Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamese Wiley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jamese, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
The legacy I am hoping to build is one of hope. It has always been a key part in my drive to restore hope in others through the testimony of my life. Becoming a successful single mother of 6, who retained the tenacity to hone her craft and continued to strive for greatness despite the odds stacked against her is the story that will be attached to my name. I think it’s important for people to know that there will be adversity but with faith, strength, and all the hope you can muster up- it’s entirely possible to pursue your dream!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
If you don’t know me, I would probably seem all over the place! But that is just the creative in me. Anything art is my language and I am inclined to speak it in multiple ways. I have been known to start multiple things and pieces and ventures and what can I say? I am ambitious if nothing else! I started off expressing myself through visual arts as a child through drawing and painting and then dove into modeling as a young adult. Mid-20s I rolled back into painting and picked up photography-the rest is history. My choice of visual expression is abstract and non-representational, i.e, aesthetic. I love to just flow onto the canvas and tell a story my own way, and I take a similar approach with my photography as well. I’d like to say that, in both arenas, I aim to provide clients and customers with a unique and personal experience tailored to them and their individuality. All art is subjective, so it is necessary to speak on the other thing of importance: grace. Not everyone can afford what I charge, so within reason (with much discernment), I am more than willing to accommodate my clients! I believe in giving EVERYONE quality, not only for profit but because it is something I think everyone should be able to enjoy. So whether it is a painting or a photo session, I am in the business of blessing not necessarily selling. That is something I am very proud of and I just remain in faith that having that quality (in addition to my branding and personality) will put me in the room with bigger and better as I progress in my craft.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As a creative, it is easy to get discouraged and even want to put your medium down! I think every visual artist has heard the words “well anyone could do that”, and it makes you think about all those moments of uncertainty where you cried and wanted to give up and still picked up that paintbrush or that camera and kept working at it. Those times where you were just bursting with feeling and angst and you poured yourself out through your craft. Every creative is leaving a piece of them on their product and art! It doesn’t always sell well, it doesn’t always fly off the wall, it doesn’t always appeal to people the way you’d hoped. For me, I had a few times where I was absolutely ready to quit, because no one was buying, no one was booking, no one was reposting, I didn’t feel supported, I didn’t feel like my work was good enough anymore, people were saying it’s not “a real job”, I had incredible mom guilt for not being “present” enough, and the list goes on. But, after I got done having my pity party, I started to pray and give my work back to God. After all, the talents and gifts come from Him and I realized that personally, I was lacking that one thing! Including God in my work process has completely changed the look of everything I create. And it gave me the strength to keep trying and start trying new things and even show my work off to my children and inspire them. It’s all about holding onto what matters most, whatever that may be for whomever out there. I pressed on and here I am!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I think all creatives should unlearn is that you have to work for free or next to nothing in order to gain popularity/clients. I had this issue of underselling and selling myself short just to make the sale and that is just not healthy! I used to sell beautiful pieces for next to nothing, and sure I would tell myself “well it’s important to meet people where they are”, and that can be true in certain instances. However, after month after month of buying art supplies and taking incredible amounts of time editing, I quickly saw that I was hurting myself more than helping! I was new on the scene at the time, but my work was quite good, considering! So with that said, it just didn’t make sense to take so many losses and I began to make myself be comfortable with giving people the actual price I wanted for the service and product. Some backstory for my recent growth: a man tried to humble me in a friendly way and asked me if I felt like my work was worth what I was asking for. His reasoning for this was because he used to charge next to nothing for his service and that was how he got such a high clientele. And things work for certain people (which is totally ok), but I have 6 children who need me. I couldn’t afford to take that kind of time away from them to make the same amount I make now with what I currently charge and less time required! And even though it stung to hear that from someone I admired, it lit a fire under me to stay with what I established and go up again when the time was right! It took a while, but I am so grateful to have unlearned that!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @hazon.haus
- Facebook: Hazon Haus Studio
Image Credits
Photograph 4 (Dear Silas) Photograph 5 (Terrance Smith Jr.) Photograph 5 (Brittany Ariana)