We caught up with the brilliant and insightful J Baker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

J, appreciate you joining 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?

I have found that my biggest struggle as an artist is separating my art from “content” or business. I know creative people need to make money but this is in conflict with the creative process. I have encountered many people who are unhappy with the pricing of my art and this can be discouraging, as it devalues my time and creative energy. I think there is also a misconception about how much time it actually takes to create my art. From conception to finishing touches, hundreds of hours could be spent individually tying strands of yarn or contorting my body into unnatural positions in order to work on difficult-to-reach sections. These are the things that people don’t see or think about. Even when I started making sculptures I would think “there has got to be an easier way to accomplish this,” or that there was some secret way of working that I simply needed to discover. It would lead me to think in creative ways and try new techniques, but some things just have to be done slowly and methodically. This can make sharing my process difficult sometimes because it is a long and tedious one. This is why I see artists as something different from “content creators” or business owners – yes, you can do both, but they are not one in the same. Despite what I think and feel, there is an expectation for people like me to play these roles on top of being an artist. This means that, in order to achieve a full-time living through my career as an artist, I have to juggle all of the challenges of being creative and productive in the first place, as well as advertising, posting appealing content, and negotiating sales on my artwork – this is a balancing act that I am still trying to figure out.

J, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I consider myself a visual artist first and foremost. I’ve been creating and consuming art for as long as I can remember — it’s how I’ve always spent my free time. My formal education and background is in fashion design, but my work has shifted to become more and more focused on sculpture. I have spent a lot of time working with pattern design, and it seems to me that the patterns gradually began to grow beyond the clothes and the people who were wearing them, and frequently become something entirely new and different. The majority of my art is made using textiles (particularly yarn,) which I often combine with wire and other 3D mediums. This approach allows me to convey the ideas of overgrowth, nature, and surrealism that drive a lot of my work.

To be more specific, a lot of my work is fluid and it meant to be physically engaged with. With my background being in fashion, many of my pieces are wearable, and have been used in collaboration with others’ projects, such as subverted fashion shows, performance art shows, and photography, for example. I’m proud to say that several of these projects have taken place both here at home in the United States and abroad, with the “STRIKKET!” project in Norway being a particularly special example to me.

If I had to describe what my art is “about,” I would say that it is meant to break down traditional expectations of art, being full of touchable textures and provoking a sense of abstract wonder. I hope to remind people who view my work that, although art as a whole is technically considered a luxury and may not have a “practical” purpose, it isn’t necessarily meaningless. It’s important to be in touch with the way that art makes us feel, and to remember that we need the space and freedom to enjoy things that some may call “pointless.” I guess I hope that, when people view my art, they are reminded that they are a natural part of the fascinating world that we live in. I think we all need that reminder sometimes.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After I graduated from art school, I knew I didn’t want to end up being involved in the corporate world of fashion design and big brands. I ended up moving back to my hometown of Chattanooga, TN, which lacked a lot of the same resources that had been available to me during my time in Atlanta. At this point, I felt myself hitting a wall. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, whether I really wanted to use my degree or not, and I had no clue as to what my next move should be. Despite all of these worries, I did know that I wanted to be an artist, no matter what. Just like any other wall, I knew that I either had to walk away (which wasn’t going to happen) or I had to find a way over it. The tools that I had were not going to cut it, so I had to take them and make them into something else that would. It was during this time that I discovered alternative approaches that could transcend traditional fashion, which eventually grew to become some of the methods and styles that I now apply in my current work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Something that I think non-creatives may struggle to understand about me is why exactly I do what I do. People frequently benefit from art without realizing it. People often participate in fashion without realizing it. Art is all around us, whether we pay attention to it or not. When we do stop and take note of it, though, it can bring about a sense of understanding and commonality with those around us. There’s a little bit of every artist in every piece of art, and that natural, human element can transcend beyond the work and help connect the artist and the audience. Oftentimes, people will see certain pieces and say “what’s the point?” or “why waste your time making that?” Sometimes the point is really just about the attempt. Creativity takes effort. We have to try to make art. If I benefit from that effort, or if others feel inspired by my work in any way, then it will never be a waste of time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jbee_textiles
• Facebook: JBee Textiles

Image Credits
Kayla Leach, Ulf Rugumayo Amundsen, Parker Goodner, Jay Baker (myself)