We recently connected with Jessica Coonley and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Most people I’ve seen in this industry feel you should price your art based on hours involved, or based on square inches, or high just to show they value themselves. I adjust my price to my customers financial abilities. I make art. I value my art, and I value myself and my time and energy. But I also understand art is a luxury. It means a lot to me when someone falls in love with one of my pieces because I pour every bit of my being into each piece. If it speaks to them, they have spoken to me, and I’ll work out a plan with them that will allow them to bring it home with them. I do not undersell my art, I allow people to enjoy it.
I’ve been homeless, and I was accepted into the folk punk community with open arms. People poorer than poor helped me and my family during our hardest moments. I started offering to send paintings as a thank you to people who offered to help. From there I started offering and making paintings for musicians whose music have helped my life for free.
It humbled me to make art for free. It felt like I was giving something more than art.
Now i see art differently. And I believe people without disposable income deserve to be able to enjoy art.
I’d rather gift it than hoard it, when it comes down to it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started painting as a suggestion from the tattoo shop owner I was apprenticing under when I lived in Texas. Around the same time I started struggling with PTSD flashbacks. Painting helped me regulate my emotions and stay still enough to process my trauma. I still occasionally tattoo, but I mostly paint fine art, graphic art, and fluid art. I use acrylic almost exclusively. My specialty is horror monsters, hence the company name, Creepy Creature Comforts.
I work with my clients to make sure their commissions come out the way they want, and will continue working until they are pleased with the result.
I recently placed second in the Veterans Wilkes Barre competitive art competition, and this year had my first booth at the local first Friday in my town. I intend to continue to work hard to get my art out locally and virtually to be seen.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

While homeless I had to create one to two paintings a day and work hard to sell them in order to meet my families basic needs for the day. I have a disabled child, and I myself am a disabled veteran. My husband has had to care for both me and my son, leaving him no ability to work a conventional job. We were struggling so much I started painting faster and more than I ever have. I did that for about a year before I burnt myself out. I wasn’t able to paint for almost a year after that period. But when I came back I knew how to paint things I didn’t know how to paint before I stopped. It was as though all the work I did just slowly built in the background as I took my hiatus.
I had built a large audience while painting so much, and they stayed with me through my break.
I’m so grateful to every fan that has supported me through my journey.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe transparency for my needs helped build my audience. For a while I was offering paintings in return for a purchase receipt for my need, where it be baby wipes or cat food.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/creepy_creature_comforts
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/coonleyscreations