We recently connected with Jenna Valente and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Although I am always trying new things and curious to learn, grow, and develop new skills, my main creative outlets are photography and poetry. I am self-taught in both. Writing came first, mainly because it is a financially inexpensive art form, all I needed was a pen and paper. I started intentionally and more consistently writing when I was eight years old after my mom bought me my first diary from a Scholastic Book Fair. I thought it was the coolest thing I had seen at that time, the cover is shiny and iridescent, complete with a lock and key. Turns out, it also served as a key to unlocking a creative outlet that I desperately needed. I’ve been writing ever since and now have my life story, as told by me documented in journals. Eventually, I started leaning into poetry because I liked the challenge of expressing myself as simply and succinctly as possible. Now, I’ve been doing it for so long that I often think poetically, with lines popping into my head as I observe and experience the world.

I didn’t come from money and cameras are expensive, so it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I had the opportunity to develop my craft. I received my first camera as a Christmas gift after dropping several subtle (and maybe some not-so-subtle) hints to my family. Think Ralphie in A Christmas Story. I was on a mission to get a camera, even if it meant calling in the help of others. My interest in photography was sparked well before that, though. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the idea that two people could be looking at the same thing and see it differently. Even if we’re in a shared space, the human experience is entirely unique to each of us and that’s a major driver for me in my art. To understand and be understood. To see and be seen. To be curious about the world and share my experiences.

In terms of timing, I know we live in a fast-paced world where we often see more polished and perfect than the process. Comparison is a creativity killer. Prioritizing the end result and timeline over the process buys you a one-way ticket to superficial art. Let the art tell you what it wants to be and when (if) it wants to be shared with the world. Rebel against rigidity. Sink into and savor the process. Take your time exploring all the nooks, crannies, and multitudes that you contain.

The most important thing we can do is give ourselves the time, space, and grace we need to explore who we are, what we care about, and what we love to do. If you do that, I promise your path will open up. I view immediate gratification like junk food, the satisfaction is fleeting. It’s not meaningful, so take your time. Staying power, self-development, and meaningful art requires patience, dedication, and consistency. So, to answer your question about speeding up the learning process, I wouldn’t. I’m moving at the pace of me and that’s all I need to do.

I think the most essential skills for artists to have are patience, curiosity, wonder, and standing fully in our own perspectives. Just like our fingerprints or DNA, our perspectives as artists are completely unique to us, and that is what gives our creations character and authenticity. When you’re looking at one of my photographs or reading my poems, what I am offering you is a look at the world through my eyes. You’re seeing how I’m making sense of life on Earth, how I view you, and that’s a beautiful thing, to be able to experience the world through someone else’s perspective. I also encourage readers to have the courage to be cringy, not everything we create is going to be our best work but maybe it’s the best you can do that day. It’s the commitment to the craft and building our skills day by day that is going to get us to where we’re meant to be.

Every obstacle holds a lesson and all of us will face a host of obstacles throughout our lifetimes. This is something that I frequently remind myself of because, yes, I get frustrated and down on myself at times. It’s natural to question ourselves, doubt ourselves, and feel stuck. You know, I think the biggest obstacle is living in a society that needs art, voraciously consumes it but doesn’t value it, especially now with the rise of AI. People are pouring their lives into creations that are then swallowed whole by the world we live in and maybe, if you’re lucky, that world will throw a few coins your way in return. Artists make the world go round. Artists make life beautiful. Artists help us feel less alone but far too few people are reciprocating that energy to the artists themselves. If you are reading this, I am begging you to please support local artists, buy their art, offer space in your stores, businesses, homes, and offices for their work, and give them platforms to share their work and collaborate with them on projects. Artists need you just as much as you need the art we make.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We live in a system designed to isolate us from each other and mute our individuality, effectively stripping us of our power. In a world fraught with external pressures and expectations, it is imperative to nurture a deep sense of self-worth and inner strength.

I believe self-love, self-empowerment, and meaningful connections to community and nature are the foundation stones upon which personal growth and resilience are built.

