We recently connected with Jill Carlock and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jill thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents and grandparents have been supportive of mine, (and my brother’s) creativity since we were young. The running joke is that they both have “not a creative bone in their body.” But I believe it just comes out in different ways. I come from a middle class, blue-collar upbringing that has made me aware of how significant it is to maintain a strong work ethic in everything you do. It can never really fail you- but only shed light on whether or not you really want something. If it doesn’t work out, at least you put as much as you possibly could into it! Just keep it pushing. I admire my parents for providing room for creative exploration, but more importantly the discipline of having to earn it. In the end, this genuinely makes life so much more rewarding anyway; so I’m appreciative of that being drilled into my being. I couldn’t count the amount of times I’ve mowed the lawn, burning brain cells blasting “Stairway to Heaven” to drown out the noise when i was like, 12-13, onward. Overall, my parents made my creative passions a priority in terms of envisioning my future. I recognize that this can be quite the opposite circumstance for many, so I feel very lucky.

Jill, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a painter, from New Jersey. I will save the full fledged artist statement- but in a nutshell: The foundation of my work is emboldened by the idea of controlled-chaos, melded with more personal themes alongside my experience with synesthesia since birth. Soft gradients filter through my peripherals with the accompaniment of a variety of rhythms and nature.

At this point in my life, I consider my work to be contained within this weird, multi-sectioned venn diagram of mediums. Traditionally, I work with acrylic on hand-stretched canvas, wood panel, wall mural, griptape, anything that can take paint….etc. Venturing out into the textile universe has me constructing garments and handbags with prints of my paintings all in-house. I also make silkscreen printed clothing with screens also made from scratch. I tend to take the analog route rather than mass producing. I love the process and feeling the burn. It can absolutely drives me crazy sometimes. I constantly view myself as a one-woman-band just like Dick Van Dyke’s character in “Mary Poppins”

I have a webstore on my site that I update with drops depending on what I’ve got brewing.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m a huge advocate for working artists. I’ve lived both lives. And will continue to do so forever! Working as an artist full-time can come with an immense amount of pressure, but is so exhilarating. I’m grateful to know that I have that capability, but have found that routine best suits me. Some start with a great deal of financial or social backing- where some start from the ground up. For the latter- me- it comes in waves. It’s all about being a smushed cockroach that keeps getting back up! ;)

There are two notable instances where I had to put the art on pause and regroup.

Post-surgery, I was bedridden for 3 months. I’d been treated for a pelvic pain condition that was necessary for my quality of life. It was an eye-opening experience for infinite reasons. Since then I’ve been advocating for more research & bandwidth in studying women’s health. This themes carries throughout my work. As a basic human being, of course there were doubts about bouncing-back into “the art world.” But that’s never the case as long as the spark is there. I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do once I was up and running again. I ended up having one of the most successful couple of years of my life (so far) after that… Up until:

Post pandemic, continuing as a full-time artist after a couple years with little-to-no human interaction and art openings was not a privilege that I was able to maintain in order to live independently. I became a mail carrier, I worked in the marine industry doing 3D rendering for a few minutes, made newspapers for retirement communities, etc. Obviously, I didn’t want to do any of that shit! That’s for sure. But now I have tools and stories I wouldn’t have had before. From so many angles, I’ve noticed that pride can ruin so many opportunities, relationships, and even the journey as a whole. As of late, I’ve been going easy on myself by being more mindful and patient of the work since finding a secondary outlet working as a scenic artist. A rewarding, grueling, exciting, area of my life that lends itself well to my personal art practice. These two areas of my life compliment eachother very well.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

– Ideally, eliminating “clout” as a whole. Less about the people, more about the art being made. Sharing and creating on normal wavelengths of time and for just the simple sake of making. Social media used to be wholly benefical. But with these everchanging algorithms, it has become counter-intuitive to put creative energy toward attempting to “outsmart” something specifically made to mentally suck you in and spit you out. The last “reels” I made took about an hour to make. I probably lost 3 years of my life as a result. :(

– There should be people playing live music at every restaurant, bar, every day. More live bands at events and weddings. More funding in schools for creative outlets, especially since mental health is more important now than ever due to this separation of reality vs. internet. Art should be accessible everywhere, and more commonly shown in public spaces with genuine social interaction!

– Hire freelance artists, shopping as small and ethical as possible. Obviously it’s unrealistic to do this all of the time, but effort is enough.

– Those 3d printed “paintings” of cows wearing flower veils in all of the home stores. Please stop buying those.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jilliancarlock.com
• Instagram: @jill_carlock

Image Credits
personal photo taken by John Owen Endresen @shotbyjohnowen