Kateřina Koki9 Mlejnková: "For a long time I was stressed and strict with myself, but then I realized that life is about something else."
I could see your smile from ear to ear when I arrived for today's interview. That's something that quite characterizes you - a positive mood and a positive attitude to life. Is that right?
Yes, it is. I get it from my grandmother. So I can be serious, but I can usually find something funny in serious situations.
That's quite an art, not many people can do that these days. Or am I wrong?
It's true that in the Czech Republic I sometimes come across people who find me too energetic - with too much positive energy. Some people just can't absorb it.
So what is your recipe for positivity?
I think it's something that's cultivated from a young age. My mother, who in turn got it from her grandmother, led me to it. The older I get, I'm more and more like them. It's kind of passed down from generation to generation. We always try to find the positive in everything and show it to the next generation.
It's true that even my friends have always told me that I have a very open-minded mother. That she doesn't condone my style statements and experiments at all. And I used to shave my eyebrows, etc. She always said it would grow out, let me enjoy it...
So she took it easy? Even the tattoos and piercings I see on you?
We agreed that I wouldn't get tattoos until I was 18. But that was mainly to make me do it with some consideration, and it's true that I did it well, because what I was thinking then, I probably wouldn't want to wear on my body today. (laughs) Those were such teenage ideas.
Anyway, when I look at you, you have colours everywhere - tattoos, make-up, hair. Does that also express your positive attitude to life?
Yes. There are even a lot of intertwined motifs in the tattoos that represent my experiences, my motivation, my visions, etc. One of the tattoos is a cobra hugging a lemon. Although the cobra itself can look a bit dark, it is hugging a lemon, which is one of my symbols in life. It symbolizes a certain vibrancy and juiciness for me. Which is what the cobra protects. At first glance, it may look dark, but it has its own charm.
You mentioned the word "dark." Are there any dark moments in your positive life?
I'm sure there are dark moments. The way you see me happy, I can be just as sad. It happens about once a month when I have my "down state". It's very much related to the female hormonal cycle. I notice it a lot about myself. It's not depression, but during this period I always wonder if what I'm doing makes sense, that I'm replaceable. I have a lot of thoughts like that in my head. But it always sticks with me for maybe two days.
So during those days, you prefer to stay at home?
Not really, but I might cry all night. I'll even be moved by a YouTube commercial. (Laughs) But that always goes away on its own. Because otherwise I have a really positive attitude towards life.
Is that also reflected in your work? Is that why you are in such demand?
I guess so. People often tell me that there is always a wonderful energy associated with my work. I love to give that energy to others.
Is that your recipe for success?
My recipe for success is decency and love of the cause. When you are well-mannered, yourself, and have a love for the cause, you can't not be successful. When you give it your all, are interested in trends and technology and want to push things further, success is guaranteed to happen. Of course, this comes with a positive mindset. A positive attitude usually always brings positive feedback, it couldn't be more different. I can't imagine anyone doing something negatively and getting positive feedback from it. That is rare and only manipulators can do that.
You do quite a lot of things - make-up artist, photographer, creative soul, a bit of a stylist, etc. Isn't that a bit much sometimes?
So far I'm managing and trying to keep it that way. Because my work is so varied, I can't say that I'm burnt out in any way. On top of that, I try to relax a lot to balance my professional and private life. There are times when you feel a lot of pressure. In that case, I start doing more things for myself and relax to get new ideas.
During the year you must get a lot of ideas out of your head, where do you get inspiration?
I'm very intuitive, but inspiration comes to me in different ways from the outside. I like testing new things that come to me. I get a lot of different packages, so I can dig through them. With that comes a lot of inspiration.
Then, when a singer or other personality wants to express something on a record cover, etc., I match different components that express different things. They then gradually start to fit together. It's kind of a complexity of everything, including for example the psychology of the project, etc.
You do a lot of social media. Do you find inspiration there too?
I follow different make-up artists and trends that are constantly changing. I enjoy that. I always reinterpret them in different ways and create according to myself. Other than that, I love Pinterest where I create different boards. If someone saw that, they'd probably think I'm a psychopath and that I must spend hours on it. But I do it to relax, create galleries, etc. All together it influences me in my own style. It's a bit extravagant, of course, and it shows that people are looking at me a lot. (laughs)
Speaking of "looking at someone", how do you feel about make-up on men? That's also one of the things that a lot of people can't get over...
