We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaymie Seabrook Stryker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jaymie , appreciate you joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
In 2023 I was waiting tables and studying to get my psychology degree. Randomly a regular that comes into the restaurant I work at started chatting with me about life and what my hopes are for the future. This regular (Andy) and I randomly started talking about life and I told him how in an “ideal world” I would love to be an artist full time. Andy was so interested to know more so I pointed him to my instagram which at the time only consisted of work I’d done in high school and a few drawings from electives my freshman year of college. the next week he commissioned me to paint an abstract piece for his office and gave me way more money than I thought my art would ever be worth. It was life changing because that was the first time someone believed in my art more than I did. Since then Andy and I have become good friends and he continues to commission more of my artwork and encourages me to pursue my talents.
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?
Who Am I?
I’m Jaymie and I’m a female artist currently working and living in Santa Barbara California !
What Kinda Art Do I Make?
It’s Coastal Country art that comes from my heart <3 I mainly work in acrylic right now, focusing on creating beautiful spaces that celebrate our connections to land and sea. Why Am I An Artist? I love making art because it is one of the reasons I’m alive today. In high school my art room was my escape from life as I struggled with eating disorders anxiety, and depression. Today as I have found healing through faith, my art is a celebration of life and nature. I love making art for other people because I believe everyone needs to remember to celebrate life just as much as I do. What Else Do I Do With This Life? When I’m not doing art you can find me waiting tables, sittin in church on a Sunday, driving in the mountains with my windows down(country playin loud), watching Surf’s Up(the greatest movie ever), walking by the Sea, or writing my crazy thoughts down at 4:30 am in my garage studio. What's my Favorite Part About Working With Clients? I really enjoy commissioned work because I get to sit with clients and daydream with them about that their ideal space looks like and what kind of world they want to be transported to when they look at the piece. Bringing that daydream to life is fun! What am I most Proud of? definitely how brave I have become in sharing my art and the vulnerability of my art. I don't shy away from tough conversations about mental illness, love, heartbreak, fear, faith, etc. If you have been on my instagram or read my "Thoughts On..." column then you know what I mean *wink*
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert is a MUST READ for anyone looking for a reason to start their creative journey or get through a season of artist block. I read this book in high school and it totally changed the way I view creativity. My One of my favorite quotes from this book is “Done is better than good.”
Another read that was recommended to me by one of my very successful artist friends and mentor is Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It’s a short book so it’s easy to read over and over and I get something new out of it everytime. I have the audio book on my phone and I listen to it whenever I’m feeling like my art is pointless, or Im having a particularly difficult time getting through the “ugly phase” of a painting. My favorite quote from Art & Fear is, “Artists don’t get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working.”
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Okay its about to get REALLY HONEST AND A LITTLE BIT UGLY…
I had this boyfriend a while back who was well off (with moneys) and at a certain point he said I could do whatever I wanted because he would be the one providing for me…
Some Context: Before we met I had veered from artist and decided to be a naturopathic doctor(because no one makes “real money” being an artist). But, after he told me this, and we had been together and started planning a future… I decided that if money wasn’t a topic of worry, what I really wanted to do was paint.
LADIES, somethin ‘bout a boy am I right?
Don’t rely on it until he says “I do”, (or rely on it and become an artist like me lol).
Well as you might guess, we broke up… and now here I am. Ha!
It’s not really romantic, or aesthetic. There was no “meet cute” between me and my art career. Honestly, choosing to be an artist was the easiest decision of my life when I thought it wasn’t going to pay my bills. Now that it is paying my bills(/sometimes isn’t) continuing to be an artist is the most difficult decision I make every day.
You’ll notice that my decision to be an artist is tainted by worrying about finances and feeling like “artist” isn’t a real job title. That’s just the truth. I never had the realistic encouragement of my art as a career until recently. Finally last year I realized that the “on again off again” relationship I had with art was worth a shot as a full time career path. So Here I am. I have to decide everyday when I wake up to be an artist again.
Even though It’s a lot of work, It’s so worth it ;)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seabrookart.com
- Instagram: @seabrook.art
- Facebook: Jaymie Stryker
Image Credits
Kate Dalforno