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

Jessenia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned my craft by watching artists on tv as a kid with my grandpa you know the greats Bob Ross , pappy land etc .

I could have studied harder in art class and focused but at the time my heart just gave up the passion until I got older .

Most essential skill was learning shading and correct proportions and being able to visualize exactly what I want to create as if I have a photogenic memory like tracing but in my mind .

Obstacles that stood in the way was life . Sometimes we hit a rough long patch of trying to find ourselves we forget we once knew exactly who we were and are and will always be and for me that was being an artist .

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m from south side Jamaica New York and spent half my life in Kissimmee fl but now I resided in Baltimore. I got into this industry of art by always being amazed at how colors can mix and create your own vision on a blank canvas . I helped out with a church to do a play called blink and I learned special effects makeup from the team and did so well I got awarded for best in makeup and my passion for all mediums started that moment . I learned to sculpt , create prosthetics , costumes and always painting and drawing . I also am a face painter and balloon artist . I’ve done charity events in the summer for kids fighting diseases to raise money to find cures , I’ve sculpted and made prosthetics . I’m most proud of my digital art and how realism has been apart of my life recently . I’ve drawn loved one that have passed on to clients for keep sake memories and I went to school to become a mortician to give family members a proper goodbye because I can sculpt I can create prosthetics to fit the face and I feel no one should have to have a closed casket everyone should be able to say goodbye properly because I never got that losing a dear friend of mine and I want people to have that . I solve problems with my clients by showing them rough drafts and what they would keep and fix before completing my job in a timely fashion. There’s no room for error for me so discipline takes on so that I am able to complete my work with outstanding results .

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

My most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the reactions I get to witness from a client. The raw emotion and positivity is beautiful because it means I went above and beyond .

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have a goal in life and it was to always make my grandma and grandpa proud of me . Unfortunately she passed three years ago this April coming and I wanted to always take her to an art gallery and show her my work was now in a room with amazing artists too . She kept a painting I did under her bed like all mothers do with important documents and that made me realize I surpassed my goal a long time ago. But my journey is to now show the world what she saw daily and that’s the beauty I created when I pick up a brush .

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesselatte?igsh=dGlzbGZmb3Zub2tw&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jesselatte272?_t=ZT-8u33Hxs8SPm&_r=1