We recently connected with Jamie Vandenberg and have shared our conversation below.
Jamie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My journey started by accident.
It was on a particularly hard day. I had received some devastating news that weighed heavily on my heart. It consumed my thoughts. Attempting to be a present mother of a very active child while at the same time processing the news I’d received was a challenge. Sidewalk chalk had been my simple solution that day. We sat on the hard cement and my child merrily danced and made squiggles around me with the chalk. Finding my little one content, I in turn started making shapes with my chalk. Circles, rectangles, triangles. Then connecting one line with another. I noticed powder gathering so I rubbed it into the cracks and crevices of the rough surface with my fingers. In the end, I made a pretty darn good picture of a clown juggling. I was very pleased with it and the experience as a whole. The colors were bright and vibrant. The control of the medium was very satisfactory. The feel of the chalk beneath my fingertips was soothing. The focus, experimentation, satisfaction, and sensory experience created a place for my mind to go, away from the heavy. It didn’t change the hard news that was received but provided a rest for my brain, a break from my thoughts, and allowed my mind and heart to carry the heavy news again in a healthier way when the time came.
Several years later, I found myself and my family in a new home 700 miles away from family, friends, and the support system we were accustomed to. Shortly after moving into our new home, we were told to lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online/homeschooling was what we spent most of our time doing. I was very involved with my children, assisting their educational progression during the week. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was ready for some “me time.” We lived in a gated community. The sidewalks there were plentiful. Early Saturday mornings, I would leave my sleeping family and head to the common area to be alone in my thoughts while I enjoyed creating art. Each piece I created had an uplifting or funny message having to do with the pandemic. This became a weekly occurrence and soon after neighbors who were strangers would stop at a distance of six feet to express their appreciation for what I was creating. They would tell me how much they looked forward to it. That is how I met my neighbors and made friends during that time, albeit at a distance.
Others in the world were working to bring positivity and hope to those struggling. Many were learning new skills or sharing their skills with others. YouTube was a place I discovered I could go to learn more about art. Concepts I learned each week such as value, color theory, free hand, and more were elevating the art I was creating for my community. I started improving at a quick rate and found that I would walk away from my Saturday sessions surprised, almost in disbelief that I was the one who had created it. Several hours of work felt like mere moments. Only my bleeding, sore fingers and my chalk dust covered body made me believe I had been there longer.
When the lockdowns and social distancing rules were lifted and things were normalizing with the pandemic, I started becoming involved with the chalking community. I was surprised to find how many share my love for chalk. Competitions were a great way to meet these people and learn personally from them. Through competitions and art shows, I found that many love to share tips, tricks, and supplies and my skills continue to grow all the time.
What was discovered during these experiences has not only shaped the skills I have as an artist but has also shaped who I am as a person. The confidence that has developed has helped me try new things and continue, even today, to learn and push my boundaries. It might sound funny, but the skills that were the most essential in this journey were patience, practice, courage, and avoiding self-criticism and comparisons to others. The latter two can be crippling in anyone’s progress and stand as obstacles in the way of learning more. I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned with others to encourage old and young find the creativity within themselves to become confident and happy in what they can create.
Jamie, 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 am a sidewalk chalk artist, or a “screever” for anyone who has ever watched Mary Poppins. And if you have watched Mary Poppins, you will remember that “a screever’s an artist of highest degree.” I spend a lot of my spare time doing sidewalk chalk. I participate in sidewalk competitions and seasonally teach sidewalk chalk classes.
Drawing as a youth didn’t happen too often. It wasn’t pursued and if I happened to take a class that included art in the syllabus, the project was only worked on long enough to get a passing grade. It wasn’t because the desire to be creative was absent. Looking back at these early years in my life, many obstacles jump out that kept creating at arm’s length. One of these obstacles encountered was perfectionism. On the rare occasion, I would spend time on a drawing with an idea in my mind of how it ‘”should” turn out. After finishing, it was clear that my skills didn’t match my expectations. Disappointment quickly followed. It wasn’t worth all the exerted time and energy used to create what I saw as a disaster. The tendency to compare to others exacerbated my discouragement, seeing my work as “not as good” as someone else’s. Patience was also not one of my virtues and practice was not in my vocabulary. These together with the fact that I didn’t have a clear understanding or connection with the mediums I was exposed to or knowledge of how to use them appropriately compounded the proverbial stick in the spokes of my progress. If I tried to simply doodle with a regular sheet of paper and pencil, I would find that my doodle would end up in smudges and eraser marks. Crayons resulted in even worse disappointment. Art, in my opinion, was just not in the cards for me.
