We recently connected with Jenna Homen and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I love working as a sign painter, and I say that having had “regular jobs” in the past, so no wondering here. I worked a 9-to-5 for most of my 20s. Like most things in this life, there are pros and cons to each path, but I much prefer working for myself as an artist and freelancer. It’s definitely the harder road, but the autonomy I have in doing something creatively fulfilling, challenging, and useful for the community has done wonders for my overall life happiness.

That being said, I think people are quick to discount art-related work as easy and solely intuitive: the oft uttered comment “I wish I could draw” presumes pure, natural talent and disregards hours and hours of practice. At the end of the day, it’s still a job—just one that I happen to love dedicating time to. I do a lot of gratitude practice, and it is not lost on me how fortunate I am to do what I do.

In short, yes I am happy. Very happy.

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

I work as a sign painter and artist in Los Angeles. My sign work involves hand-painting storefronts, windows, and walls, gold leaf gilding, and, quite frankly, painting anything that can be painted: vehicles, mirrors, bags, commissions, and the like. I also do custom layouts, lettering, and design, and have hosted public and private workshops teaching others the basics of sign painting.

I first got a taste of the craft in 2016 at a City College of San Francisco extracurricular class, and a few years later I enrolled in the Sign Graphics program at LATTC taught by the late Doc Guthrie and Carlos Aguilar. I attended about two semesters of the four semester program, but was interrupted due to Covid. By the time school reopened for in-person classes, my career was starting to pick up and I decided to stick to it. I officially started my business in July 2022.

While my days are spent doing all aspects of Jenna Paints LLC—outreach, marketing, quoting, emails, design, and painting—I try to keep one day of the week sacred to expand my artistic practice, whether that be diving into my ever-growing collection of reference books, attending webinars, going to museums and galleries, practicing new letterforms, or creating pieces that utilize my sign painting skills in novel ways. I am particularly interested in vintage signs and advertising, folk art, cartoons, racecar lettering, tattoos, ephemera, and old toys.

Outside of painting, I am the sub-editor of Better Letters Magazine, known as BLAG, the world’s only print and online publication dedicated to sign painting.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love reading, as well as listening to audiobooks when I’m doing any mundane tasks that allow me to split my attention. Here are three in particular that have stayed with me:

Grit by Angela Duckworth: Through her research, psychologist Angela Duckworth found that the common denominator of high achievers across different fields isn’t simply talent or skill, but rather grit—a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It’s a great wake-up call to dig deep and stay focused on what you love.

Ways of Seeing by John Berger: A seminal text for any creative, Ways of Seeing breaks down the act of seeing, perceiving, and understanding art and images.

Atomic Habits by James Clear: This book puts forward an interesting way of looking at self-improvement: focus on small, everyday changes to compound your skills and good habits over time.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Hire artists and buy art. Recognize that the fastest, cheapest route isn’t always the best, and that good things take time. Make the conscious choice to value humans and human-made creations, especially over AI. In Issue 248 of Nick Cave’s online essay series ‘The Red Hand Files,’ he fields a question about ChatGBT and notes that “as humans, we so often feel helpless in our own smallness, yet still we find the resilience to do and make beautiful things, and this is where the meaning of life resides.” I couldn’t agree more.

In the case of sign painting: embrace the philosophy that a good sign doesn’t cost, it pays. It’s a business investment that pays itself back tenfold.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jennapaints.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenna_paints

Image Credits
Minor Figures photo credit: Jon Manimtim https://jonmanimtim.com/