Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason Farley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jason thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
For the past seven years Ive been working as a self employed full time artist and am very fortunate to be able to have created the life I want. I still have some ways to go and always growing as an artist. The way I got into this industry is a bit unorthodox although I believe a lot of artists have a unique story. I’ve always been interested in and creating art since I was a young child. I grew up in NW Indiana, about 45 minutes outside of Chicago which I would often visit and get inspired by the way of life there and the art scene. I won awards in high school and was on my way to art college immediately after graduating high school but instead I joined the Army as an Infantry soldier, which came to everyone’s surprise, including myself. I needed a way to pay for art school and didnt want to rely on my parents to do so. I wanted complete independence and create a solid foundation for my adulthood before I started my journey with art. The military provided me with a lot of benefits to start a life where I can get school paid for, travel, have medical insurance for life and teach me focus and self discipline. Upon completing my four year contract with the Army, I came back to the mainland and got into the steel industry in NW Indiana as a crane operator for two years before going to college to pay off some accumulated debt living overseas.
In 2004 I started at The American Academy of Art and moved to Chicago. My first year living here, I met a neighbor, Jessie Larson, who was an art director at an ad agency downtown and seen my work. She had me come into the office for a trial period as a story board artist. I spent every day there after school and put in a lot of time working on project after project. Between that job and my studies I didn’t sleep which I was use to anyway. I excelled in college, graduated with a BFA with honors, created a solid body of work and had the experience working as a full time artist at the ad agency Lou Beres and Associates. Had everything lined up but in 2009 we went into a recession and everything I worked hard for came to a halt. At that time I needed to find other ways of income so I got into the hospitality industry as a bartender and server. Being in Chicago, that job is very plentiful and pays well. Years in that industry I met other artists and business owners where I did random commissions for and group shows. Jerry Kleiner, an iconic Chicago restaurateur, business owner and designer, guided me in a direction that took my art to the next level by having me work on a large variety of projects. Completing over 50 pieces of art in a short period gave me the direction I needed. I also would volunteer as much as possible with charities that were tied to the arts. As some time went on, I was able to take on random projects and commissions which became consistent enough for me to do this full time.
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 background and context?
As I talked about in the last section, I got into the industry early on while attending art college. I did a lot of volunteer work for events, galleries and charities, which that experience came in handy in the more recent years. In college I was trained in the traditional style as the old masters with foundations and life drawing. Being that my major was in Illustration, I learned a variety of techniques and styles of creating art with traditional mediums as oils to digital painting and design. With the plethora of experiences I’ve had over the years I am able to be very versatile with my craft. Starting my career as a storyboard artist and illustrating published children’s books, I was able to transfer over to more gallery work with fine art oil paintings which was my minor in college.
Ive had experience creating murals for businesses and charities, commissioned oil paintings, illustrations for print, labels and promotion and curating art for events along side a number of charities in Chicago. Currently I am the Creative Director and board member for the charity Art of Giving Foundation founded by Autumn Pippenburg. Ive been in a number of group shows, art competitions where I won awards, and had a solo show in 2019. Restaurants commission me for murals and paintings for their business as well as illustrations for flyers and menus.
So staying versatile and not pigeon holed into one type of art, I am able to take on as many jobs I can handle at a time and this provides me the opportunities to be self employed. My main focus is in oil painting portraiture with a contemporary pop art style which eventually I would like to solely do, work more on branding and narrow down my niche which I am currently working on but overall its what the client wants and I like to cater to my clients and fans. My attention to detail, focus and skills are what Im most proud of and where Im able to give clients exactly what they want. They perpetually pay my bills. My body of work speaks for itself.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Some of the misconstrued ideas non-artists struggle with is the amount of time, patience and effort it takes to create a piece of art. The amount of years it takes to become highly skilled. The attention to detail it takes to create a quality piece. Also the price of a professional artist is not only in what they create, but how long it takes them to create a piece and how well its done is from the years of experience they have had honing their craft. The price will be higher because of the quality of work they provide having that training and years of experience creating art.
What do you find most rewarding about being creative?
The most rewarding aspect is doing what I love and wanted to do since I was a child. That I get to work on my own schedule and for myself. I am my own boss and self employed where I don’t have to answer to anyone compared to a traditional work environment. Also that I get to create the life I desire and fulfill my needs and wants however I may choose. It really comes down to, I get to play with paints and draw all the time. Its just fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sonleyart.com
- Instagram: @sonleyart
- Facebook: Jason Farley Art Page
- Linkedin: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/jasonfarleyart
- Twitter: @jasonfarleyart