We recently connected with Jenny Zigrino and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jenny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you 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?

I remember sitting with some family members years ago and they had expressed how their daughter was interested in drawing. I commented on how that was fantastic and asked if would they send her to art school. They scoffed and said “there is no career in the arts. I want a return on my investment”. This shocked me as someone who was currently in a full time creative career of their own making. The old idea that the creative field can’t be a full time gig is, excuse my language, bullshit. It’s based in fear, capitalism, and a disregard in the importance of the arts. Making a living as a full time artist is hard, yes, but so is being a doctor or an accountant or working HR for any company. As artists, we grow up with the idea that art is a useless venture – selfish or unnecessary. It’s not considered “real work”. However this world could not function without it. From the graphic design of the products you buy to the buildings you live in – art is behind it all. There are many ways to create revenue from your art. Sometimes you have to get creative and earn a fan base that buys into your vision or something you get hired on as the in house graphic designer for a company. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t make a full time living as an artist!

Jenny, 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 am a stand up comedian who has made numerous TV and film appearances and who tours all over the world. I bring a special brand of comedy that is vulnerable, honesty, and a little spicy. I pick topics that are important to me and to my fans who relate to me. From dating to social justice, I like to point out the obvious hypocrisies that we deal with in life everyday. I punch up, not down, and I also am pretty damn cute. My brand is accessible – I am for everyone and by that I mean everyone who has an open mind, likes to laugh, and wants to go on a journey. I show my flaws, I show my joys, and I want to make this life a little easier for everyone…sometimes. I try to show the human experience through my work with writing, sketches, and stand up.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During Covid I had to make a huge pivot. No one was performing and everyone was home. I had to make the most of it. I am a creative at heart and I always had a love of vintage things. During that time, I took my knowledge of vintage furniture and clothing and sold and flipped a lot of items. It still fed my creative side and I loved the treasure hunt. I found some amazing pieces and had the joy of people sharing in the excitement when they found something unique that I provided.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’ve been a comedian fro 15 years and I’ve seen so many changes. As a comedian I’ve had to adapt to an ever changing media landscape. I’ve had to adapt to how people consume comedy – it’s all online and in clips. Although this isn’t my most enjoyable way to consume comedy, learning to write shorter and smarter and clip them has helped me become a better comic. So much of the artists journey now is a catch 22. We no longer need to rely on gate keepers and we can find our audiences but that also means double the work sometimes. Keeping up with trends but also making sure I am true to who I am and my brand has helped me gain followers and patrons who appreciate what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jennyzigrino.com
• Instagram: jennyzigrino
• Facebook: comedian jenny zigrino
• Twitter: jennyzigrino
• Youtube: jennyzigrino
• Other: tiktok: jennyzigrinocomedy

Image Credits
pink hair with yellow background: Stephan Jahanshahi