Arika Kaosa grew up in a household surrounded by art and music. Their mother's past as a staple in the 1960's American music scene fueled their creativity and drive for greatness. After the death of one of their best friends ten days after his 18th birthday in 2005, Arika made a promise to themself and their late friend. Their promise was to work relentlessly in every avenue where they believed they could succeed.
Arika Kaosa started creating designs in their apartment across from Grant Park when they were a student at Columbia College Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. By the summer of 2012, their work received recognition by upscale retailer, Nordstrom, which made their art piece "Natural" go viral. "Natural" went on to be included in Tumblr's 2013 Year In Review as one of the website's best art pieces of the year. Arika has gone on to show in regional, national, and international art shows and festivals.
Their journalism career has lead to writing jobs with Yahoo News, Examiner (now AXS), and Punk Globe Magazine and interviews with some of music's biggest and legendary stars. At the age of 25, Arika became the Editor-In-Chief for the nonprofit Chicago Academy of Music magazine. Their music career gained them access to national and international performances as a solo artist and session musician.
They are the founder of the mutual aid organization Fuerza and is an active storm chaser and weather researcher. '
They have been a finalist in the Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee Awards for LGBTQ+ Advocate in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Their education includes time at Columbia College Chicago in Chicago, Illinois for journalism, marketing at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, and meteorology at Mississippi state university in starkville, Mississippi.
Arika Kaosa can be reached via the 'contact' link