“Make Art Not War” ft. KBR for MOB Journal
By Natalie Wheeler
“Make Art Not War” was published in MOB JOURNAL | VOLUME SIXTY | ISSUE 43
KBR is a multi-talented artist and Founder of Contagion Media. Based in Arizona and featuring 30+ artists of all mediums, including photographers, models, designers, writers, hair & makeup artists, videographers, and musicians. Contagion Media is an Art Agency specializing in content marketing for creative brands. With a mission to make artists more important, the company also publishes the Artist Journey Podcast and Contagion Magazine.
Since childhood, KBR has been drawn to the arts, demonstrating raw, natural ability from the start. At around five years old, her parents gave her a karaoke machine. She sang beautifully, knowing every word to countless songs even before she could read a book. By the time twelve rolled around, she was writing her own songs. KBR is the first artist in her family and the first generation to attend a University. “My parents didn’t have extra resources or privilege growing up,” she says, “but they always did everything they could to give their kids a better future.” Her parents’ encouragement provided the safety and space she needed to explore her many artistic inclinations, a privilege not afforded to everyone. By the time she reached college, she already had substantial experience in videography, music, and photography.
At one point, she nearly detoured to NYU to study musical theatre directing. She was recruited, offered a scholarship, and seriously considered it. But even with financial aid, she would have faced years of debt. “Ultimately, I realized my pull toward building an artist community in Arizona—the place I had always called home—outweighed the appeal of New York,” she says. “I wanted to stand out, and I would.”
When she began college, KBR envisioned herself as a working musician, though she did not see it as the most secure path. At Northern Arizona University, she pursued photography, creative media, and film as double majors, areas where she already had a strong foundation. “There were moments in my media and film courses where I just thought, ‘This could be so much more,’” she remembers. “One class only produced a single, basic assignment all semester, even though we had the time, energy, and resources to do so much more. That’s when I realized I could step in and make it happen.”
Alongside her skills in video, photography, and music, she was also learning web design and business. Over time, she saw that she had been cultivating a unique, multifaceted toolkit, one that could support a vision larger than her own artistry.
Now let’s get to the “why.” There are two main reasons that drive her work. The first, reflected in everything she does with Contagion Media, is the belief that everyone should have access to make art—not just the privileged. Art builds compassion and builds bridges. It thrives when barriers are removed, when tools, platforms, and knowledge are not hoarded but shared. By dismantling gatekeeping and expanding access to resources, she insists that creativity belongs to everyone, not just those who can afford entry.
“Having the support of my parents made all the difference,” she says. “Not everyone has that safety, and I think that’s why I’ve always been committed to creating spaces where artists can thrive regardless of their background.” When individuals or communities are unsafe, or consumed by the struggle to survive, art often becomes inaccessible. And yet, it is precisely in those circumstances that art proves most vital: artists are often the ones pushing back against injustice, sparking movements of peace or rebellion, and ultimately imagining safer, more compassionate worlds.
She has carried these principles through the life of Contagion Media, at times covering costs herself to ensure artists are fairly compensated and recognized for their contributions. Rather than pursuing profit as the primary goal, she has envisioned a different model—one where equity, collaboration, and the flourishing of artists matter more than personal gain. It is a stance that not only resists the usual pressures of business but also reimagines what it means to build an arts community with integrity.
The second “why” emerged after she graduated and began to notice a gap in the landscape of creative representation. Models had agencies, musicians had labels—but there was no space for someone like her, an artist unwilling to be confined to a single path. “I wanted a place where all kinds of artists could coexist,” she explains, “one built on collaboration, not competition.”
As a Latina woman, she also felt a much deeper responsibility to look towards: “When I looked around, none of the existing executives in art and media looked like me. That absence revealed a void—and a calling I had to step into.”
When asked, “If Contagion Media were a person, what stage of life would it be in—baby, child, teenager, adult?” KBR took a pause, “I’ve been really hard on myself about how long it has taken the company to grow,” she admitted, before quickly adding that it could never have come this far without her partner Dylan, “whose support has been everything,” and the team that now carries the vision alongside her.
The growth for Contagion Media and KBR’s career, however, has been steady and intentional. From the conception of her company in 2017, to its founding as a production company in 2018 while she was still at NAU, to its evolution as an art platform in 2019, and later re-launches as an art agency in 2022 and a focused art marketing agency in 2023, Contagion has grown step by step into the company it is today. With many unannounced projects on the way, the future holds limitless potential for Contagion Media’s signed artists.
“Flower Man” by KBR
Looking back on this evolution, it makes sense that she describes Contagion as “a teenager—about sixteen.” In the beginning, “it was a baby I nurtured step by step until it could walk, and eventually grow strong enough to bring in more people.” Today, she sees it thriving in adolescence—“a teenager with its own style.” One of the most surprising things, she admits, was realizing the impact of the fans. “I couldn’t have predicted or known how it felt until it started happening,” she says. “They keep you going during the hard times and have been a tremendous uplifting support that reminds us once again about the importance of human connection and community.” Looking ahead, she smiles at the thought of Contagion’s future: “It’s about to be an adult, and I can’t wait to see what that means for an already impactful company with a visionary approach. Contagion was born from my vision, but now it belongs to everyone who is pushing the limits of creativity and opportunity for artists around the world.”
As for KBR herself, she is becoming the truest version of herself, weaving together every piece of who she has been, and at last embracing the destiny she had long been afraid to claim. She is currently developing the Contagion Podcast, expanding her work in music, and preparing the release of Contagion Magazine Issue No. 6: The ICON Issue. Alongside these projects, she continues to focus on talent development and collaboration with new artists, further strengthening the creative ecosystem she has built from the ground up.
For more information on KBR and her team's journey, visit contagionmedia.net/artists/kbr
Published by KBR on May 21, 2026
