We recently connected with Jessica Kroes Cooper and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Growing up, I was always drawn to anything creative. From the moment I could hold a pencil, I was immersed in drawing and painting. As a child, I was introverted and self-conscious, but creating art provided me with an escape and a source of self-assurance. My parents were incredibly supportive of my artistic pursuits. My mom would enter my work in various drawing contests, and I remember the thrill of seeing my art featured in the newspaper – I was elated. Art played a crucial role in building my self-confidence and giving me a sense of purpose.

Even though I continued to create art throughout high school, I somehow didn’t consider it a viable career path. When it was time to choose a major in college, I ended up selecting business and marketing. My dad owned an advertising agency, and I had always enjoyed spending time in the art department. I thought I could become a creative director in the corporate world. However, college was a struggle. I disliked my classes and felt stifled by the lack of creativity.

Then, during my junior year, I had a major revelation in an economics class. The professor mentioned that we should all feel capable of being the best in our chosen fields. If we didn’t have that confidence, we were likely in the wrong place. It sounds trivial, but that was the moment when I realized I was most definitely in the wrong place and needed to pursue something I truly loved and could excel at. So immediately after class, I applied to the fine arts program at Western Michigan University.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After receiving my Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University, I wound up going back to school to pursue a degree in Art Education. I became certified in teaching visual arts to grades kindergarten through high school. I taught elementary art for one year before Covid hit and I decided to switch up my career path yet again. I realized that even though I loved teaching, I hated that working full-time left me completely drained with no time to work on my own projects. As a solution to teaching full-time, I now sub about 3-4 days a week, sell my own art as well as commissioned work, and teach art classes to kids and adults out of my home. It may be a little more chaotic than having a normal 9 to 5, but I could not be happier. While I love creating art for people to enjoy visually, I’d have to say that the creative endeavor I am most proud of is getting to actually teach art to others. Watching people create something beautiful while having fun doing it, is honestly one of the best feelings ever.

Aside from teaching art classes, I do a lot of commission work as an artist which I think sets me apart from other creatives. Most of the artists I know may do some commission work, but they mostly create whatever they please. While I love having the freedom to draw or paint anything I want, I also really love creating one of a kind keepsakes for other people. I am always down to draw a portrait of a loved one or paint the beloved family dog. Being able to create something truly special for someone by making their vision a reality, is my absolute favorite thing about being an artist.

As an artist, one thing I have constantly been told throughout my creative journey, is to “niche down”. While I understand that most creatives have a particular style, or medium that makes their work easily identifiable, that’s just not me. I do everything from large scale murals to tiny holiday ornaments. Acrylic paint and colored pencil are my two main art mediums, and I have slightly different styles for each. My acrylic paintings mostly depict animals or elements of nature, and the occasional portrait. I always paint on top of a collage/mixed media background and then seal them with resin. Painting on layers of resin gives my work a unique three-dimensional effect. When I am using colored pencils I mainly do portraits, but I still use the same bold colors and enjoy creating fun, vibrant backgrounds for my subjects.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was the mindset that working a 9 to 5 is the only way to go. Most creatives I know, myself included, do not thrive in that type of restrictive environment. Teaching full-time left me drained and unable to produce much art. The rigid schedule stifled my natural creativity. Sometimes I may be super productive at 7 a.m., whereas other days I may find inspiration at 11 p.m. The creative flow is unpredictable, so while I do work every day, my hours are all over the place. It took me a long time to understand that it’s perfectly okay to not work a 9 to 5. As long as I am being productive, reaching my goals, and meeting my deadlines, there’s no need for me to have “normal” work hours.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is not only the ability to create visual works of art for people but to also share the joy that making art can bring. Most non-creatives never do anything artistic because they falsely assume they aren’t capable of producing art. Anyone can make art and you don’t have to be “good” to enjoy it. It’s not all about the final product, but the process of creating and trying new things. When I’m teaching classes I love watching people surprise themselves by getting completely absorbed in the creative process or by producing a piece of art that they never expected they could.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicakroescooper.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicakroescooper/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicakroescooper