We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Jenkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve been doing art since I was 8 years old. I was non verbal until I was 10 years old. Art became my special interest and I started using it as a form of communication. After I found my voice, I continued to do art to amplify my newly found voice. I was 21 years old when I finally decided I wanted to do art professionally. I worked so hard to build up my social media pages but at first it wasn’t going anywhere. It took several years to build it up to where it’s at now. My motivation was because I’m not medically or cognitively cleared to work a regular job but I have a little family I need to support financially. I felt my only option was to take the one thing I’m so passionate about and try to earn money from it to support myself and my family. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a long list of different art forms that I love playing around with, and my artistic abilities just keep on elevating to new levels that I never imagined. I’ve grown as an individual but I hope to see my art business grow too.
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 got into the industry of art out of desperation to be as independent as possible for myself and for my family, because I was told I’m not medically or cognitively cleared to work a regular job. Since art has been my special interest since I was 8 years old, it was very easy to make that transition to professional artist. I do several different forms of art. I draw with colored pencils, I paint with acrylic paint, I work with resin, I make keepsake jewelry with cremation ashes, breastmilk, hair or pet fur, fingerprint and more, I make memory bears by sewing loved ones clothes together, I do hand embroidery, and still actively teaching myself other forms of art to add to my business. I think what sets me apart from others is I’m autistic and have the ability to learn new art forms quickly with my first try looking like I’ve been doing it for a long time. I don’t tend to stick to just one thing and I feel like I offer a little something for everyone with different price ranges. I’m mostly proud of my determination to reach my fullest potential despite my disability. I’d like potential clients and followers to know that even though I’m autistic, I still strive to be the best version of myself while overcoming many of my daily obstacles. I want to inspire others with my art and my story.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect for me as an autistic artist is I get to validate my inner child’s form of communication and self expression. I’m sure she’d be so proud of me if she knew how far I’d come with my art. I also get to spread autism acceptance as I’ve been told most of my life that I’ll never to anything right because of my autism.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn my habit of hiding my art from people. My art from childhood was always invalidated and was never accepted as a form of communication when I tried to express some traumatic experiences I was going through. Now I share my art with the world unapologetically because it’s what my inner child needs to heal. My art is my voice and it is valid.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flappyhandscreations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flappyhandscreations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlappyHandsCreations
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@AutisticBeauty?si=EZHxGfKpDTKpDTRG