Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jacque Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jacque, appreciate you joining 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?

It is funny you should ask this question… In 2007 I sold my first art piece ….a piece I loved …it was with mixed feelings that I parted with it. The joy I felt was dampened by the loss of it and I had to recognize that if I wanted to sell art I better get used to letting my art go out in the world and still create art that I loved.

Recently the buyer wrote and said he was downsizing and selling his art collection and wondered if I knew of anyone interested in buying it? Without a moments hesitation I answered “ Yes! Me! ”

He sold it back to me for more than he paid for it which is perfectly wonderful! He knows the value of my work has increased through the years. I am thrilled to have it back!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My art is a result of my childhood shyness and decision to be invisible to feel and be safe. As a woman i remained invisible until it was no longer comfortable to do so. Art Became a way to communicate what was within and around me and has helped me to heal , feel visible and known. Conversations with viewers have taught me that there are others who feel unseen and unheard and my hope is to open these doors so that others explore their own way towards visibility and their own creativity.

I work in textiles using a variety of mediums to create unique wall art. There is a thread that runs through my business… creative communication and creative play.

The ways I do this:

By leading fun collaborative projects to create unique art pieces for an organization providing an opportunity for team building within the organization that help to develop communication and relationships amongst coworkers. There is satisfaction and pride of achievement when the art is hung on the wall of the business a visual reminder of what they were able to create by working together.

Bringing a collaborative event to a business helps bring customers in the door and helps to develop deeper relationships between the business and its customers. The unveiling of the completed art becomes a way to bring new customers in the door as previous participants want to show what they helped create. It is also a lot of fun!

Providing an opportunity and materials for a group to co create an art piece during a special event like a wedding reception, anniversary party or baby shower is a unique gift giving opportunity that both participants and recipients appreciate. Recipients of these collaborative pieces see the love that has gone into the one of a kind gift only friends and family could create for them.

Commission work is a love of mine. Sitting down and interviewing people about what they want to create for their home or business is fascinating as I learn about their interests, art influences and the environment the work will hang in. Intuition plays a part in this for me as I listen for what is not being said and ask questions to guide their idea forward. My commissions are different in that I want to use the clients visual language and color choices so they feel like co creators every step of the way. I believe this expands the way they feel about the art hanging in their home and their satisfaction in its creative completion.

The number of collaborations and commissions I do each year are limited so I can also focus on my own art explorations and opportunities. I encourage clients to plan ahead and book in advance.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Creative conversations…I love it when my art touches someone emotionally and they share how and why it impacts them.

Art is a form of communication to me. Shyness has been something I have worked to overcome and creating art provides a way of opening dialogue that is meaningful and allows others to see and hear what I want to express.

My greatest gift from being a creative is the friendships that have developed with my collectors.

In my commission business it is the art we co create when we sit down and discuss their commission ideas for a specific space in their home or office. Bringing their ideas to life is a joy!

Collaborative projects are a great love of mine providing a way for a group to work together to develop art for a gift ,business or team building exercise is fun. Watching people who believe they are not creative begin to light up as they participate in a collaboration is satisfying and inspiring to me.

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

I think non creatives are not aware of the time and effort that goes into the creative process while we are developing skills and expanding on them. Growing skills throughout an artists career takes persistence and resilience and for many of us lots of money to learn the basics of our art and then hours and hours of time creating to develop our own voice and visual language.

My art is very time consuming with some pieces taking hundreds of hours to complete. For an audience to understand this they would need to see every step in the process and all the hours of time gone into the learning and perfecting of my skills. It is always a joy to have a viewer say “ Wow! You have spent a lot of time on this!”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Jacquedavisartist
• Facebook: Jacque Davis Textile Arts