We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jen Hestad. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jen below.

Jen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I don’t necessarily wish I would have started earlier but devoted more time to my craft in the early years.

Jen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an impressionist oil paint artist. I love to paint landscapes, florals, and most of all, waterlily ponds. I am most proud of the small community of collectors that I have found along the way as well as new appreciators of the art I work to create. What sets me apart is what I think most artists would say, developing my own techniques to create my visions and make an inspiring scene my own. I have been painting off and on for the last 20 years. Now that my kids are older, I am able to paint every week.
Something I’ve learned through this journey is that working at bettering a skill can lead to frustration with myself but if I just keep going and getting more practice then comes better technique and a better ability to translate my inspiration onto the canvas.

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

The most rewarding aspect of creating art is how honored I feel to know that people display my paintings in their homes.

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

I started slowly on social media, it can be intimidating to put yourself out there for the world to see. But over the years I have built up a small community that I am very happy to be a part of. My advice to any just starting out is be bold and be patient!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenpaintssometimes.etsy.com/
• Instagram: Jen_paints_sometimes