We recently connected with Jennifer Flynt and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

In my first professional job out of college, I was working as a marketing and communications coordinator. The job was great because I could use my creative and artistic skills and also learn how to juggle multiple committees and departments’ needs. I was coordinating with a variety of personalities, some more intense than others, and quickly found myself struggling a little because I wanted to please everyone and prove that I was good at what I was doing. Because of that, I took a lot of their feedback personally, and it wasn’t necessarily criticism, but that’s how I perceived it. One of the women I had the privilege to work with for a short time taught me how important it is to not take feedback personally and to use it to improve and grow. She had a sense of humor about it and something she once said to me has always stuck with me and proven so true, “Get to it, kid. I’m sure someone will complain, but that’s life!”

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was always creative, but really got into the arts in middle school when I had to take an art class, and I just kept going with it in high school and college. I got my degree in graphic design because I figured I wouldn’t ever be a starving artist with those skills. While in college I interned with a photographer who was part of a co-op type of studio/gallery space. I loved setting up for exhibit openings and meeting the other artists and collectors. I was able to experience some of the business side of things as well through the internship. I really wanted to work in an art gallery or museum right out of college, but instead I went with a job that not only paid better, but offered more flexibility. I continued to do freelance and volunteer work both in the art galleries and in nonprofits. Because of the career path I took out of college, I gained valuable experience in running nonprofits, so when I came to St. Augustine “temporarily” and stumbled into the St. Augustine Art Association, things just fell into place for me.

The St. Augustine Art Association was founded in 1924 by painters, photographers, writers and art enthusiasts who had a vision to make St. Augustine, Florida an art colony much like Provincetown, Rockport or Ogunquit. The Art Association’s mission has always been to promote the arts in St. Augustine and provide rich opportunities for artists and appreciators. Going on 100 years of making art history–as we call it–we do quite a bit to keep our members engaged and to promote our artists. The Art Association hosts monthly art exhibits in our 3,200sf gallery, we do annual events like the St. Augustine Plein Air Paint Out and Summer Art Camps, we collaborate with other arts organizations in our community to host concerts and plays, we offer educational and enrichment opportunities throughout the year for adults like workshops and open studios, and we coordinate the First Friday Art Walks with the other galleries in town.

I’m pretty proud of the fact that during, and after Covid, we’ve been able to experiment and expand how we do our programs and exhibits. Before Covid, there was never an online component to anything we did, and now we put all of our exhibits online, and we have a little gift shop our members can put prints, cards, books, etc. in. Even when events and exhibits weren’t happening in-person, we found a variety of ways to keep our artists showing and selling their work, and we’ve incorporated what was successful during that time into what we do now since things are pretty much back to normal. Our art sales have never been higher and we’ve reached new audiences which can be seen in the size, volume and quality of our exhibits.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Just pay them. Support their crazy ideas and small businesses because without artists and creatives, most things would not exist. Graphic designers, painters, sculptors, illustrators… In this day and age, art is so easy to come by and make ourselves thanks to technology. Sure, you can find some pretty prints and decorative items in your local department store, or generate pretty graphics at the touch of a button, but somewhere down the line, an artist created the original, the concept, the idea, and they’re probably not getting royalties on your print purchase. Also, there’s something special about owning an original work of art by a living breathing artist.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is finishing a product and sharing it with others. Even if you don’t get the reaction you’d hoped for, you still completed or pulled something off–whether it’s finishing a painting or design or seeing a huge exhibit or event come together–it’s your accomplishment that you can use in the future to grow and learn from and do even more with. For me nowadays, I find designing and installing exhibits to be incredibly rewarding. The exhibits are visual representations of just how talented and creative the artists are in and around St. Augustine, FL. and I get to have a front row seat to it all while using my own creativity and design skills.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.staaa.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staugartassoc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StAugArtAssoc/