A Frisco Women Interview with Kathryn Ikle: Artist & Owner of Third Entity

Oct 2

Hi Kathryn thank you for joining Frisco Women today for this interview! Let’s get started by telling our readers about yourself and your background!

I have been an artist my whole life. As a child, I loved reading the Sunday comics in the newspaper and I loved watching cartoons. I was fascinated at how cartoons were made and thought I would be a cartoonist when I grew up. I started out drawing cartoons and characters as a child: Peanuts, Punky Brewster, Strawberry Shortcake, DuckTales, Rainbow Brite - so many! I mailed my drawings to Disney and received a package back in the mail. It was a stack of Disney Comic Books from a designer at Disney with a personal letter encouraging my artistic ability. That kindness propelled me forward and I remember that moment to this day.

I took art classes in school as a child and by the time I got to high school, I was taking Advanced Placement Art. I loved painting acrylic portraits of people and created a series of these portrait paintings my senior year of high school. I received a creative writing scholarship and an art scholarship from Indiana University. However, life had other plans. I took Studio Art at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and Graphic Design at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. While in college, I worked at an advertising company that really solidified my love for graphic design and marketing. I graduated from University of Memphis, Tennessee with an Art and Marketing degree. I also hold a certification in Museum Studies from Harvard University. My dream in college was to impact the world. My dream now is to impact those around me - which impacts the world!

My combined personal and professional path in life as an artist has been an amazing ride of hard work mixed with joy. Professionally, I am a User Experience professional in the technology space, experienced in graphic design, marketing, and innovation. I have worked for companies such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, FedEx, Topgolf, and Citibank. I started my career as an administrative assistant and currently serve as Vice President of Strategy & Design and Head of Servicing at Citibank.

I have owned several creative businesses: Ikle Creative Designs, offering custom furniture, art, and interior design; Perez Projects, offering remodeling and landscaping services; and Third Entity, offering services in strategy, creative, coaching, personal and professional development.

Personally, I am an artist and have a passion for the arts and the arts community. My family heritage is a huge inspiration for me as an artist. The Iklé family produced over 1,450 beautiful lace textiles all over Europe for generations, which inspire my style of art: detailed, airy, and delicate. While my main mediums are acrylic paint, charcoal, and printmaking, I work in all mediums. My art is on permanent display in Memphis, TN, Dallas, Texas, and Dover, NH. I have received awards from Art & Color 365 Magazine and other organizations. I have an online store kathrynikleshop.com showcasing my work as an artist that includes art, gifts, and textiles.

Within the arts community I have curated and participated in art shows. I currently serve as the President of the Art Club of McKinney, Texas, the oldest art club in Texas, which is over 100 years old and has over 133 members. I love promoting and supporting artists! Most recently, I partnered with Kimberly Berriochoa, an artist and owner of Falcon’s Nest, a destination in the Texas Hill Country, 30 minutes from Austin, Texas. We co-facilitate artist retreats and we are so excited to further support and inspire artists and the arts community.

I am so grateful for those along my personal and professional path who have encouraged and supported me and my dreams. When I look back on my life, I recognize and respect the hard work I put into attaining my self-defined success and I am so grateful for those people along the journey who inspired, supported, pushed, and sometimes pulled me – to help me reach my fullest potential as a human, an artist, a professional, a friend, a mom, a daughter, and a partner.

Wow, Kathryn, that is quite a repertoire! Thank you for sharing! We love our members and are always curious about how they came to us; when and how did you find out about Frisco Women?

The Facebook Group was suggested to me.

**That’s awesome. Can you tell us a little about your business? We’d love to know how you got started, and where you’ve grown to today!**

I co-founded Third Entity with my partner Andrew Leff. Together, we bring a wealth of experience and expertise across a wide range of fields, and we are passionate about helping others reach their full potential. We created Third Entity as a service for those who seek to do more and be more. At Third Entity, we believe that we are more creative and productive together than apart—the sum of us together is greater than ourselves alone.

Andrew is a thought leader with over 15 years of global experience spanning finance, technology, government, marketing, logistics, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, and insurance industries. As a people leader, he has earned an outstanding reputation as a coach and mentor. I have an established reputation as a UX leader, consultant, and speaker with over 20 years of expertise in digital design, UX, product development, marketing, technology, and the arts.

At Third Entity, we offer strategy, creative, coaching, and personal and professional development services. We've hosted hackathons, workshops, and classes; audited and designed websites; provided executive and leadership coaching; presented at speaking engagements; hosted networking events; co-designed corporate strategies; and mentored people in their careers. We partner with individuals, teams, and organizations to reveal hidden potential and catalyze transformative change.

Our client roster reflects the diverse landscape of Texas, including students, professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives, non-profits, and corporations. Partnering with Third Entity will enable you to emerge more #inspired, #powerful, and #purposeful in your work, relationships, and self. What sets us apart? Our experience in strategy, creative, coaching, and personal and professional development, combined with our ability to quickly connect the dots, will enable you to harness the power of change. We do not charge to meet and discuss how we can help you achieve your goals and we welcome opportunities to partner and collaborate with others.

**Do you have any advice for our readers?**

I have realized in my life that the only limits placed on you are the ones you place on yourself. There is no glass ceiling because there is no ceiling! I apply this mindset to everything in my life.

Now just for fun, what are your local favorites? We always like knowing about people’s favorite restaurants, dishes, drinks, etc!

Berries and Batter is definitely my favorite breakfast/brunch spot. Service and food are always outstanding! The Aussie Grind is great for fresh baked banana bread - yum! Can you tell I like breakfast? (Lol.)

Do you know of any best kept secrets ? Something you wish more people knew about?

Shari Spangler at Vine Massage Co. is one of THE best kept Frisco secrets. She is an incredibly intuitive massage therapist and such a pleasure to be around. I leave my sessions feeling incredibly relaxed and refreshed.