize her accumulated knowledge and skill but also remain grounded in her work’s core
values. She crafted a professional career as a celebrity wardrobe stylist, working with
clients like Tanerelle, Khalid, Algee Smith and Peyton List; as a fashion designer
creating concert merch and one of a kind upcycle customs, and as a model, walking
runway and shooting editorial and ecommerce. Ensuring the active incorporation of
black goods and black owned companies and services were at the forefront of her
creative process.
In the midst of the progression in Amet’s creative career, the pandemic hit and
she started to realize that alot our time became spent inside, forcing our social
interactions and exchanges to be mostly through digital platforms. So as her
generational collective, as well as black culture, started to adapt and transform, so did
her exhibition work. During this time she directed a body of work consisting of a
peer-produced 8 minute visual and accompanying photo series that told a culturally
inspired environmental awareness-driven narrative, using body movement and dialected
mannerisms to reflect the conversations being had between humans and the natural
world. Portraying characters inspired by each piece she has thus added to her Durag
Diaspora series. This work was recently showcased at an exhibition held by The Center
of Contemporary Arts in Belarus, Europe.
As of currently, Kitara continues to adapt and transform with her work and the
world alike. Adding new mediums and forms of execution to her projects so that they
may continue to translate, inspire, and insight a practice of self awareness and the
reconnection of Black Americans to their diasporic roots and legacy. Her next body of
work will take another step further into the digital age and a full sprint into the Black
future by transmuting physical and digital work into NFTs. Integrating poetry, music,
video, and graphics into her series’, so that her work can be experienced in every realm
that lies between the spiritual, natural, physical, and digital world. Kitara Amet claims
her sole purpose in this life is to embody the essence of creation and act as a beacon
for prosperity for her people. If her work doesn’t speak volumes to that sentiment then
you just ain’t heard her right.. Or you just ain’t seen her light yet? It shines bright either
way. Shines brighter everyday.. So wake up to the rising sun that is Kitara Amet,
Goddess of FYRE.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So Boom! On a Friday or Saturday afternoon we’d stop by Jeni’s Ice Cream at Krog Street Market and then walk the Beltline to the skate park where we’d smoke some J’s
and listen to the music being played by the several street performers surrounding the
park. We’d do brunch at Two Urban Licks or come back later for dinner because I love
the food and the ambiance. Then, we’d hit MJQ on a Thursday or Friday night because
that’s when they play 90s and 2000s music and I love to dance so we definitely finna
dance the night away. I’d do Global Entry on Thursday at Rock Steady too if we don’t
end up at MJQ. Rock Steady definitely one of my favorite spots in atlanta because its
food is Fyre, its liquor is black owned and black imported, and its upstairs is a dope
dance lounge that plays Afrobeats so Vibes! We’d probably hit up some creative art
events, festivals, or concerts that resonate with our favorite music artists like A3C, Milk
and Cookies, AfroPunk or the Reggae Festival at Piedmont Park. We’d do breakfast at
Milk and Honey because those pancakes are to die for! Hit up Bonfire or Edgewood for
a Sunday Night Lituation and hit R Thomas for a late night meal afterwards, they got
great vegan options and stay open dummy late! Kick it around lil 5 points for an
afternoon, thrift at Ragorama, hit up Wish ATL for the dope streetwear, grab some
crystals from Crystal Blue and grab some more vegan treats from Sevanada. We’d prob
do a Wednesday night at Peter Street Station or Apache Cafe and listen to some live
music and poetry and then a Monday Night at Monday Night Garage for some Anime,
Video/Arcade Games, and Lofi Vibes! So just know my friends who visit get to
experience Atlanta fr when they come to visit me! Everyday we doing something new
and eating something new! And we better be dancing at some point between then! Lol

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To be honest this article couldn’t even fit all people that deserve recognition for impacting my journey the way they have. That it self is a blessing all on its own. From
my family to my friends, to my colleagues, to my creative peers.. my clients, my
supporters, my coworkers, even my haters. Everyone deserves a shout out! Everyone
deserves some love because if it wasn’t for all of them I wouldn’t be the artist or being
that I am now. Everyone played a role in shaping me to be the best version of myself
and I’m grateful for every experience. Shout out to my girl Inari Washington, one of the
dopest black female photographers based out of Atlanta, who I started this professional
creative career path with. This girl has been my friend, my colleague, my creative peer
and one of my biggest supporters so thank you! Thank you to the Art Department at
Georgia State University because it was due to my education that I’m equipped to
pursue my dreams with such success! Thank you to my Tribe! Ya know who ya are! For
always holding me down and lifting me up, for always showing up and showing out, for
always creating and connecting with me authentically, and for always being my family!
Thank you TreNative for giving me one of my first professional opportunities and riding
with me til this day! For always trusting my vision and creative process and providing a
safe and fun place to make magic for our clients! Thank you to my team at KEEDA! Ya
have given me what I’ve always wanted and that is a creative arts dream team, rooted
in originality and authenticity, grounded in the mastery of our trades, together we are
moving mountains, crafting whole valleys.. our Magik is boundless so let the world bare
witness to the feats we are about to achieve off the strength of our talent, skill, and work
ethic. Thank you to my clients for always betting on me and investing in me, for always
appreciating my vision and craft, and for always sharing my gifts with the world. Thank
you Beyonce for being the best to ever do it so that I have something to strive for, a
blueprint for the greatness I strive to achieve. Thank you to my ancestors and guiding
spirits for always protecting me, blessing me, and guiding me upon the right path. I’m
forever grateful for the amount of love I receive on a daily basis and even though I have
so many more accolades to add to my belt, I can say with a full heart that even this
stage of my life and career is a complete success! So thank you!

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Website: Goddessoffyre.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goddessoffyre/

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/shecool_af

Other: Email: kitarrah.hausoflight@gmail.com (The Creative Arts Agency I work for) https://www.instagram.com/thekeedacollective/

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