We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenn Maksymiak. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenn below.
Alright, Jenn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I never thought I would have a career as any kind of an artist though. I always thought art was just for fun, good as a creative outlet, but not something I could make a living at. I didn’t start my actual art career until after close to two decades of working the wrong careers, and honestly, I kind of just fell into it. As an adult, I continued to find ways to make a little income here and there with my creativity. Before I knew it, I was making more and more income from it, enjoying it more and more, and finding less satisfaction in my “real” job. So at some point, I decided to take the leap, leave my traditional career, and channel my playground entrepreneurship into a “real” art career.
I’ve been a full-time, self-employed artist for approximately 8 years. I’ve gone from selling work to my friends and family, to setting-up at small pop-up markets/farmers markets, to doing larger, juried art festivals/shows, selling online, teaching classes out of my garage, selling wholesale, opening my own brick and mortar store, and most recently, expanding and adding a classroom space to the store. I still don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m enjoying myself!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was raised to color in the lines, but I always fought that. I was “supposed” to got to college, get an education, have a career, get married, have kids, work my life away until I retired…that song and dance. As much as I tried to fit that mold, I just never did. I was fortunate enough to realize at an early age, that that song and dance wasn’t for me. So, although I followed through with some of those expectations, I always pushed back and clung to my creative side.
By the time I was in my 30s, I found myself working in the behavioral health field, behind the scenes, as a contracting and credentialing specialist. I thrived in this position, because I enjoyed the organizational aspect of it. In a sense, it was my job to take a mess that was dropped in my lap, organize it, make sense of it, make it pretty, tie a big bow on it, and present the mess as a finished product that my company could profit from. It was very tedious, but I enjoyed the beautification process of it all, and it was so rewarding to see the finished product.
However, it was also very stressful. Several years into this career path, I purposely started setting time aside in the evenings and on the weekends to allow myself to make a mess and be creative — I needed a “release” from the stress of my position and the perfection it required. I purposely started getting into alcohol inks and resin because both are fluid mediums that you can only control so much — they forced me to let go — I only had so much control over them. From there, I expanded my artistic interests and rediscovered how much I loved creating. It was really just a matter of time from there before I phased out of the “normal” workforce and into being a full-time artist.
I truly believe that a creative person cannot just be a “one trick pony” — you can’t just create one type of artwork or work in one medium. As a creative, I’m always trying new things, new mediums, new ideas. I still work with alcohol inks and resin, but I also paint, draw, make jewelry, make candles, craft, etc. My work is usually always bright and colorful, and I tend to either create very precise, intricate work, or the complete opposite — abstract work that has a mind of it’s own. It really just depends on where the art leads me!
I also truly believe that there’s no wrong way to “art” and that anybody can do it. This is what I teach my students. Art isn’t just about the finished product, it’s about the process, the experience, the feeling that creating gives you. No one can say you did something correctly or incorrectly. Yes, you can hone your skill, practice, get better at your execution, but at the end of the day, if what you’ve created makes you happy, that’s really all that matters. If you can make a living off of it, even better!
When creating a piece of art, you can color in the lines, follow all the rules, do everything you’re “supposed” to do, or you can push back, go against the grain, and simply enjoy the experience of creating something that makes you happy, regardless of whether it’s “the right way to do it” or not. I think this perspective is something I bring to the table that most “traditional” artists/art teachers don’t. Technique is important, skill is important, but the experience is so much more important. You can’t say that about most traditional “jobs” — there’s a right way to do your job and a wrong way.
Being able to make a career out of being creative is a joy, and I want to do my part to share that joy with others, even if it’s just through a class here or there. Providing an outlet for people, encouraging their creativity, and helping them to see that they’re “allowed” to have fun, is so rewarding! It took me a long time to realize this for myself, so I do my best to help others realize it sooner!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I hear it so often…”You’re so talented!” It’s not talent; it’s practice, determination, so much time, so much energy, probably lots of money, plenty of mess-ups, self-doubt, etc. Most creatives are not born talented — we spend years becoming better at what we do. Just as a brain surgeon isn’t born an expert in their field, artists must spend time and energy learning our skills as well.
When I hear someone say “You’re so talented,” I try to use that as an opportunity to educate them and I respond with “It’s about 10% talent and 90% practice.” I understand that when non-creatives say this, they mean it as a compliment, but to most creatives, it can be felt as belittling.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I think we all had to pivot during Covid, lol! Two years before Covid, my area was devastated by Hurricane Florence. A lot of businesses closed, many markets/festivals were canceled, and there was a lot of income lost due to our tourist season being cut short. The following summer, another hurricane impacted the area. It wasn’t nearly as devastating, but the fear was there, and it caused a lot of lost sales because, again, the tourist season was cut short. The next year, Covid hit! In the blink of an eye, markets/festivals for months to come were canceled, stores were closed, online sales dropped.
Overnight, self-employed artists had no income, and it took much longer for the government to establish “unemployment” wages for self-employed people and make loans available for small businesses. This was a hard time for everyone, but especially hard for self-employed artists. Many small businesses went out of business and many self-employed artists had to go back to a “mainstream” job and give-up on their dreams to keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs.
I definitely couldn’t help but think, “Am I ever going to get a break?! First Florence, then another hurricane, now a worldwide pandemic?!” I realized very quickly that if I was going to survive this professionally, I needed to pivot. I began teaching art classes out of my garage. I put a lot of time, money, and energy into increasing my online presence. I scaled down my creative process and started making/selling products that were functional, so that customers could justify spending money on art. I did what I had to do to survive. Thankfully, I did. And the lesson I learned is that, you always have to be ready to pivot if you want to survive. You can’t grow complacent, you can’t “put all your eggs in one basket,” you have to diversify, adapt, be willing to think outside the box, and pivot!
Contact Info:
- Website: theartseashop.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/theartseashop/
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