We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jocelyn Benford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jocelyn below.

Jocelyn, 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.

I have always had creative interests and pursuits. I spent my teens and 20s working as an actress, and later I worked as a jewelry designer for a few years. In my subsequent long-time career as an elementary school teacher, I regularly found ways to weave creative projects into my classroom curriculum. Living in NYC, I have always loved going to the theatre and visiting art museums. But I never spent any time developing my skills in the visual arts nor did I consider myself an artist, until just a few years ago.

In 2020, during the early days of the pandemic lock-down, I was teaching third grade remotely and felt stuck inside my home. I realized that I needed a hobby to fill my free time and take my mind off the fear and uncertainty we were all experiencing, so I ordered some watercolor supplies from Amazon. At first painting was just an enjoyable pastime. I watched some videos on YouTube and did my best to create recognizable flowers and landscapes, but it was when I realized that I actually prefer to look at abstract art that I began experimenting and making bold choices in my artwork. Before long I was completely hooked. I realized that painting brought me joy and helped me maintain an even keel during our uncertain times – and I found myself compelled to paint every single day. When I grew confident enough to post my work on Instagram and submit my work for exhibitions, I was grateful to receive positive feedback, which only increased my drive to create more.

I have now changed almost everything about my life in order to focus full-time on making art, and I have absolutely no regrets. I paint daily, exhibit my art consistently, and I have begun teaching abstract watercolor workshops for new artists. I’m more fulfilled than I’ve ever been in my life – and I feel privileged to be able to say, “I am an artist!”

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 am an abstract painter, and I work primarily in watercolor with mixed media elements, such as acrylic ink, graphite, and collage. I’m inspired by the interplay of colors, shapes, and uneven lines, and I love the fluid, unpredictable nature of watercolor paints. I work very intuitively: I always have a starting point – a particular color combination or focal point – but then I just go wherever inspiration leads me. I think of my process as a conversation between myself and my materials. I’ll make a move and then let the painting “tell” me what it needs next. I’ll work in this give-and-take manner, layer by layer, until I get a sense of completeness from the piece – and then I’ll know I’m done.

My work is often influenced by forms and textures found in nature. I frequently include botanical elements, which represent meaningful times and places in my life. I also find myself particularly drawn to loose rounded shapes, which have become a recurring motif in much of my work. These shapes might take the form of circles, eggs, or nests, and they speak to me of wholeness, resilience, buoyancy, and harmony. They feel like home.

I work in a variety of diverse styles, which I think of as different collections (although there are some pieces that could happily fit into more than one group). While each collection has distinct compositional aspects, there are recurring elements appearing throughout all my work, which link the different series together.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I first began developing my painting practice, one of the first things I became aware of is how soothing I found the act of painting. There were so many troubling things going on in the world at that time (and still!), but painting began to bring me a degree of comfort – and even joy – that I hadn’t expected. My painting sessions felt like the best form of therapy ever, and they gave me a sense of calm that became evident in my artwork. I paint every day because it helps me stay balanced.

When I began showing my work, the most common response I heard was that other people found my work calming, as well. People said they were drawn to the colors, the natural elements, and the peacefulness of my work. I love the idea that my work generates these positive feelings for others, and that motivates me to continue to produce and share my work.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Instagram is my main platform for sharing my work. Although it’s not perfect – and it has become noticeably less supportive towards artists in the last year – it is still a very valuable resource for getting eyes on my artwork, and it has brought me numerous exciting opportunities. I have a surprisingly robust following, all of which has grown organically, and I think that’s primarily due to the following factors:

Reels – This has been the number one way that I earn and maintain followers. I usually simply use the Reels tab in Instagram – and I rarely use templates. Through careful editing, I am able to demonstrate all the steps I use to create a painting, from beginning to end. I select upbeat instrumental music from the Reels library, keep the reel between 60-90 seconds, and cut out anything repetitive.

Transparency – I am willing to demonstrate my techniques, and I almost always list my materials in my posts. I also frequently write about how I find my inspiration, or the process behind my work. People have responded very positively to this.

Curating my posts – My Instagram page is focused almost exclusively on my art (or art-related topics). I typically don’t mix in anything relating to my social or personal life – I use Facebook for posts that are geared towards my real-life friends and family.

Responsiveness – I make a point of responding to people who comment on my posts within 1-2 days, and I try to answer all questions thoughtfully.

Consistency – I try to post a minimum of 4 times per week – and it’s usually closer to 6-7 times per week. I have found that posting first thing in the morning brings my posts more views.

These are not hard-and-fast rules, they are simply what has worked for me. Different approaches may work for some people, but in the end I’ve found that patience and persistence pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jocelynbenfordart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelynbenford

Image Credits

Photo credits: Jocelyn Benford