Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jen Ray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I studied art in college and I continued to make art but my career lagged a bit when I had to get a full time job to survive in NYC. My career picked up again when I was more prepared, in my early thirties. I had more life experience and was able to navigate the ups and downs of the art world. I know how committed you have to be and how to survive when the art world gets you down. In other words, I’m happy that my true art career began when it did.
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’m an artist living in New York City and I create performances and paintings that celebrate female power, confidence and self-determination while challenging perceptions of feminism. I began working on my performances while living in Berlin, Germany, a city that still inspires my work. As much as I love New York City, Berlin has a decadence and freedom, for women in particular, that’s hard to find anywhere else.
As far as breaking into the industry, the art world is notoriously difficult to crack. I have been lucky enough to work with sympathetic and encouraging galleries over the course of my career. At some point, if you want to show your work, you have to take that risk and get it out there. Like most artists these days, I also have work on Instagram and other platforms. I also have a book available on Amazon entitled “Ain’t We Got Fun”. If you’re an artist just go for it, what’s the worse that can happen?
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being an artist is tremendously fun and interesting. Want to make a project about women defending themselves in a dangerous world ? Or how women would create a new planet if we had to start all over again? Then do it! Create a performance, make a painting, write about it, do whatever it takes. If you don’t have any money, find a way to do it with cheap materials. Barter and trade with people for additional artistic services. Worried that you need an arts degree to do it? Sure, it helps but it’s not everything. Find a way to put something into the world.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I moved to Berlin, Germany and started my life completely over. I left my regular job working in museums in New York and set out to become a full time artist with my musician husband. We had no furniture, few clothes, and not much money. Berlin was very inexpensive at the time and I contacted several publications to ask if they wanted to feature my work free of charge. Then I contacted a newly opened gallery and they asked if I wanted to have a solo exhibition. I think I was in the right place at the right time but wherever you are, you should be a risk taker. You have to identify what you want, be willing to be flexible and meet opportunities when they come.
Contact Info:
- Website: jenrayart.com
- Instagram: jen_ray_nyc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jen.ray.75685
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL-Z4lVtTSw
Image Credits
No image credits necessary