We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Allen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I was happier as an artist/creative.
For a time I was able to get by being a freelance artist but even that comes with it’s own set of cons. Over the years it has become less and less viable to live off of artwork alone. Or the passion diminishes as I was unable to enjoy making art for myself. Sometimes being a creative can be a lonely business but one I enjoyed.
I say this as past tense because with the current environment its hard to make a living with art unless you are lucky, at least that is how I feel. I’ve had to get a conventional job to make ends meet so I do not have to wonder what it would be like to get a 9-5.
Either way, I still do small work on the side, so there’s that.
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 got into being an artist because of the Disney film ‘Fantasia’ (1940). From then on I’ve always had a passion for drawing and making up my own characters and designs.
My services are more in line with offering my takes on other people’s creations, whether it’s fanart I find enjoyable or original characters and designs.
I take pride in my communication skills and keeping my clients in the loop of things as I try to juggle this and my personal life and day jobs. But I always make sure to deliver a quality piece.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
Respectfully, they were bane in the artist space, especially for those of us having our work stolen for them. I’m glad they have fallen off personally.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Treat artists like people, realize that years and decades of practice have gone into what we do. Some folks think you can shove $20 at an artist and think that’s sufficient enough payment. Our art supplies cost, as well as our equipment to produce it. Artist deserve way more respect and the only type of client I see that does this is other fellow artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://slurkuart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slurku/?hl=en
Image Credits
All images©Slurku