We recently connected with Jessica Adair and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us 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?

A lot of my artistic skills I gained throughout my childhood. Like many others, art was an escape for me, so I sunk all of my free time into it and then some. I had a few college art courses that, although didn’t teach me new methods, provided me the confidence I needed in my art. The most essential skill is truly drive. You need drive to commit to learn, evolve, and stay creative. My lack of confidence truly has hindered me and still does. If you can’t appreciate what you made, how can you expect others to? I wish I had sought out art classes or flocked to YouTube tutorials, but those weren’t always accessible. Realistically, if I had created art with friends more often I know I would have improved quicker and gained a variety of skills by learning from them as well.

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.

Although I work a corporate 9 to 5, I will always seek creativity outside of work. I started publicly sharing my art (painting, sketching, embroidery, resin, etc.) when I was struggling with depression in undergrad. Not many saw it, but I used it as a journal. This has translated into my adult life as well. I’ve been using my personal Instagram to document my life through and after divorce at a young age. But I also use it to share my other methods of creativity i.e., home decor, fashion, and daily photography.

I have found more success in sharing my personal life than I have sharing my art. I know the problem is I put more effort into my personal Instagram over my art one, but I like to keep them separate. I believe my success in my personal account comes from my oversharing and genuineness. Social media never accurately displays true life, but I try to be as open as possible to bridge that gap.

Despite my love for art, I am most proud of the work I do on my personal Instagram. By sharing my story, I’ve had many people reach out to me about their experiences with SA, abuse, and divorce. I’ve guided people to resources they needed, but also provided an empathetic ear. I was going through a divorce on my own and I don’t believe anyone deserves that. Having someone in your life with experience can help so much.

While I have gotten some small perks from my social medias and even sold a few prints, I truly value the friendships I’ve created the most. I have met some truly amazing individuals that would have never found me if I wasn’t as public as I am on Instagram. I truly want to cultivate a safer space on social media with no judgement, hate, or pettiness. If I happen to sell some art or get some brand deals, I consider all of those wonderfully, unexpected, extra perks.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A big lesson I had to unlearn is that you can’t change everyone’s mind and it’s not worth it at the end of the day if it’s not on a topic about human rights and safety.

I continually get pushback for sharing on social media. I got a lot of flack for my divorce and especially when I started a new relationship. People have their opinions and they try to push it on others. I spent time explaining why things are the way they are, but I quickly realized no one wants to hear that. Those that accept you will and those that do not accept you won’t. There’s little you can do to change someone’s mind about you—and that’s okay.

The discrimination I receive grows everyday, but I have to remind myself of the love I’m receiving that’s also growing everyday. As we all know, those negative voices are unfortunately louder in our minds than the loving ones. I have to actively replace the negative voices with the positive ones. I’m actively unlearning what abuse has taught me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal in all of this, all of my social medias, is human connection. I believe so much can happen when we connect and find our communities. I grew up very isolated, but with the excelling technology now there’s no reason we can’t find our people.

I can connect with others through my art, creativity, or sharing silly memes. The method doesn’t matter. It’s all about the results. Bonding allows us to easily begin working together. Larger groups can make bigger changes. I want to being make these changes digitally but eventually expand past the bounds of a screen. I want to see so many changes in our would, but I believe the root of that foundation is human connection.      

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/artsiejessiee?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Other: https://instagram.com/artsiejessie?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==

Image Credits
r.e.willphotography