Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gillian Kennedy Wright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Thursday, September 2019 was a memorable moment in my art career. I decided to hand in my resignation from my eleven-and-a-half-year-old part time job as a Recreational Programmer for a local city. A Master in Sports and Recreation Management had me sitting as a part timer for too long. I was consistently passed by numerous times for full time jobs with the city. Having built an amazing Seniors and Active adult program for them I reassessed my life and decided to dust my feet off and move on to my full-time art career. Wow! what an amazing choice. I had attended the Edna Manley School for the Visual Arts, located in Kingston, Jamaica after high school, I graduated with a major in graphic design and a minor in textiles. I had made many attempts to pursue my art career but paused for fear of failing when the going got rough. This was the “now or never” moment in time to tackle my art career on a full-time basis. Since then, I have participated in numerous group exhibitions both local and international; partnered in creative community programming; collaborated with interior designers; sold my work in museums, launched a line of functional accent art and furnishings; and fully jumped into the public art career arena. Most importantly I am experiencing a deep sense of achievement while working on my creative endeavors.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Gillian Kennedy Wright, a mixed media fiber artist who is passionate about creating with textiles and paper. My work focuses mainly of fabric collages and works on paper using Ankara fabrics, upcycled fabrics, vintage materials and natural dyes. Along with my fine artwork I have created a handmade series of copyrighted and trademarked themed art called Dafty Duds, Faces, Patterns, Faces & Floral Treats, and Floral Treats. My work explores multicultural themes and focuses on what I call “happy art” using black and white and bold bright colors. I also recently created a line of functional accent art and furnishings as well a “Palm Beachy Coastal” collection. It is diverse and enhances both home and public interiors.
How did you build your audience on social media?
To be honest I was not a “lover” of social media, BUT my website designer kept urging me to create an online presence as there was a captive audience waiting to see my work. Soooo, I started building my social media audience with a heavy heart and now maybe about four years later I am continuing to market and build my art career using social media and wholeheartedly enjoying it. I love to share about the process of creating art, which inspires my daily creative work I usually include thought-provoking inspirational thoughts in my posts. My advice is…if people are interested in your work, they will follow you and purchase. There is no need to constantly bombard them with prices and sales pitches, just let it flow naturally.
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to continue to create and maintain a feasible, sustaining art career. It is my mission to create a piece of art on a daily, which will fuel my soul and bring joy to others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kennedywrightdesigns.com
- Instagram: Kennedy Wright Designs
- Facebook: Kennedy Wright Designs
- Linkedin: Gillian Kennedy Wright