Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Rose. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

There are some things about me that have stayed constant since childhood. One being that I have always loved history and specifically constantly wondering how people did anything 300 years ago or earlier (and could I figure out how to do those things). The other being a little slightly left of the mainstream when it came to interests. I was usually the one kid off to the side of everyone else coloring while everyone was running around screaming at recess or making homemade lanterns out of tin cans in middle school or playing ragtime music from 7 different instruments in high school. People would inevitably mosey over, crouch down, and ask “What are you doing… What are you making… How do you do that?”

With all of that said, learning how to do different things, being intrigued by how other people have done them and ruminating about how I would do it, and could I do it differently or better in some way, drives me forward every day. I constantly find myself in a state of utter frustration or to the excitement of eureka over different projects. This is part of the reason why (to the chagrin and irritation of other artists) I don’t have one main artistic or craft focus.

I am not a painter. I am not a potter. I am not a ….. any one thing. I want to explore, learn, and do it all. This philosophy has frustrated other artists and business owners. It is the idea of the mainstream that one must dedicate an entire lifetime to a specific craft or art as a maker and grind away to perfection (or perceived perfection) to define a career and business toward success. Maybe they will be right, maybe this is all folly, but I just find sticking to one particular thing or idea completely boring and soul crushing. I love the fact that my imagination has no gate to go through, no path to follow; its feet are dirty, and its hair is wild.

What I’ve found through exploring different mediums, and also learning how to do so on my own, without the chirping of some college professor in my ear saying, “You can’t do it that way…” or “This is the only way to do something.” is that it informs better ways to do different things that seem to weave back together. For example, I have always wondered how painters began to put an image together, to add dimension. A sailboat, a sheep, a person’s hand. I have wondered this and wondered this. Do they strip everything down to a basic shape: a triangle, an oval, a rectangle that morphs into a semi-circle with an triangle that slowly curves into cylinders… This thought process that I find myself in over two-dimensional artwork transforms into looking at sculptures and carvings. How did that artist find the shape? Did they start with the circle, square, triangle and gently tease out or add curves to define the emotion of the subject? This line of thought then pushes me to engage with the idea: start with a rudimentary shape, define, add, subtract. Feel the harmony of the moment or the intense frustration of that idea not working out in the moment. This is where having multiple avenues of creativity really comes in handy.

I find that when I hit a wall with a project or a thought expression, rather than create more anxiety by “pushing through”, I look for something that creates joy much quicker. This means I end up making soap, or ear rings, or resin pendants, or perfumes. These little crafts are crucial for me to regain my balance, gain some confidence, and recharge for another attempt at that watercolor, drawing, sculpture, or carving. Plus, my family and friends get a bevy of homemade items that they enjoy and look forward to.

Basically my approach to learning anything new is to just keep dinking around. Don’t let frustration become an unmovable obstacle. Instead, pivot, and think of all the most fun ways to take a detour. It’s all a science experiment in the end… Sometimes things work out right away, and sometimes it takes dozens of attempts to get close to what you wanted to achieve.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always been creative. My imagination and desire to explore have made me game to experiment and delight in as many mediums as I can gain access to at any time. When I was a young person, it was impressed on me to steer clear of a career in creativity, whether it be music and the performing arts, or visual arts, because the notion was that there was no realistic income from those avenues. I instead got degrees in criminal justice, general education, and psychology, none of which I ultimately pursued as a career. Instead, I fell into a service business that I’ve owned for over twenty years. Covid was the moss laden path that led me back to arts and crafts. During lockdown I finally had extended time and unwavering attention to start exploring again what I had always thought I would do well into my retirement years, after I finally retired and had more time.

I started with a crazy idea to start sculpting. I got my hands on some polymer clay and started to dink around with the idea of a fish. Every day I would add and shape the different aspects of a three eyed deep-sea fish that my son affectionately called “Robert”. I wanted something to reflect the general malaise and irritation of the moment of lockdown but have a slightly comical aspect to him as well. Over the month that I worked on ‘Robert’ I also started working with acrylics and water colors. I was mesmerized by the different ways to manipulate the paint. To me it was magical the different designs of the abstracts I was creating. I then became intrigued with resin and the different ways I could use resin in an artistic fashion. Some of these projects were duds in my opinion, but the flood gates were open, and I couldn’t help myself from trying to improve my techniques on various things. And when I found myself truly frustrated with a “A” Art project, I would take a time out and pursue a craft I had always wanted to know how to do like, making soap or perfumes, handmade cards or jewelry, and recently photography. For me, these crafts are equally important to my evolution as an artist. They allow me the kindness of a much-needed feeling of success as well as maintaining an avenue of creativity, especially for someone who is solely self-taught.

What my art and crafts provide me, and my hope for others, is a sense of being delighted. Often when the list of chores, or meetings with clients, or the never-ending lists of daily life pile up on me, I’ll pass by a painting or wool mermaid on the wall or shelf and, for a moment, be delighted in the object; the fun it represents, and it centers me and reminds me that there is joy and inspiration still out there to be played with and consumed.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is three fold. When I have a vision or idea for a project and it actually works out exactly the way I envisioned it. Sitting back and marveling at something that worked out exactly the way I wanted it to, or cracking the code on how to make an idea into reality. When I work on a project and it becomes something beautiful on its own that I wasn’t expecting. Or when I make something because I think it’s cool and someone else comes along and is totally delighted in the thing that I made.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I first started my creative journey, it was solely selfish. I was starved for an outlet that I thought, or bought into the idea, that it was closed to me, and I wanted nothing more than to bathe myself in as much creativity as possible. Though as more and more people interact with my art and find joy in it, my goal is to connect people with the fun and whimsy expression of life. To have an object that may inspire you, delight you, or create a sense of peace and tranquility.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicarosestudios.com/shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicarosestudios/

Image Credits

I took every photo submitted, some great, some not so great – all by me.