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

Jen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing, painting or making weird characters out of Sculpey. However, I do remember in 3rd grade something clicked for me. It was Mrs. Anderson’s class and we were painting a forest with tempera paint on a big sheet of newsprint-like paper. I realized if I made the trees smaller in the back and larger in the front it would create the illusion of depth. I was so proud of what I had discovered. (I also happened to be dealing with a horrible stomach bug at the same time, and lost my lunch on top of the painting). (Perhaps there was also a lesson in that).

As a young child I was certain I wanted a career as an artist (specifically a painter). By the time middle school came around I started to take an interest in advertisements. I was particularly fascinated with Absolut Vodka ads. I found them so creative, smart and simple. I loved that the campaign began with a painting of the bottle created by Andy Warhol and the simple line “Absolut Warhol”. And then it expanded to feature other artists. I also loved that the ads could be about anything and everything — travel, sports, fashion, arts. And it was all threaded together with a single word following ‘Absolut’. My 13 year old mind was blown. I wanted to do that. I started filling binders full of ads. Even went as far as painting my own versions of them and mailing my “portfolio” to the agency that worked on the campaign. I am sure they got a chuckle out of that.

That was basically the start of my foray into advertising. I went to the College of Design and got right into advertising as a designer and art director. Little did I know that my passion for art and being an artist would later come back into my life at the exact right time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been in the branding and advertising business for 20 years now and am currently the Director of Design at Baldwin& — a national branding and creative agency based in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have been fortunate to work on so many amazing established brands like Burt’s Bees, Audi, Krispy Kreme, Gaia Herbs, Lansinoh and start-up brands like Circ, Shibumi Shade, and Ithaca Hummus.

And, while my days have been filled with “art” by way of my work at Baldwin&, the discipline of art came back into my life in a major way, when the pandemic hit in 2020. It started just as a way to relieve the stress of that season; trying to figure out how to work virtually while managing two children that were suddenly forced into a new way of learning.

On a whim, I started sharing my art on Instagram…and it really took off quicker than I could have ever imagined. I had my first solo show in 2022 at Charlotte Russell Contemporary in Raleigh, NC. I’ve since had art in Anthropologie and on HBO/Max, HGTV, Discovery and Magnolia Network. And I am currently represented by three wonderful galleries — Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, The Miller Gallery in Charleston, SC, and Art House in Charlotte.

A lot of people don’t understand how I manage to create art, on top of a full-time advertising career AND everything else we’ve got going on in life (for example: two active teenagers, a few health issues, a needy dog, to name a few). I can confidently tell you that I DON’T manage it well (just ask my wonderful, supportive husband). BUT, I can also confidently tell you that I can’t imagine my life without it. Art is my therapy. As a natural born perfectionist, I take so much in life seriously and I see my art as my chance to really play. It is a time when I can challenge and express myself, and lighten my mood with ultimately the hopes of brightening someone else’s.

That’s why the subject matter of my paintings is the way it is. I tend to paint haphazard floral scenes that always seem like one lil knock away from total disaster. I’m very methodical and particular about how my work comes to life, but when it comes to the final product — it’s really a potpourri of fun. It’s a reflection of me in the deepest sense: all business, all play.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Here’s how I look at Instagram specifically: it’s a bit of a crapshoot. Because the algorithm is always changing, it’s hard not to feel the pressure to constantly pivot and try new things. And while I think that is a smart strategy, it is also exhausting. I found that trying to keep up with the trends took away from the energy I wanted to put into my work.

So, instead, I put quality over trend-watching. It is very important to me to represent my work in the best possible way. I think it does a disservice to my art to fire off an iPhone shot in poor lighting or a bad angle just to have something to post. A well thought out photo is an important part of my process. I use a real camera to take photos of my art. I balance that “professionalism” with light-hearted captions that reflect how my adhd brain thinks.

To date, I have just over 4,000 followers. To some people that’s a lot but to others it is not. I don’t obsess over that number. I have grown slow and steady over the last four years and I am totally okay with that because, compared to accounts with much larger followings, I have a very engaged audience.

At Baldwin&, we say that the key to finding your “tribe” is to just be yourself. So, as for my advice for those starting to build their social media presence: be who you are and show up authentically. Popularity is a perception and at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how many followers you have. If you stay true to yourself, you’ll attract the people who love you for you.

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

As a Design Director the most rewarding aspect of my career is absolutely mentoring and being part of developing younger talent and celebrating their wins.

And as cheesy as it sounds, as an artist, the most rewarding aspect is bringing others joy through my work. I’m an empath. I can’t help but to want to make others happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: jenmatthews.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jenmatthews_art

Image Credits
Geoff Wood