Alaskan illustrator and former police officer following his dream

PALMER — Kaelan Paulson has been drawing all his life.

“I’ve been drawing since I can remember. It’s just always been my thing,” Paulson said.

Paulson spent several years working as a police officer for the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Police and Fire Department and recently decided to pursue his creativity and leap onto an entirely new career path.

“After two years of the night shift with mandatory overtime, I hadn’t really done anything besides work; and I just kind of realized that I didn’t take the leap, I wasn’t going to do it, and I’m glad I did it at this point. Things are really working out,”

Paulson has embarked on a variety of illustration projects since he committed to being a full-time artist such as Illustrating books with Robert Service poems. He sells a variety of stickers featuring Alaskan-inspired cartoons, wildlife, and scenic settings.

“People have been really positive about what I’m selling,” Paulson said.

Paulson said that his style comes from a lifetime of consuming media and gleaning inspiration from works that resonated the most.

“I watch a lot of cartoons and I read a lot of comic books,” Paulson said with a laugh.

This is Paulson’s first full-fledged tourist season selling his products at various events across the state. He ran a booth at the 2022 Alaska Scottish Highland Games and plans to return to the Mat-Su Valley for events like the 2022 Alaska State Fair season and Colony Christmas.

“It’s always great coming out to the Valley. It’s a great atmosphere for events. I love seeing more of Alaska,”

Paulson said there are a lot of talented Alaskan artists and he’s excited to have the opportunity to meet so many different people at the various public events he’s participating in.

“It’s always cool to see what other people have in store,” Paulson said.

Paulson encourages anyone with a passion that isn’t being realized to take the leap like he did. It’s different for everyone. In his case, it came from the tip of a pencil and kept going from there.

“I’ve just got a knack for it. You’ve gotta do what you’re good at,” Paulson said.

For more information about Kaelan Paulson Illustrations, visit the official Facebook page at m.facebook.com/pages/category/Artist/KPaulson-Illustrations-102324431457945/posts.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com