I’m Kate Teves (pronounced TAY-viss).

The Perfectly Fine Short Version:

I am an artist and a writer. I live in Palm Beach County, Florida and spend a great deal of time in Nantucket, MA.

I believe deeply that humans are at their best when they are tinkering, imagining, and laughing.

Thank you for stopping by,

Kate

The Unnecessarily Self-Indulgent Long Version:

I spent most of my childhood wandering around an 18th century farm in central New York State, with nothing but cows and the quiet chatter of trees.

In my 20s, I studied cultural anthropology and international development for several years in Nepal, Mali, and Vietnam. I was an anthropology major at Carleton College and later an anthropology PhD student at Cornell University. When I wasn’t interviewing locals for academic research, I was meeting with artisans and drooling over their centuries-old techniques. I was especially drawn to needlecrafts.

In 2007, I was awarded a Wenner-Gren grant for my PhD research. But I was miserable in academia—absolutely wretched—and I thought I might die if I spent any more time in the program. I quit the PhD and returned the massive check in full. Everyone—from my colleagues to my family—thought I was foolish at best, reckless at worst. I know this because they told me.

Leaving academia was the best decision I made in my adult life. After a long period of confusion, I began to access a side of me I did not know existed. I began writing, illustrating, and designing my own projects. I cannot believe how much my life has changed and how happy I have become.

Nowadays I live in Palm Beach County with my very dear husband Christoph. We do not have kids, pets, or plants. We have projects.

We spend a lot of time on Nantucket visiting family—my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephews all live on the island year-round.

Every single day of my life, I am reminded of the people I met in the Global South. They live in communities that have been shattered by a thousand kinds of global greed. My biggest goal for my career is to collaborate with them to create sustainable, artistic projects together.

Kate

Custom Work:

I would love to work with you and your team to create a custom project uniquely suited to your needs. Guaranteed to be 100% original. Jot me a note.