Our worthiness is not contingent upon external validation but is an inherent birthright. Through the practice of acknowledging one’s intrinsic value, embracing both strengths and vulnerabilities, and treating oneself with the same compassion and kindness we readily extend to others, art is born and progress is made.

I am a multi-talented artist, advocate, community builder, and storyteller who utilizes my skills to uplift, celebrate, and support others. I am based in Maine and available for collaborations worldwide.

I’ll address each of my main projects in a little more detail here.

In terms of photography, portraits hold a special place in my heart. They are my favorite photos to make because no portrait session is ever the same – just like people – and am endlessly fascinated by that. With so many people on the planet, we are led to believe that we are not interesting or unique and that simply is not true. You are the only you that there ever has been, is, or will be, and that’s amazing! My number one priority with portrait sessions is to foster a safe atmosphere for collaborative creativity to meld and flourish, ultimately resulting in images where whomever I’m working with’s authentic self – or what they are striving to convey – shines bright.

With poetry, I wholeheartedly feel that being a writer was not an option for me. The moment I had the tools at eight years old, the words started flowing out of me and haven’t stopped since. Well, except for those moments of agony known as creative droughts. We won’t dwell on those times, though. Droughts are just as necessary as flow states, designed for refilling the creative cup until it spills over once again. As I previously mentioned, what started as journaling morphed mostly into poetry, I think, because I like the creative challenge of expressing complex emotions, relations, and experiences in as few words as possible. I challenge myself to write one poem every day, no matter how “good” or “bad” I think it is. The beautiful thing about doing a small act of creativity every day for an extended period, like writing a poem, is that one day you’ll look back and realize you have an entire body of work to explore and share if you so choose. This is how I ended up with enough poems for two books, the first of which was released March 08 of this year.

I also serve as the Director of Advocacy for the Healthy Ocean Coalition. Our organization exists to remove barriers that keep people from becoming ocean advocates. We do this by providing relevant and timely information, building capacity to speak out for the ocean, offering skills training, and highlighting opportunities to inform and influence policymakers. We believe that policy is personal, and so our approach is too. We genuinely care about the people in our community and we meet people where they are to support their growth in embodying their full selves as advocates.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think it’s hard to say what the reader will or will not connect with or understand. My initial reaction is a reflection on the term non-creatives. I believe that every single person on this planet contains within them a deep well of creativity, it’s just a matter of tapping into it, fostering it, and embracing it. We are innately creative beings living in a society designed to smother that because individuality, self expression, and empowered people cause problems for the larger system, question the system, and call out inequities and injustices. We see the more subservient among us rewarded for going with the flow and those who go against the grain made to feel lesser than, unvalued, and problematic. Being an artist is an act of bravery, it takes courage on so many levels. So, maybe that’s it. If you’re reading this and consider yourself a “non-creative”, I challenge you to reframe how you view your own creativity. Maybe you’re not a published author or have had your work in galleries, magazines, and so on but I guarantee that you’ve tapped into your creativity at some point to overcome a challenge or adapt on the fly. We are all creative. We are all on our own journeys. So, let’s own that by standing in our own power and individuality, together.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As I mentioned before, a major driver for me is to understand and be understood. To see and be seen. To be curious about the world and share my experiences. I think for me it’s part making sense of life and part a journey of self-love and self-acceptance.

We connect and find common ground through art, we heal through art, and we express ourselves in times when we can’t find the words through art. Art is an integral part of life. We live in a moving art piece, look around. Sometimes we get so numb in our day-to-day routine that we lose our wonder at the miracle that is life happening around us, in us, and through us at all times.

I would love for all of us to embrace our inner child again. Watch an ant for 20 minutes, try to impersonate a bird song, close your eyes and feel the sun on your face, and be curious about the world and each other, this is where profound inspiration and connection can be found.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennavalente.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennavalente/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennaValentePhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-valente-94151a58/
• Twitter: https://x.com/HealthyOceanCo

Image Credits

Katie Donlon