Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica MacKenzie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
I once worked as an admissions representative at an online college. It was a tough gig for me at first. I had never really done this type of sales before, and I definitely had not done anything over the phone. The goal was to sign people up for the online college in about an hours’ worth of conversation. I spoke to all types of people from all walks of life. I was really passionate about helping people find a career path that fit them well.
I think the most valuable lesson I learned from this job was how to manage rejection. When you are in sales, you hear the word “no” often. And you hear it in lots of different formats. I was fairly young when I took this position, and the first 3 months or so it was difficult for me to come to work because I heard no every day, a hundred times a day. If I wanted to keep my job, I had to start hearing some yes’s in there somewhere!
My boss at the time was really great at sales strategy, and he taught me about the art of rejection. And I use his lessons every day. For instance, he taught me that no was just an opportunity. So many times when we hear the word no we feel defeated. Rejection doesn’t feel good. As humans we naturally want to win or at least be successful in our endeavors. As a young woman, no was a difficult word to hear. It really plays on your self-confidence. This job taught me that not everyone is going to say yes to you. Fact of life! And you may never understand why you got the no. What I did learn, though, is there is always a yes at the end. Like a storm – sometimes you have to bow your head and weather it as best you can – but every single time the sun comes back out after the storm. So, if you are trying to find that yes, understand that when you hear no first – it’s the universe redirecting you to that yes. It hears you! It wants you to succeed too. That old saying “When one door closes, another one opens” really does ring true. Instead of having a defeatist attitude, approach the no as an opportunity to refocus what you spend your energy on. Don’t spend your energy on things that aren’t moving you forward. They said no, okay! Keep moving forward. Sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes the universe opens right up to you once you let go.
As an artist, you can hear the word no quite often. “I didn’t get juried into this exhibition,” or “I didn’t place in this competition.” It’s ok! There is a time for everything and when you hear a no, it simply means that it’s time for someone else to have their moment of shine and your opportunity to shine is right around the corner. Refocus, re-engage, and it could also be an opportunity for you to evaluate and analyze your own work to see how you can improve and make it stronger for next time. Every no, every obstacle, every kink in the road is just an opportunity to find strength, courage, and eventually that yes. And nine times out of ten, that eventual yes is more meaningful and satisfying than it would have been if you received the yes the first time. It’s natural to feel disappointment when you hear a no. But don’t let it get you down! Use it as an opportunity for growth and better energy placement.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was an artist from a very young age, finding a crayon in the back of my grandparents vehicle and drawing up a storm on their velvet car seats as they drove to their destination. Animals have always had a special place in my life as well. As I got older, I was drawn to other occupational goals, but I always had a thing for drawing animals.
I started taking my art from hobby into serious practice when I became a university instructor for interior design in the School of Art. Being surrounded by art again was incredibly inspiring and using my training with interior design, I was able to really focus on recreating texture, color, form, and lighting.
My goal with art is to celebrate animals, and help people know and understand their worth and place in our crazy world. Be it a pet or wildlife, animals have distinct personalities, emotions, and concerns. I want to showcase their beauty in a way that creates awareness of the issues they face. From losing a precious pet, to abuse of animals, to poaching, to destruction of their homes, I want to give the animal a legacy. Sometimes they face the same issues we face as humans. Maybe if we can see them in a new light, we can see each other with new light as well. I love to capture a realistic sense of the animal as they are, their personalities, and the light they bring to the world.
Colored pencil offers such a dynamic way of telling the animals story. I can create such fine detail with them. It’s also a bit therapeutic for me to sit at a table and appreciate every hair, every scale, or feather on that animal. I like having the ability to layer and use different techniques to bring that animal to life. I like showing the animal as realistically as I can, though I do have a unique illustrative voice mixed into my version of realism.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are so many rewards for me when I create art. I love to see how people react to what I created – good or bad I feel like understanding their reactions (and sometimes my own) helps me be more connected to my audience and my art work. I like to hear the conversations that start as a result of viewing my art. When I do a portrait for someone who lost their beloved pet, I love the comfort it brings to their heart. I love that their pet continues to live on with their owner, just in a different way.
I love doing good with art. I like to enter my works in art competitions and auctions to benefit animals. As I say often, I can’t do what Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, or even Steve Irwin did for animals, but I can contribute towards animals in my own way. Art is so fun and it gives me the opportunity to be a voice for animals.
I also love how the universe has opened up to me when I started doing art. I now feel a strong sense of purpose, like I was meant to do this all along. I’ve been published, I’ve exhibited internationally, and it even brought the opportunity for international travel that I never would have had otherwise. I’m excited for what I can achieve and how I can keep growing and pursue the things I feel I was meant to do. It’s a great feeling.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
It breaks my heart to see schools dropping art classes for children due to programs like STEM. Creativity is such a fundamental aspect of being human. Without creativity, true innovation or problem-solving is difficult to achieve. Art is a great way to deal with the emotions we have, to express what we need to say without having to say anything. As children, we are all developing our mental health and the practices we use to manage it. If children had better ways to express emotion through the arts I think would do our society some good. I personally don’t have children, and maybe I don’t have a place to tell parents what to do – but as someone who was a creative child, I know that I flourished when I had access to art supplies, and when I had opportunities to create art in and out of school. Be excited when your child creates something, even if you don’t understand it or think it’s ugly. They are developing important skills and passions for life and expression. When they seem naturally gifted in art, encourage them to pursue it beyond a hobby. There are much better ways to make a living at art then there were back in the day! Don’t ask them to do art for free, and don’t expect discounts either! Show them their creativity has value and meaning for our society and culture. Because it absolutely does!
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