We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Kuhns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
As a child, I always wanted to be an artist one day. Over the years, my goal shifted between painter, fashion designer, architect, writer, make-up artist, and art professor. In high school, I absorbed the pervasive message that the arts were not a viable career option and that it would be necessary to pursue a “real” job that would support my creative hobbies. I still had no idea what that might look like when I started college in 1989, but I hoped that following my interests would lead me to the answer. In my 20s, I fell into various jobs mainly in food service and child advocacy while always exploring different mediums; printmaking, collage, ceramics, mixed media, wire jewelry, drawing and painting, and finally, at age 30, mosaic. I showed my work in cafes and sold it in small galleries here and there, and I regularly participated in Olympia’s biannual Arts Walk festival. I found myself categorized as a “recycled artist” because I used whatever discarded and reclaimed materials I could get my hands on, and I had juried into recycled art fairs, exhibits, and two galleries carried my work. At 30, I partnered with the man who would become my very supportive husband and I was working in a position promoting the performing arts at my alma mater, The Evergreen State College, while showing and selling my art on the side. Increasingly, my work was in mosaic, using reclaimed tile and stained glass to create compositions. Then, at age 33, I had a baby. Everything changed. Attempts to return to work were fraught; my daughter didn’t sleep, I was exhausted and unfocused, and childcare costs absorbed all of my salary. Meanwhile, I was generating some income from my art and beginning to receive requests for custom mosaic work. That’s when I decided to take a huge leap of faith and focus my energy on my art business. For several years, most of my work was in fabric, both wearable items made from reclaimed sweaters and more decorative things like art dolls and fabric collage on canvas. I could sew with my toddler in the room, whereas I needed a separate space and dedicated time to work with glass. But, as she grew older, I set up a play area in my studio and mosaic became my passion. I just love the process of breaking hard materials and piecing them together into beautiful, shimmering designs.
In 2007, I took a small business class through Enterprise for Equity, a non-profit that helps low-income people start micro-businesses. Here, I was encouraged that I could actually make my creativity into a job, and I spent 3 months developing a business plan. Immediately after that, I was the featured artist for Olympia’s Arts Walk festival, so my work was printed on all of the promotional material, and hundreds of people came to see my show. That year, I completed 16 commissions, including one for a fabulous local wine bar.
Then, in 2009, I attended my first Mosaic Arts International conference in San Diego and my brain exploded! I saw so many different approaches to mosaic, and several of the presentations demonstrated how mosaic can be used for floors, walls, backsplashes, showers, murals, and even as window treatments. Some presenters were using mosaic for community engagement as well, which inspired me to take a workshop on Facilitating Community Mosaic in 2011. That year, I took part-time work assisting a professional tile setter and gained important technical skills that would become invaluable as I grew into site-specific mosaic installations and public art.
But there was one moment in particular that was pivotal. My daughter was only a few months old and a friend had hired me to install a mosaic at his home. I had been pondering how to bring in enough income to supplement my husband’s teacher salary and keep us in the black while being available for my baby. My friend asked me what kind of example I wanted to set for my daughter: Did I want her to grow up watching me work at a job-job, struggling to make time for my creative pursuits? Or did I want her to watch me working at something I love, being authentic and fulfilled? I imagined both futures, and in that moment, I knew for certain which direction to go.
Jennifer, 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?
Well, I think I answered the first section in my previous response. In 2010, I rebranded my business as JK Mosaic, LLC, and I focused on site-specific custom mosaic for homes, businesses and public art. Mosaic is wonderful because it is a way to add art to living spaces that can be washed, walked or climbed on, and can withstand outdoor weather conditions without fading or peeling. Through workshops, working for a tile setter, and constantly researching new products and techniques, I’ve learned the best practices for installing mosaic that will last for decades. While design trends have leaned toward stark, minimalist styles, I absolutely love bright colors, maximalism and whimsey. I can exercise restraint with simple, subtle designs and natural imagery, but my favorite is bright accents that surprise and delight, especially in public spaces. Joyful art can bring more customers to a business, help patients feel at ease in a medical clinic, inspire employees in a corporate environment, create wayfinding in a public setting, honor and celebrate important people and events, and address challenging issues in a positive way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
As an introvert, I was very resistant to social media and self-promotion generally. Years ago, I met with a coach through the Small Business Administration (something I highly recommend) to learn how to reach my client base. The coach looked over my promotional materials and pointed out that I was not featured in any of it. I was so absent from my materials that my own name was not featured anywhere. I had postcards and brochures with JK Mosaic and photos of my work, but there were no images of me and my name did not appear. He instructed me to step out of my comfort zone and put myself in the story of my work. He explained that there are a ton of artists in the world and the main thing that sets us apart from each other is who we are as artists, and people want to feel a personal connection to the creator of the work. I squirmed in my seat at the idea of posting myself on social media or talking to an audience of unseen viewers, but I took his advice to heart. Little by little, I did as he instructed, and it got easier with time. Before I knew it, I had an online community and it actually boosted my confidence and made me feel less isolated. I began to think of it as a virtual workplace. My studio is in a very rural location and I spend my days working alone, but I now had a posse and I enjoyed sharing tips, tricks and updates and getting feedback. I’ve had some amazing experiences because of social media, even meeting up with fellow artists in other countries. It has led to incredible opportunities for networking and teaching, and I have to admit to a little thrill when someone gets on the elevator with me in Buffalo, NY and says, “I know who you are! I follow you on Instagram!” or when someone approaches me at an event in Detroit and offers to buy me coffee. My advice to a shy person like me is to be yourself on your social media. Don’t try to be fancy or slick if that’s no who you are. Imagine you are talking to a friend or colleague and be authentic. And please, do not pay attention to likes and followers! The important factor is that the people following you are actually interested in your work. It is rare that I secure a commission through social media, but engagement does raise my visibility when potential clients search for professional mosaic artists online. And what I find audiences enjoy most is just to see your process. Get a camera mount and simply film short videos of you making your unique art.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think there’s a misconception that artists just spend their days playing and making art and maybe napping. On one hand, I have been afforded the flexibility to spend time with my daughter as she grew up, and I still do (she’s 21 now.) I can take a day off to complete household tasks whenever I need to, stop to walk my dogs, take care of myself when I’m ill, and I listen to podcasts and audiobooks throughout my day. But I do have steep project deadlines and I often have to work into the night to deliver on time. Self-discipline and drive is essential. And there is so much administrative work involved in running an art business; sometimes I spend more time at the computer than in the studio. In December, I was shortlisted for 4 opportunities, so I had to drive hours to site visits, have both in-person and zoom meetings, develop proposals, all during the holidays. If I drop the ball, I can lose out on a year-long project and the income that comes with it. My work is also very physically demanding and it has resulted in joint deterioration in my hands and shoulders. I am recovering from thumb joint replacement surgery right now, and the other hand is destined for the same fate. There’s no employer to provide health insurance, no financial stability, and no retirement plan. At age 55, these are things I am more acutely aware of. Luckily, my spouse has a job that covers these details, but if I were on my own, I don’t know that this would be sustainable. I certainly would not have reached this point without outside support.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jkmosaic.com
- Instagram: @jkmosaic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferKuhnsMosaic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kuhns-03186113/
- Twitter: nope
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenniferKuhns
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/jkmosaic
