We recently connected with Jessa Gilbert and have shared our conversation below.
Jessa, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Before I began working as a professional Artist or a Backcountry Guide I held down a full time job in Canada at MEC (think REI, but Canada). It was a good job – good benefits, predictable hours, great staff – but it was unfulfilling. One winter I found myself as a guest at Baldface Lodge, a Cat Ski lodge in Nelson, British Columbia pitching an Artist Residency to the owner, Jeff Pensiero. He told me no… but then said “why don’t you come guide for me instead?”. I had never thought of a career as a backcountry guide, didn’t know what the certification process would be, and had no idea what I would be saying yes to… but it seemed like too special and rare an opportunity to pass up. I shook his hand at taking that opportunity, went back to my home in Vancouver and shortly there after left my job at MEC. At the time, I felt I wanted to shake things up. I had this guiding opportunity to look forward to in the winter, and I wanted to pursue Art professionally. I told myself I would give it one year, and if it didn’t work I’d go back and get myself another desk job. A month or so after leaving my job at MEC I was awarded a commission for a 2,500 square foot mural in Whistler, BC… and the rest has been coming together ever since! That’s a really condensed way of telling this story, but the thread to it is neither opportunity would have happened if I didn’t take a chance. I jumped in with both feet and opened myself up to failure or rejection, which is the only way I’ve come to learn that any meaningful change will ever happen.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up in New York State and studied Fine Art and Sociology at the University of Vermont before relocating to Squamish, British Columbia. I’ve always been married to the creative world and outdoor industry simultaneously, competing as a snowboarder in slopestyle events throughout University, and now working as a Guide and professional athlete. For me, time outside is a catalyst for creativity, and the creative process pushes me to get back to nature for inspiration. My Art serves to celebrate wilderness, adventure, and play to inspire others to remark at the natural wonder of the world around us, get out on their own adventures, and, in turn, work to protect the planet. I’ve had the great fortune of travelling the world, and creating artwork to share in those experiences is my way of giving back and building purpose into exploration. It’s a real dream come true to see artwork on functional products, and I am grateful to the brands that have partnered with me on products like blankets, snowboards, skis, and clothing in addition to paintings and murals. I believe art belongs to everyone, and moving the final material from a canvas in a gallery to a water bottle in someone’s pack is one way to have the work feel inclusive to everyone.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2013 I walked into an orthopaedic surgeon’s office in Vermont and was told I would need a full knee replacement, that I would likely never snowboard again, never run again, and would need to reimagine life into something less active. I was 24 years old and was already packing up my life to relocate to Vancouver, BC with my then partner. I had built my life and identity around activity, a semi-professional snowboarder since my early teens and someone who lived a very active lifestyle. I was devastated, and that knee surgery with all its set backs ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me. It took me the better part of a year to get back on my feet, and it forced me to ask for help in ways I had never been comfortable. This experience was also coupled with moving to a new city where I had no employment and no tethers to a life I had once knew… so I got to reimagine and redefine myself. I had always aligned myself with being a figurative painter in Vermont, focusing on the human body in motion and portrayals of dancers in an abstract way. I was so depressed in Vancouver my first few years that the thought of painting people light, airy, and full of action was inconceivable. Without putting much thought into it, I began bringing my sketchbook with me around my new home and drawing what I saw. It felt free because it didn’t HAVE to mean anything… I was drawing for the sake of drawing, and it felt great. In time, I found myself back at my easel taking those studies and feeling inspired to build them into larger, broader works. Those studies were the foundation for a change in my artistic focus, from figures to landscape, and have led me to marrying my artistic practices with a thirst for the outdoors. Turns out slowly walking uphill with painting supplies is a great way to build strength, and over time I was able to get back to an active lifestyle.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal as a creative is to celebrate the beauty and joy experienced with spending time outside. I often read articles talking about the health benefits, physical and mental, to being in nature. Most people live within a city where it is challenging to find green space. I create artwork to serve as a bridge between those urban centers and the outdoors, reminding the viewer of the grandeur of landscape and inspiring them towards their next brush with nature. I see my public art murals as building environments within city centers that transform grey, concrete, industrial forms into wild, joyful, and playful places to relax and feel lighter. Human nature tells us that we are more likely to protect things we understand, so my long term goal is to inspire people to create a connection with nature, so that they will feel more willing to protect it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessagilbert.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jessagilbert
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessagilbertart
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessagilbert/
- Twitter: twitter.com/jgilbertstudios
Image Credits
@bruhnsphoto , @graffitigardens