We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Chihuan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jamie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
Photography has always been my strong suit. No surprise that my first artistic series was done in that medium. My cloak photos inspired me to pursue photography seriously as an artist. I began offering to film videos for my rap artist friends. Soon I had my first gig for $100. It was a short music video that was mainly shot in the small town I lived in at the time. This video in turn gave me more clients until the business slowly stopped. I realized the potential my creativity has.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Breaking into the Denver art scene was a wild ride. I grew up in Longmont Colorado, Which is a small front range town north of Boulder. The town was small and there was not much art displayed. After graduating Highschool I began to pick up on my creativity. I would explore several mediums and build a small portfolio with some work I did. I was determined to get into a gallery, So one day I drove to Denvers Santa Fe art district, parked my car, and asked every gallery on that street if they would look at my portfolio. I was intrigued by a bright pink building. El Museo de Las Americas.
I was able to secure a meeting with the director there and next thing you know I’m in her office. Claudia was her name and she gave me tips on what to improve on. She noticed how young and talented I am and allowed me to become a vendor for their First Fridays. The rest was history.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Finishing my Bachelor’s degree really set me on my path to a creative career. I graduated with a B.S. in strategic communication with an emphasis in media design. I was opened to the world of Art directors, Creative directors, and Producers/designers. I never knew these careers existed and they felt like the right place for me to take my creative skills and have a job I love.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I was open to more information about graphic design and learning more about the history and designs across the world. I was too focused on studying art history which in turn is also great but when it came to creating modern material it was evident that I had no clue what I was doing. I have to thank my design classes in college for introducing me to more design concepts outside of the fine art world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamiechihuan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utxy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adealinhell
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiechihuan/
- Other: http://adealinhell.com
Image Credits
All images belong to Jamie Chihuan