We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Bostick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessie below.
Jessie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
Having grown up in a military family, I joined the US Air Force when I finished college in 1983. Most of my career was dedicated to teaching fighter pilots about enemy weapons systems & capabilities. In 1990, my unit was called to serve in Desert Storm. As a professional weapons instructor, it seemed like a golden opportunity to see my life’s work directly contribute to winning a war. Instead, it made me profoundly realize that I wanted to do something more constructive with my life…something that could have a positive impact on people.
After several years of wandering through different jobs, I decided to attend Culinary School. I thought I could help people lead healthy, fulfilling lives by encouraging them to eat better. During the course of my education, I was introduced to–and fell in love with–the sugar arts. That was the moment my life-path changed.
I was not content to just be an artist. I grew to love the feeling I got by helping others realize their creative potential. Hearing someone say, “I can’t do that;” then seeing their face when they actually create something they believed was beyond their capability is heart-filling. More importantly for me, it has been soul-healing.
Jessie, 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?
Between formal classes & self-education, I’ve sharpened my expertise in the sugar arts with emphasis on cookie & cake decorating, figure modeling and–to a lesser extent–in chocolate/confectionary work. I’ve worked with media both common & uncommon including royal icing, buttercream, chocolate, gelatin, wafer paper, painting & gumpaste.
In 1994, I started Sugar Doodles, LLC–a company dedicated to teaching others how to realize their own creative potential. We offered public classes, private lessons & hosted creative parties for clients. We even conducted Summer Camps for Kids, during which children from 4 to 17 years of age got to “play” with a different medium each of 5 days. While other businesses & instructors in our area conducted classes for the public, we were (maybe still are?) the only organization that offered customized experiences for our private clients.
It was during one of Sugar Doodles classes that my current employer became aware of my teaching skills & culinary expertise. As a result, I was hired as a Culinary instructor at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC), based in Belleville, IL. As such, I teach all of the advanced baking & decorating courses as well as several advanced culinary classes including garde manger & international cuisine. Like the sugar arts, these culinary classes give me the opportunity to introduce my students to flavors, ingredients & cultures they may have never experienced.
To see all of my students–Sugar Doodles & SWIC–experiment with their new resources & creatively expand their cooking, baking & decorating repertoire validates my decision to leave a successful military career behind. I hope to continue sharing my talents with others to help them experience the joy of achieving their own level of creativity.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
For most of my life, I truly believed I was not creative. I grew up in a family of incredible artists. My mother, both sisters & my brother ALL had–what I called–the “artistic gene.” I, on the other hand, inherited the “art appreciation gene.” While I watched them excel in creating beautiful art & music out of thin air, I could only copy art & music that already existed. Since I wasn’t an “artist,” I worked hard to be the best “copier” I could be.
It wasn’t until I began working with sugar art that I finally had my epiphany. Yes, I took inspiration from other people’s work. Yes, my sense of design still paled in comparison to other artists. But, what I finally realized was that what I was doing made me happy. The design might not be the most original, but I was making–CREATING–things with my own hands. Things that would not have been in existence had I not touched the piping bag, spatula or modeling tools.
Being creative is not necessarily about coming up with something that has never been seen before. Being creative is about tapping into that part of your spirit where dreams & visions come to life. It can be as simple as envisioning a design on a cookie & making it happen; or, as complex as designing your own business & making it a reality.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
It may sound cliche, but my goal is to make the world a better place.
There is so much negativity in the world today. You see it on the news. You see it displayed in the hateful or judgmental comments on social media. Contests & competitions pit participants against each other. People just seem so unhappy.
The look on someone’s face when they do something they didn’t think was within their capability is absolutely priceless! In that moment, you see that spark of happiness & wonder. You see them want to share their experience with others. In that moment there’s no hate or judgment or competitiveness. There’s peace & satisfaction.
Do I believe we can achieve world peace through cookie decorating classes. Of course not. But, if we can find ways to help everyone find that place in their spirit where they are content & happy, I have to believe that we can overcome the negativity & build a more constructive, fulfilling society.
Image Credits
Jessie Bostick