We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacob Bryner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacob below.
Jacob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I will always feel like I am an artist first. There are certainly times where I’ve wanted to have a (for lack of a better term) “normal” brain when times are tough. One that doesn’t feel this nagging urge to create but simply looks to go do a simple job, get paid and then come home and relax and just play a video game or watch a show on Netflix.
Then I notice as I’m sitting, not creating, how much my tank starts to refill as I begin to appreciate the art around me. Whether it’s in the game I’m playing to relax, the show I’m watching, the design in the map on my wall. I just can’t help but feel the thrill of the arts all over again and feel proud that I’ve done the work I’ve already done and contributed to this wild tapestry of human creation.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been painting and playing bass guitar since high school. I graduated in 2004 and moved to St. Petersburg Florida. My sister lived there and I just wanted to live in a very different area of the country in order have that experience. What pulled me back to Utah was partially missing friends but also continuing a band with my friend Jeff. That was my main focus for the next couple of years and in my down time I would paint. I started to get more attention for my painting than my music at the time and I realized I was able to sell my work. what started as selling art painted on whatever I could find for $40 to $50 I’m now well known for doing Pet Portraits that are currently $300 for a 16x20in canvas, and selling original ideas anywhere from $200 to $1000. All during this time I continued to work on music and have various bands where I could release my songs and work on my craft of writing, and playing bass as well as singing.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I think people that feel an urge to do a thing and have the will power to do the work continuously, regardless of highs or lows of the journey. should live in a society that allows for them to be that and survive with the appropriate amount of shelter, food, and health care. If you’re willing to do the work and willing to not have certain things that other people have pursuing your path I think there should be more opportunities for people to sustain themselves in pursuit of their passion. It’s along the lines of the saying “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. It’s not that it’s going to be fun every day, there will be real struggle, strain, and anger on certain days. But It shouldn’t be ridiculous that I’d like to be able to eat reasonably well, have a roof and a bed with some warmth, and be able to see the dentist when I need it. So with this in mind I support political movements that respect the arts and investment into the populace for quality of life purposes. That in this age of technology we should be moving towards a society that is focused on the mental health of society and the individual and learning and growing from science and not clinging to old outdated traditions that only leave people working their lives and joy away in a cubicle.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After college I moved to Hangzhou, China to teach english. I knew I needed this experience to help myself and perspective grow for my art. I took a job and moved there and after plane tickets, visas, etc.. I only had $50 in my wallet. I was trusting that everything was worked out and set up for me to get there and start working. after about a month of adjustment and teaching 24 classes a week at times. I found my way around the city to find art supplies, and get all of that back to my apartment and started painting right away. I was exhausted and nervous about my ability to communicate but the itch to create was too strong so it didn’t take long for me to get write back to painting my pictures and adding to my story. Not long after I put some of the first money I made to buying a bass guitar and then I went and found fellow expat musicians in the city. Within a couple months of living in Hangzhou I was in a cover band and playing gigs around the city. Nothing fancy. one of my favorite memories to this day was playing at a blues loving dive bar not far from the art college in or around Hangzhou (can’t remember location exactly). the guitar player from my cover band and I showed up and played improv blues with a major language barrier between us and the other players. We were all smiling though, even though the power would occasionally cut out right in the middle of a song. One of the happiest moments of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: artJWB.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artjwb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artJWB
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-wayne-bryner-17bba11b/
- Twitter: NA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gammapaw7413
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/gamma_paw/ https://www.youtube.com/@fakoshkaband https://open.spotify.com/artist/15SEOBf4oi5TushSTutO0v?si=ChEAAQMbSESZHHQQSMzw0A https://gammapaw.bandcamp.com/