We were lucky to catch up with Jason Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I will start with I am nowhere close to being able to live comfortably as a full time artist, and like many creatives I am infatuated with that idea. Waking up, making something from nothing, and being compensated handsomely. What could be better?

As time moves, I’ve considered whether I’m equipped for that lifestyle or not. As a teacher my time off is focused on my family, which I enjoy immensely, and very grateful for. During this time I have my own time to churn through work and ideas, and there’s difficulty in sustaining a creative habit within that. Sometimes I honestly I think I might go a little nuts if left in my own world too long.

What I’ve considered is that it’s necessary for artists and creatives to have a purpose outside of their own practice. Our minds can be a nearly infinite source of ideas, and with that comes the inevitabilities of burnout, resistance, and distraction.

I’m thankful that my creative path has many sources of inspiration that don’t only manifest in production of work, but how I approach experiences and relationships, how I parent and keep a marriage fruitful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The business of my creative practice is in painting pet portraits. I’ve reluctantly accepted that my best work comes from creating for others. There’s an end goal to satisfy someone else’s vision, creating portraits that spark a lifetime of memories in an instant. Sometimes it’s to celebrate a loved pet that has passed, and I’m real thankful for when clients ask me to make that for them.

Personally, I have not always been a pet person. My wife, Kristin and I have always had two dogs because that’s something she grew up with, and that was really enjoyable pillar of our day-to-day. We’ve recently lost both to old age, to our first two that we had before kids, and it was real hard to close that chapter of our lives. We’ve since adopted two other pups that complement my girl squad. Now that I’m in my early 40’s, I frequently think about the passage of time. It’s always interesting to think about these creatures we choose to care for, and how they bookmark time periods of our lives, and the life chapters they overlap – the good, the bad, sad, happy, kids, deaths, they’re here through all of it, observing us without saying a word.

My profession is middle school visual arts educator who is currently multitasking between teaching, managing family with my wife, keeping my body healthy, and maintaining a multidisciplinary creative practice.

I’m in my eleventh year of teaching middle school, which I get a lot of pleasure and enjoyment from. It keeps me young, it keeps me creative and on my toes. It’s hard for me to think of another career that is as beneficial to the collective of our future as much as education is. I came from a decade in advertising before that, so maybe not so hard.

Family is what drives me ant this moment, especially now that I’m in the stage where I’ll have my own kids in my classroom studio for the next few years. I didn’t necessarily plan it that way, but I’m real happy with how this chapter of my life is panning out, how closely aligned my career is with my family life. I enjoy that they get to see what I do on the daily, and the idiosyncrasies between Dad-dad and Teacher-dad.

With that said, it’s a challenge to find time for a creative practice. I teach what I’m curious about artistically, and then I make it accessible, responsive, and within reach for my students. For example, most of my students know how to run a screenprinting machine (with some oversight). I want my students to know that creating something unique is as close as the crappy ball point pen and pencil with no eraser sitting on the floor next to them.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes. People. I really wish that I began sharing my work and seeking mentors earlier in my life. When I was younger I always had this idea of being solitary and self sufficient. That decade after college is an uphill battle against the current for anyone who has goals and aspirations. If I were to give advice to my younger self, or anyone with any creative aspirations, it’s to shelf your ego, lean on those around you, seek advice, put in the work to get better, and don’t be shy about it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

No, I think creativity is within reach for anyone, and that’s the backbone of my pedagogy.
Creativity isn’t some magical tool reserved for artists, it’s just making decisions without the fear of screwing up, and letting the results guide you.
I tell my students that they’re not necessarily in my studio to get better at art, or become artists. Most people don’t become artists anyway, but no less than people grow up to be mathematicians, historians, or rocket scientists.
The point isn’t what you become, it’s about learning to pick a tool, follow your gut, and make something awesome happen. Life is a series of connected choices, so start practicing now and make a mess before the stakes get weird.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://locopetportraits.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: @locopetportraits
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayturner19/
• Twitter: https://x.com/jay_turner19
• Other: https://www.petworks.com/listing/jay-turner-pet-portrait-artist-berthoud-co
  https://bsky.app/profile/jayturner19.bsky.social