Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeanna Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jeanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I stumbeled upon an intro to floor loom weaving course while a student at North Carolina State University and it just clicked with me. I ended up changing majors so that I could study within the college of design in their fibers program. Finding textiles was a relief for me as I was pretty lost beforehand and I really clung onto it. I was lucky to have professors that were encouraging and I really fed off of that validation. It was a really nurturing environment. I am glad that my introduction was a more crafts based traditional process and approach as it set a strong technical background. From there I’ve been able to deconstruct or unlearn some processes.

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 came upon textile making as an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University. I was desperate to take a class in the College of Design, within the University, it was really hard to get into those courses if you werent enrolled in the studio majors, so I was left with a floor loom weaving class as my only option which sounded so dry to me. I was hoping for abstract painting or figure drawing or something more artistic. Once I got into the class it just clicked. From there I begged the Dean of the College of Design to let me change into the Studio Design Major. At the time there was a major called Studio Art and Design where you could focus on fibers/textiles or illustration. it was an amazing major and really focused on the handcraft and artistic applicaiton of textiles. It gave a great survey in all things textiles as well as garment making. The professors were so knowedgeable and shared so much around all textile making practices. The approach was very process based and we were encouraged to explore and really go deeply into handcraft. The time and energy that my professors gave me was invalueable. It instilled a foundation and confidence in my practice that I am able to return to when I become lost. Sadly the floor looms that I learned on are now gone and that major does not exist anymore. I find it so sad, especially as it is so rare to find a public university with a renound crafts program.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Its fun! And its an outlet for me that is invaluable to my well being.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am always looking to explore with material, scale, and technique. Most of my works start out as an experimentation that I become obsessed with and then turn into a final product. Each piece is built upon the next.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeannamariastudio.com
• Instagram: @jeanna.maria.studio