We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Daggs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always wanted to be an artist. I started making and selling my work in elementary school. I started making soft sculpture dolls with nylon stockings. They had no arms or legs, just a head and a body with a belly button and a butt and they were called “Loveable Huggables”. I also made just the heads and put them in jars and called them “Pickled People”. I sold enough to buy my first 10-speed bike back then. In college I learned how to make marbled silk and paper so I would make scarves and other items and sell them at a campus art show to help pay for my text books. I later switched to making just marbled paper and made paper sculptures in shadow boxes. I still teach workshops on marbled silk and paper today. Then in 2000 I took a class in stained glass, got hooked and haven’t looked back since. Since childhood I’ve taken numerous classes in watercolor, pottery, jewelry making and more. I love to dabble in other mediums but glass has been my primary medium for over 20 years now.

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 raised by two creative parents. My mother does a lot of fiber art: knitting, crocheting, quilting, embroidery, sewing. While my father dabbled in painting, pottery and sculpture. They both encouraged me to explore the arts, signed me up for private art lessons in elementary school, enrolled me in various art classes at the local Arts Center. My dad also encouraged me to be an entrepreneur and start my own business. I actually named my business Kerensamere (pronounced Ker-In-Sa-Meer) after the name my parents gave our house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It means Love and Peace by the Water in Cornish. I felt it was a good nod to my late father. It’s also fitting because I get my creative inspiration when I’m near the water. I like to recharge at the beach, especially Assateague, MD, but even time by a creek or stream in PA helps.

My work often reflects my love of the shore and the plants and animals found nearby. I spent a lot of my childhood playing outside in the woods, creeks and fields that surrounded my home. It was one of those places where you went out in the morning and played all day outside until dinner. I still have a strong love of the outdoors and enjoy hiking, biking and kayaking near my home in PA today. My latest work reflects this love of nature, I call them “Slice of Life” mini panels. They often depict waterfowl and flowers.

I truly believe that continuing to play keeps you younger. I don’t typically refer to time in my studio as time spent working but rather time spent playing. My “Glass Tapestry” mini panels reflect this playfulness. They are everything I love about glass, playing with the colors, textures and shapes of the glass and how the light shines through it.

My jewelry line also reflects this playfulness. Some of my pieces are big and bold and require the wearer to have a certain amount of personality to carry them off. They sometime remind me of being a child and playing dress up with big chunky jewelry. I think life is too much to take things too seriously. I like to make things that make people smile.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

From 2001 – 2008 I was a full time stay at home mom and artist. When the market tanked in 2008 I had to make a choice. My business was at a point where I needed to either invest more time and effort into it while the economy was taking a nose dive. I made the tough decision to go back to work outside the studio and cut back on my shows. I had been doing 12 shows a year but working full time outside the studio meant that I had to cut back to 6 shows a year. This was a tough call for me because it meant spending less time creating, less time with my daughter and more time working at a job for a regular paycheck. I spent the next few years working at various jobs struggling to balance my desire and need to create with working hours and time for family. Then my daughter hit middle school and her health both physical and mentally crashed. I stopped working in the studio completely for several years while we focused all of our strength on helping her find her way back to a healthy place. My heart ached for her and I had no energy to even set foot in the studio. My “real world jobs” suffered and I found myself bouncing from place to place. Sometimes even being unemployed at times. She graduated high school and soared to college in 2020 at which point I started to dabble in the studio again. By 2021 I landed a job at a school that specializes in kids with special education needs and behavioral problems. I was hired to be the office manager but then they tapped me to teach art one day a week. At the moment I am teaching art two days a week and helping with trips and other things in addition to managing the office. I finally have found a “real job” that satisfies some of my creative energy AND pays the bills! To make things even better I have summers off so I dive deep into my studio over the summer. I’m back to doing shows, maintaining inventory in several galleries and feeding my creative soul. It’s taken several pivots to get here but it’s all been worth it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love to inspire people. When a person walks into my booth at a show and breaks out in a huge smile I know I’m doing something right. When a kid in my class finally sees that they too can create something that they are proud of I know I’m in the right place. I even try to use my social media to inspire people, not only with my own work but others, whether it’s a beautiful photo, a perfect quote or an amazing piece of architecture or art. When I get feed back from people that I have inspired them then I know I’ve done my job. Don’t get me wrong, selling a piece of my work certainly helps but there’s more to feeding the soul than money. Having a full time job that I love helps to take the financial pressure of being an artist out of the picture. I like to say that my sales help pay for the habit. I’ve actually found that balance between work family and art. This balance means that I have the freedom to create whatever I want rather than having to constantly focus on making art that “sells” or making bread and butter pieces for shows. I can make what makes me happy. In the long run, those pieces sell best because my joy is reflected in them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kerensamerestudios.com
• Instagram: kerensamere_studios
• Facebook: Kerensamere Studios/Jennifer Daggs

Image Credits
All photos of work by Jennifer Daggs Head Shot by Jaque Hanson