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

Hi Jelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a toddler, despite being able to read, write and do maths early, my favourite thing was painting and drawing. I was fascinated by the pictures my mum drew and stuck to my wall so I could learn words. She was always very stylish, loved fashion and even made some of her clothes and together with my dad who was Trinidadian the house was always filled with music, colour and good food, all of which inspired me.

I was known as the artistic child, however being a child of colour I was made aware of inequality from age five and also being academic, I was encouraged towards this side for stability especially as i had a chronic illness. From a young age, disparities in society concerned me and I campaigned for indigenous groups, then pursued A-levels at college in sociology, history and politics. However after college a yearning for art in my soul called and I pursued a fashion degree which I left after the first year due to ill health before returning years later gaining a BA Hons in Illustration

To be honest I find it strange that Western society separates so-called academia from art. One cannot exist without the other and we are less-than as a human race if we do not embrace our creative side now more than ever in the current world we live in.

After graduating my art career stopped before it had started as my illnesses progressed and I became very disabled and housebound for some time. My keen interest in human rights and equality continued and due to lived experience of ableism/ disability discrimination I became a disabled activist for a time which later influenced the messages in my street art career which I never knew was ahead!

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

How I got into the street art industry is a little out of the ordinary. Most of my life I’ve suffered from extremely painful degenerative autoimmune conditions affecting my entire body and mobility. I hadn’t painted properly for years as the illnesses along with medications such as chemotherapy, codeine and biological drugs massively impact the brain. You are at best a partially functioning painful zombie! Then a few years ago after terrible side-effects to a new infusion, I started seeing a holistic specialist who completely turned my healthcare on its head. One of the most bizarre side-effects was that my creative brain was triggered and started firing again. It was very sudden, one day I was watching TV but started to get really distracted by the white wall behind the TV. Something told me to switch the TV off and paint the wall, which essentially turned out to be my first mural!

Before I knew it I felt stronger, had more energy and was involved in the street art scene. My murals quickly gained recognition for being vibrant feminine figures with trademark supersized eyelashes and positive affirmations such as ‘You are Enough’ with a nod to rave culture. Commissions swiftly followed. My clients like the unique style and energy in my work and my ability to communicate positive messages through my artwork for their businesses. It was all very organic and unplanned and although healing is not linear, I’m on the right path and paint whenever I physically can.

In first lockdown I experienced an epiphany if you like and suddenly politics was put into perspective as I became aware of the bigger picture; love, unity and a collective consciousness. These themes can be found throughout my work and have attracted a like-minded audience. They are the very things which have always held humanity together and when broken is when we find fear, conflict and upheaval. I hope my work continues to make people feel a sense of love and positivity about themselves and the world around them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love how street art and graffiti provides an open air gallery accessible to all, not just those who can afford to go to an art gallery. It can also provide a sign of the times which authority often doesn’t like, hence why graffiti is officially illegal in a lot of places. I love that street art/graffiti has brought many new friends for example I’m a member of WOM an all-female crew. I am also part of a wider international community. I’ve painted across the UK, London and Mexico City with work appearing in Athens, Naples, Brazil and the beaches of Australia.

However, unlike most artists, street art is physically very demanding for me. It can take a whole week to prepare my body to paint one mural. But I am rewarded when I receive messages from people who say they saw my mural on the way to work and it made them stop and think, or it changed the way they felt about themselves in a positive way.

Being one myself, I naturally paint women of colour and get lots of feedback thanking me for genuine representation rather than the BLM bandwagon many have jumped on. I especially love it when children respond to my artwork. Anxiety among children is at an all-time high, social media pressures, covid lockdowns, along with cuts to school arts subjects only fuels this. Childrens innately creative nature is being crushed. This is why I love speaking in schools and encourage the children to express themselves and explore their creative brains. I also make sure to explain how my art has brought me commissions as well as working with: festivals, brands, DJs, clubs and public speaking.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

After painting my first mural on my living room wall, I decided to start an Instagram page as a little portfolio to myself. It was just that mural and three paintings from years back. I was then contacted by Kiss My Art an immersive live painting art experience in Waterloo, London. I found myself painting in front of hundreds of people next to nine very experienced artists and I came a close second. I then started painting murals, my social media growth came from engaging people through my unique style and the messages in my work. I never planned Street Art or a social media audience, it’s all been completely organic. So I would advise staying true to yourself, follow your own path, enjoy your passion and the rest will follow. Sure learn how to utilise social platforms but fixating on ‘likes and follows’ can lose you direction and your art will suffer. And goes without saying but never copy anyone else’s style because people can sense authenticity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jellyjartist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jellyjartist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jellyjartist
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jellyjartist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jellyjartist
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jellyjartist

Image Credits
@jellyjartist @rors59 @215hackney @Fatcapsprays @street_art_australia