Artist of the Month is a feature where we put the spotlight on the incredible work of one of our members.
Our Artist of the Month is Kaja Brown, an award winning writer, journalist and intersectional activist living in South Wales.
Kaja explores themes of social justice, disability, mental health, LGBT+ life and environmentalism in her writing. They have been published in Atmos, Refinery 29, Shado Mag, Diva Magazine, The Welsh Agenda, Inclusive Journalism Cymru, and more. Kaja was chosen for the 2024 WLCOW Young Artist Award for her creative work. They are also the Reviews Editor for Poetry Wales.
Kaja has been writing for digital and print publications for nearly a decade now. Their first writing gig was at Rife Magazine in their hometown, Bristol. They had written a couple of articles for Rife and applied to be a Content Creator with them during their gap year. Their job application included a subversive creative ‘article’ about why they shouldn’t be the next US President - but should be a content creator for Rife instead (this was during the 2016 American election). They had been so anxious in the days leading up to the interview that they almost didn’t go. But thank goodness they did. They turned up to their interview in a navy blue suit and sporting an undercut - looking unapologetically queer and more confident than they felt - and were given the job that same day.
Rife Magazine kick-started Kaja’s career. Over six months they got to work with the amazing Nikesh Shukla to write articles, shoot youtube videos and create content for social media. Kaja realised that this was the first time they had ever really felt happy and fulfilled. They had lived with (undiagnosed) OCD, depression and generalised anxiety disorder since they were a child. They struggled through school and barely made it through sixth form. At the start of their gap year they battled with agoraphobia, rarely leaving their house for months on end. While they were confined to their home by their own mental illness, Kaja wasn’t sure they would ever make it in any sort of career. But working for a magazine changed all that. Kaja knew immediately that this was what they wanted to do.
Kaja did their BA in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University and fell in love with Wales, and although they did study their Master’s in Scotland, they came back to settle in Cardiff in 2022. Mental health, disability and identity is something that Kaja often explores in her work. They wrote an article about disability in publishing for Inclusive Journalism Cymru and went on to give a talk about the subject at Aberystwyth’s Marginalised Writer’s Day. They also wrote about the intersection of queerness and disability in relation to the UK general election for Queer AF and Diva Magazine.
Kaja was recently diagnosed with OCD and Chronic Fatigue, two invisible illnesses that have made it impossible to work full-time. So instead Kaja decided to go freelance, and has been involved with a lot of exciting projects since then. They are a Network Weaver for Inclusive Journalism Cymru, Reviews Editor for Poetry Wales, a Reader in Residence at the Sustainable Studio, were selected to be part of the Reinventing the Protagonist Cohort, and they were a resident at Peak Cymru.
On the 15th of March (this month!) Kaja is collaborating with Inclusive Journalism Cymru to put on an event called ‘Networking with Neurodivergence’. This event is open to anyone but is particularly aimed at neurodivergent and disabled creatives. Kaja hopes this event will help to break down the barriers she has often faced throughout her own career and give people the opportunity to network and upskill in a safe and supportive environment.
What next?
Kaja would love to land a permanent role as a magazine editor, as this is something that has brought her joy since her first role at Rife Mag. She will continue advocating for social justice and disabled rights in her work and is always open to talking about this with others. Kaja would also love to be a published author. She has written a YA Fantasy book manuscript set in Iceland that centres around queer, disabled characters who have OCD, anxiety, agoraphobia, ADHD and depression. Kaja is hoping that by writing these books for a younger audience she might reach people who relate to these themes. She always thought that maybe if she had read a book that showed a character with ‘Pure O’ as a teen, then maybe it wouldn’t have taken her 25 years to realise that she had OCD. Kaja feels that representation is crucial in a world that wants to erase us, and will always strive to create content that helps people in the disabled community to feel empowered.
You can follow Kaja on Instagram, BlueSky and LinkedIn and check out their full portfolio on their website: https://kajabrown.com/
