We were lucky to catch up with Jacqueline Warren recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jacqueline , appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Something that was unexpected hard was finding a sense of identity. While you think about creating a name for yourself and starting an art career, you know you’re going to be creating a “style” for yourself. A style that a veiwer can look at a show and say “Thats a Jacqueline”.

I never really considered having to do that with my personal identity in the field.

When starting out my studies at Missouri State University, I became aware that there was an established artist who shared my name. Here is the kicker. There was not only one Jacqueline Marie Warren but a second (..not me) and a third (……this one was me ) pursuing the arts.
Just imagine a second, getting an email to be in a show only to figure out that they meant to speak to the other Jacqueline Warren. Gut wrenching. Also congratulations!

How do I stand out??

That is a great question, thank you so much for asking. The answer is, I don’t have a great answer.
I could go by a different name but our identity is so tied up into the name, either given to us or chosen. I could move out of the country, that sounds tempting.
In reality I’ve put emphasis in my style and changed how my name is presented.
Life is a work in progress.

Jacqueline , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jacqueline Warren and an oil painter based in The Ozarks. I have always been drawn to the arts and decided to focus on that in School. While college is not a necessity it helped me decide that painting was it for me. I create original paintings with bold colors and abstract landscapes. Some paintings had no beginning but became an environment you want to linger in. Mainly I paint pieces that I like and hope you like it too. The greatest compliment is being told that I inspired someone.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“Don’t let it get to you.”

It’s quite an experience to have a piece of art rejected or picked apart. Just like it is to be praised and sought out for your work. Rejection in art can be unique, something you have poured time and energy in. Hours of mixing the right tones and over analyzing finishing touches. Then you take that masterpiece and submit for judgment. If you get in, awesome. If you don’t……..there is no explanation. Just a thank you for applying but they chose not to go with your submission. I imagine its like a toddler giving their parent a picture they made. Just to see said parent barely glance before tossing it in the trash with a “thank you darling, it’s soooo good.”

I digress.

The mentality of , don’t let it get to you” can be really helpful for a time, but it’s also unrealistic. Rejection will kick you down. It’s going to get to you. Rejections are part of life. It might not be the first, or the third, or the fifth but it will get in your head. It’s more important to know that when you are down, you can get back up. It okay to feel it and that’s going to look different for everybody.
For me that can be painting every single day for months at a time. To not picking up a paintbrush for six months because why bother.
It’s only a failure if you never create again, to always feel like there is something missing. So pull on your big girl pants, stand up, and figure out what it is that’s keeping you out of what you want.
It isn’t about changing yourself to fit a narrative. Not everyone is made to be a Disney Princess. Take a step back and look objectively at your work and see what might be standing in your way. Don’t let it keep you down.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Networking! Making connections in this world is so important. You hear about networking occasionally but not really explained. Going to events and introducing yourself to not only potential clients but other artists as well can make a massive impact on your career.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jmwarrenstudio