We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Ayyad a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I had been a Realtor for several years and found myself burnt out and stressed. One evening I decided to pick up a canvas turn on some music and to think about absolutely nothing. The idea was to just have fun and paint what I felt on the canvas. I created another piece and then another several nights later. This was during the wall street. crash so you can imagine the level of stress enduring with several closings stuck at the closing table, no money being leant just silence. I took my stress out on canvas and organically found that it calmed my nerves and became an outlet to just get lost in only what I was doing. I was not worried about my next real estate. I began posting my art on Facebook which was risky because I was putting myself out there. I also felt I was showing my clients I had interest in something else other than perhaps selling homes. However as more time passed and I began to paint I found that I was actually bringing the two together. Several realtor friends asked if I would display my art at their open houses. I had a commission and then another. One in particular really paved the way for several opportunities that would come. I painted a large plexiglass panel and with the help of a contractor configured it to function as a sliding door on stainless steel track. I began to share my love of art on social media and my real estate broker at that time invested in me and gave me an opportunity that I feel really helped shape my career as an artist. They commissioned me to paint some very oversized acrylic sliding doors for their conference room and created a backsplash piece for their kitchen. Shortly after we had an opening for the new real estate office and I was able to do an art show. I began to feel a personal shift towards happiness, fulfillment, purpose, and desire to take a risk and paint full time leaving real estate as more of a part time career. I had discovered a new passion one that I thought would never be possible nor realistic. I might have been reluctant to take such as a risk without the support of so many friends and family. However, I kept finding myself selling art and for the first time in a long time I was able to turn the stress into something beautiful and meaningful so much so I was able to make a career out of it.

Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am mainly self taught but growing up I always had a love for drawing . I started taking a group art class in my late 20’s and discovered painting on glass and then plexiglass. At first painting was an outlet to relieve stress but it become evident it was meant to be more than that. I generated sales and commissions after posting some of my work online. My plexiglass sliding doors and approach to use my art as “Functional Art” is a unique approach I take when creating. Creating something beyond a traditional canvas allows others to view the art in a more open forum, examples would be a functioning payphone at Mockingbird Lofts and my sliding doors at a real estate brokerage in Frisco. When I am creating I truly hope that my art brings joy and happiness into a space, that same joy and happiness I experience when I am creating. My inspiration comes from music, landscapes, and interior design. I donate a portion of my work every year to various non profit organizations, especially those with an impact on our youth. They are the future and I would love to host a few summer workshops again. Being able to share knowledge, ideas, inspire, and give hope to others are just a few of the things I am proud of and I want to continue to give back to the youth in my community. Right now I believe our world needs that more than ever and it just takes one person to make an impact.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I really enjoyed the Artist Way because it kept me in that artist mindset and journaling is part of my creative journey. A mentor of mine once said “When you are in alignment with yourself that’s when you create your best work of art”. There are some pieces that I can recall creating where I just picked a few colors that I really liked and let things flow. Some of those paintings took 3-4 hours while others maybe 8 but I stayed in the process and when I stepped away from the canvas I was extremely proud of what I accomplished. Those paintings sold immediately or quickly compared to the others that felt more forced. That is what being in alignment with yourself means to me. You have to create healthy habits which might include art classes, art retreats, and youtube tutorials. There are so many artists sharing their techniques online that at times it might feel overwhelming. Volunteering your time with non profits that help creatives thrive like Art House Dallas. They really helped shape not only my career but myself as an artist connecting me to other artists and offering unique opportunities to share my work. I am also part of an art collective in the Design District which is a co working space called Dallas Design Art Collective.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jenayyad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenayyadart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenayyadart/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWl40G2pg38

Image Credits
Daniel Martinez took the one shot of me in the large sliding doors. https://danielmartinezphotography.com/ Email [email protected] I took the other photos.