We recently connected with Jackswift and Candee Swift and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jackswift and Candee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

My husband and I had two completely different journeys in life. I grew up drawing everyday and knew that I wanted to work in a creative field as a designer or cartoonist. I was classically educated and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Fashion Design from Pratt Institute. Instead of jumping into the industry I took a retail job to get me through college and ended up making it a career. My husband on the other hand studied Film at Temple University and eventually attended Culinary school. He always wanted to draw but said he tried and just couldn’t get it as a child. He resigned that he wasn’t talented enough to draw and didn’t learn until he was 36. He started by creating digital images and artwork until he worked up to abstract painting. He watched YouTube and read books and practiced for years until he learned how to paint, doodle, collage and animate his work. His drive to learn how to create inspired me and reminded me of the freedom I missed as an Artist. The best part of learning the craft has been doing this together.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are a married couple who create together . We started Proudstrangeling Studios 6 years ago selling t-shirts and hoodies with original artwork. My husband thought of the name because he wanted people to own their strangeness. During Covid our business thrived because we found ourselves unemployed with a litany of resources and time. We started offering photography, image consulting, original art and food. We turned our clothing business into a multi media visual art and culinary experience. We use our social media platforms to connect and add value to our community. We’re makers who understand the importance of having a strong support system so we focus on bringing other artists together. Though @proudstrangelingstudios is the hub, we have @candeecooks our culinary page, @jackswift_phd is our visual art page, and @c.o.d.i_by_psstudios is our page where we feature talented artists. The reality is we sell art in every iteration, and we aspire to inspire people to celebrate what makes them strange.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For myself it’s seeing how my work connects to someone I’ve never met. The fact that my clothing, art, or food elicits such strong emotional connections still leaves me in awe. I have friends and an art community who uplift, support and go crazy for me, just because I made something. For my husband it is the Euphoria of channeling the chaos through creating.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Creating a space where families like ours can come and create together. We want to provide resources, connections and community for Creatives and creative families; ultimately changing the narrative that you can be a successful Artist and thrive economically.

Contact Info:

• Website: Proudstrangelingstudios.com
• Instagram: @jackswift_phd
• Facebook: Proudstrangelingstudios
• Linkedin: Candace Gipson
• Youtube: Proudstrangelingstudios
• IG: @proudstrangelingstudio @jackswift_phd @candeecooks @redheadjawn @c.o.d.i_by_psstudios

Image Credits
Haitian boy images