We recently connected with Jan McCarthy and have shared our conversation below.
Jan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I never envisioned myself as an artist but started making art for the first time in my fifities and took up it up as a full time profession around age 59. It brought me so much joy and I love that my art connects to so many people. It’s never too late to start something and succeed.
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?
I am a maker, a creator. I make art to autograph moments, the fleeting emotions and undefinable feelings that can only be expressed in imperfect swipes, lines, or ripped pieces of paper. I use my art as a way to connect and share these flashpoints of time that slip away. Every mark I make with one of my handcrafted brushes on canvas, paper or towers is a unique gesture. I find this process essential as a personal statement, a reclaiming of my point of view, of being a woman, of aging. I’ve never allowed how the world might aim to herd the masses as a reason to follow the pack. I hear the beat of a different drummer. This constant resistance feels vital to me.
I collaborated with fashion designers Eni and Nigma on their Venia Collection, using my art on fabric to highlight the importance of mental health awareness. The collection showed in Paris just before lockdown and was a huge success. To read the interview, click here.
Out of a need to express myself and organize my thoughts, I developed a series of notebooks that speak to the dreamer, the planner, the journaler and the notetaker. It brings me joy to know others find inspiration from these as well.
I love travel and lead creative retreats in various destinations like Joshua Tree or as far away as Marrakech, where I draw deep inspiration from the colored zellige tiles dotting the landscape in Morocco, the vibrant chaos in the medina and the painted majorelle blue buildings…
I live life fully, sometimes on the edge, sometimes in many different places, sometimes quietly, always trying to practice carpe diem.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn I wasn’t creative or an artist actually. I was always creative (even though I didn’t think of it as a skill per se’ but at the time I started making art I was coaching and running a creative mastermind for women looking to launch or grow a business. If someone had told me in a few years I would be an artist full time I would have never believed them.
During this time I started making art simply because I wanted something that I personally felt good enough to hang on my wall. I had taken a few classes before but they left me defeated when I realized I couldn’t draw/paint a bowl of fruit or landscape like the other artists in the class. I wanted to make abstract art and at the time didn’t even realize that was the name of it. A friend helped connect me to an artist that taught abstract art and after a few classes, I completed several pieces and proudly hung them on my wall.
The abstract art I made caught the attention of a few people and they commissioned me to paint something for them or bought what I had and it just gave me the confidence to continue to pursue the art related field full time.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think it really just comes down to telling my story about myself, what the art means and being authentic. Art is so personal and when people can connect to the art, the artist and their story, they want to support and be a part of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.janmccarthy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janmccarthy/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janmccarthy
Image Credits
Christine Harris