Learning to do art with sidewalk chalk changed all that for me. Sidewalk chalk is a very forgiving medium. Mistakes can be corrected easily. Confidence and courage to experiment can easily become part of every practice session. Sidewalk chalk is very affordable and the canvas used with sidewalk chalk is free and unlimited. Put all these together, and you have a medium that is great for learning other aspects of art, including color theory, gridding, free hand, and values. It is a gateway to other mediums, such as charcoal, pastels, watercolor, and more.
As I progressed in my skills, several people suggested I start teaching classes. That planted a seed. What if I could share what I learned and spread the benefits of art with others? I started teaching at church youth activities and elementary schools. I’ve taught at art studios and have taught several classes at my home. I am now part of the West Haven Arts Council where I will be teaching citizens of the community this year while continuing to serve in schools and churches.
Something I love almost as much as creating my own art, is teaching others the skills to create their own. Dispelling the obstacles that hold people back from creating such as fear, perfectionism, and comparing, while assisting them to build confidence and patience is so rewarding. The knowledge of what to practice, having realistic expectations of progression, and experience in the medium is empowering and I love seeing my students develop these skills. Teaching brings me so much joy and in turn helps solidify what I have learned into the values I hold dear.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
As mentioned earlier, something changed or shifted when I sat down to draw with my toddler years ago. I felt rested and more prepared to face the heaviness that I was carrying. Regular sidewalk chalk sessions did not start happening immediately after that day. Identifying the mental health benefits took time. However, sidewalk chalk became my go-to whenever I was dealing with something difficult. Mild postpartum depression, homesickness, and isolation are only a few of the times I was soothed by spending time creating with chalk. Session after session, the mental health benefits became increasingly clear to me.
Looking into this further, I have found that art has been used as therapy and can help mental illness and improve mental health. It has been found to significantly improve cognitive function for those dealing with dementia, significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy/post-partum, and brings about positive changes in teens experiencing isolation. Those who rate their mental health as very good or excellent tend to engage in creative activities more frequently than those who rate their mental health as fair or poor. (https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/creative-arts-enhancing-mental-health)
Over the last several years, I have watched my husband’s mental health decline as he has dealt with post-traumatic stress due to military service. This has been compounded by employment that has not afforded him a work/life balance and snuffs out his creativity. Lost and unsure what to do, we tried numerous things. He started seeing a therapist and sought out other resources. I invited him be my teammate at a chalk art competition this last summer. He agreed and found that the three days we spent working on our project together gave him the mental health break he needed. He has picked up chalk art as well and is exploring other creative avenues. He has found this has been incredibly helpful in improving his mental health.
My personal belief is that we as human beings have the innate instinct and need to create and we each have the ability to do so. Just as we must nourish our bodies the correct way and exercise to stay physically fit and healthy, we also need to nourish our minds and hearts to stay mentally and emotionally healthy. There are many forms of art and many ways to create, including but not limited to pottery, poetry, music, makeup, and dancing. Growing a garden, sharpening skills in sports, writing a blog, or other activities such as these should not be discounted and I believe can also improve mental health. Everybody is different and creative needs are diverse but I believe that fulfilling this need is the same for everyone.
This has become part of my mission in the classes that I teach. I am not only available to teach the skills I’ve learned to create art, but I also share my personal experience and belief in the power art has in improving mental health. I am not a therapist and will not pretend to be one. My knowledge is limited when it comes to that field. I am passionate about helping others know they CAN create, however. By doing this, I can give them the power and skills of taking a break from the messy and heaviness of life. I’m passionate about sharing my story and teaching the skills to have the mental health break others may need so they can meet life head on.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Outside of teaching others, one of the most rewarding aspects of creating art is the joy I get to see from my viewers. I have spent up to 24 hours on a project with areas as big as 36 square feet. As it comes together, I will hear kids exclaim their excitement when they realize they recognize what it is I’m drawing. I will hear the oohs and aahs from all ages. When I’m finished, I get to sit back, relax with my favorite Fiiz drink (Audrey Hepburn with water instead of soda to rehydrate) and watch people line up to take selfies with my art. The fact that someone would want a picture with what I just created is incredibly rewarding. It is probably the best compliment I could receive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chalkadoodleart.wixsite.com/artbyjmevberg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chalkadoodleart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chalkadoodleart
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chalkadoodleart