I'm so open to everything that I don't care. If they're happy when they put makeup on, let them put makeup on, and sometimes I kind of like it. I've worked with a lot of men who wear makeup. It suits some people terribly, and even if it doesn't suit them, let them wear makeup if they like it. But it's true that the general public doesn't understand. And it can make for an interesting discussion...
Do you have any experience of this?
Yes, it's the hell of the internet. (laughs) People literally become demons on the internet. It's because they are hidden behind their computer and mobile screens and they don't have personal contact with the person. Some people then confront you on the internet to the point where they literally get inside you and find some thing that they are constantly digging into. They're psychopaths. It's over the top and often very rude.
Also, sometimes I don't like something on the internet, but never in my life would I think to write that it's disgusting. Why should I channel my energy into something like that? Sometimes people don't realize what they're actually doing. Some people are really unhappy about these internet attacks. Fortunately, I can defend myself against it.
Do you encounter haters often?
For a long time now. Even before anyone knew me. My style has always been extravagant, so I've been dealing with it since I was about 13. I've gotten used to it and I've created a certain barrier that makes me cool and I don't deal with it. However, a few times I thought about opening up these people's profiles and also starting to comment on their photos, but then I realized that was a terrible idea. However, what some people can spew out sometimes is really outrageous.
It's true that when you're more in the public eye, you have to take it into account a bit...
Yes, that's why I have to be above it all and not get upset about a stranger's report. Some people get bored on the internet sometimes and all they can think of is to write a nasty comment.
What has been the best thing for you in your career so far? What work do you appreciate the most?
That's a very difficult question. There's so much. But in general I could say that I really enjoy working with people who have personality. They have their own ideas, they interfere with my work, and in that way they push myself. The freedom is wonderful, but the interaction is important. It allows me to get to know how someone else's mind works, which is great. In particular, though, I really enjoy making music videos, for example.
So if you had to mention any particular personalities?
Right now I can think of Barbora Poláková, then I really like my friend and singer Giudi, who has an interesting aesthetic of her own. The collaboration is very strong there. Then definitely Dara Rolins, who is also open to different extravagant things. We did a lot of creative things with Emma Smetana as well. Then I can think of Sharlotta or Jeffree Star. But there's so much.
Now I'm going to work with Dagmar Havel, for example, and I'm really looking forward to that. It's really cool when you start getting personalities like that. I'm going to be creating a calendar for her, and I'm going to be providing almost everything. It's going to be a rendition of her most prominent roles.
Your main location is the Czech Republic, but have you ever thought about travelling abroad?
A million times. It started with London, which I didn't travel to because of my boyfriend, who I would have missed. I'm kind of thinking about Los Angeles because my boyfriend works there part time, but I wouldn't want to live there long term. I would only go there for a few years for business. There are a lot of interesting personalities there and the visions of the people there are much different and more extravagant. I'm also very fond of Italy because it's the centre of real fashion, designers etc. These are places that I kind of dream about. We would even like to move to Italy. But that's only in 10-20 years. I'm in no hurry. I believe that all things will come at the right time.
Don't you sometimes get a heavy feeling that you won't make it?
I don't worry about it. I don't want to be stressed about life, much less my career. I might get pregnant and live for the kids like my mom did. She had this vision of being a fashion designer her whole life, and then she realized she wanted to have kids and that her greatest value was her family.
I have dreams and big visions and I'm still developing, but I'm not pushing it. I don't want to be stressed out. I want to live. For a long time I was stressed and I was hard on myself, but then I realized that life is about something else.
What's it about?
Life. Experience in general. That's all there is, in my opinion. But of course, everyone can have it differently. For some, it's recognition and a career. For me, it's experience, and that includes my work. My grandmother is a big role model in this, she had a lot of difficult things in her life and always found the positive in them. Her partner died twice, which is a big thing that would make a lot of people break down. She was left alone with three kids, but still found ways to be happy. She started practicing yoga, learned how to prepare healthy meals, went on road trips, and simply didn't put her life on hold. There's always a purpose to life. You just have to have faith, and I don't mean faith in a religion, but faith in general. I don't believe in God, but I do believe in energy, power and deep things.
Is that a recipe for a successful life?
I try to follow it and it seems to work. When you foster negative thinking, negativity grows. When you encourage positive thinking, it grows too. It's like a flower that you fertilize and water. So I'm literally fertilizing my life. (laughs)
You literally fertilized your life? (laughs)
Exactly. In a good way. And I have to say, people shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. There are a lot of sayings that apply to that as well. You learn by making mistakes. So I'm pretty unteachable, but nobody's perfect, so remember that.
