We were lucky to catch up with Jenni Pirmann recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenni, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve spent several years working towards making a full-time living from my creative work. In the beginning, I took side jobs thinking they would allow me to make art more freely. I did graphic design and taught yoga. This stability was practical while I was maturing as an artist, but I wasn’t satisfied with splitting my attention. It’s like I was never really a yoga teacher or an artist. Switching back and forth was confusing but it was also sort of a financial crutch. I learned that when you need to make it work, you’ll find a way. In 2019 I transitioned to being a full-time artist and that pressure to make a living has resulted in positive growth, both financially and artistically.
The drive for expression must come first, but need can be an incredible motivator to push through challenging times like feelings of doubt or failure. My advice is to keep putting yourself in uncomfortable situations.

Jenni, 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 a painter and I make art for peoples homes. My work allows people to express their unique style through bright and expressive art. My offerings include original paintings as well as prints. I’ve recently grown an interest in curating pop-up gallery shows and creating larger, installation based paintings and look forward to doing more community focused work in the future.

I live and work out of my home studio in Phoenix with my partner, two dogs and a cat. Art has always been a significant part of my life, maybe even the most significant. I rely on it to feel connected – I think it’s essential to my well-being. I like to live in the dream world of free expression and getting your hands dirty, valuing beauty and taking the time to really explore the depths of life. I feel like art is the only place where these ideals align.

I graduated from Arizona State University with a BFA in painting. Just after completing my degree, I began working in visual merchandising, making in-store and window displays. I departed that career to travel and study yoga then returned home and pursued life as a full time independent artist. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s the best life I could imagine for myself.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think technology has a place in the arts as a tool. The tool is not the art and I think it can be dangerous to get those confused. The soul of an art work comes from the inherently flawed hand of a human. You can feel this when you look at an object made by hand – the pencil marks showing beneath the paint, the bump in a continuous line where the person shifted their hand too fast, or the tiny brush hair that got stuck to the varnish are all evidence of humanness. This touch of hand reminds us that we as people are capable of making incredible things, all while validating the beauty of our imperfections.

As a painter, I believe that NFTs, as well as AI and digital (iPad) art, are one large step away from connecting us with our humanity. On a positive note, I see the potential that the rise of digitally manufactured art could increase the value and desirability of handcrafted works. In the future, people will be more in need of art that has soul.

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

I’ll answer that with a story. Several years ago I learned that I have a condition called aphantasia. It’s the inability to create images in your mind, sort of like the opposite of having a photographic memory. Of course I’ve always known that when I close my eyes I only see black, but learning that most people can see actual pictures in their head had a significant impact on me.

This information made sense of many things, but it made me wonder if maybe I wasn’t meant to be an artist. It explained my frustration with trying to “create from my imagination”, and why I was one of the few life long aspiring artists who didn’t have a sketchbook filled with random doodles. I can only work from observation which used to make me doubt myself, but now I think it’s my gift. My lack of visual memory keeps me focused, fixated, and present, never trusting my mind over my eyes. It keeps my work honest, and it’s also the source of my motivation.

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, for me, is getting to spend more time in a moment than my mind allows. In my day-to-day experience, nothing visually exists outside of the present moment. If I’m in the studio, that space is all I have. There is no day dreaming or escaping. Through painting, I get to relive beautiful places I’ve visited and study the complexities of light and color.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jennipirmann.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jennipirmann_art

Image Credits
@emilykat_photo