Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jonathan Shaw. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I am so thankful to be able to focus on my artwork full-time and support my family through my business. It still feels surreal to say that I am a freelance artist even though I resigned from my “day job” over two and a half years ago. Sometimes I simply ponder, “How would I feel if I showed my younger self a little snippet of what my life looks like now? To show 18 year old Jonnie my studio space, projects, and the freedom it allows for family life, travel and recreation.” I mean, just this morning, I decided to commute to the studio in my kayak and thought, “What if I saw this scene several years earlier, how would I respond?”
Stepping back from moments like these, help me to foster a grateful heart that combats the stresses and difficulties that come with self-employment. Being an independent artist allows me to spend my energy on my creative gifting and to find a rhythm of work that is suitable for me to flourish as a person. I realize I have so much to learn as an artist and entrepreneur but I’m excited for the adventure ahead and for the people I will meet along the way.
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?
My name is Jonathan Shaw. I am a deep thinker, outdoor enthusiast and a bit of a goofball. My wife Kelsey and I have two wild and wonderful boys, Ezra, 5 and Silas, 2. We call Milwaukee, Wisconsin home and thoroughly enjoy its many parks, rivers and beaches. I am a freelance artist that specializes in stylized, folk art painting reflecting on Biblical narratives and Judeo-Christian traditions along with scenes from nature.
As a youngster, I was rather quiet and introspective. Much of my time was spent daydreaming, building with Lego, playing outdoors and drawing with colored pencils. Visual art allowed me to process life as well as express my appreciation for things that interested me such as animals and patterns. This passion for art continued throughout school and into college. I majored in studio art with a minor in art history and graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2010. After college, I kept creating art but I held a number of different day jobs ranging from camp ministry, retail, art education, building maintenance and mail delivery. In January of 2021, I took a leap of faith as I chose to resign from my position as a mailman and pursue my art career full time. Thanks to the support from mentors, friends and family, I am still going strong as a self-employed artist.
Today, a good portion of my income comes from commissions. Most of my clients inquire about creating artwork based on a particular Bible verse or spiritual theme. My process begins by becoming familiar with the subject matter by reading and meditating on it. This phase can take days, weeks, or months (sometimes even years for my personal work) as I take notes and sketch ideas. I am careful to let the inspiration take the time it needs to fully germinate before I begin moving onto the canvas. I enjoy using a variety of symbols and patterns that signify meaningful messages and allude to the narratives being told. It’s a playful and poetic way of painting that I find very satisfying and brings smiles to my clients.
My work consists of a bold aesthetic that is influenced by many different cultures such as Peru, India, New Zealand, Ireland and Kenya. I have vivid memories of my dad coming back from film trips from around the world. He would return with textiles and carvings. I simply loved the colors, bold lines and patterns from these carefully crafted objects. In addition to this multicultural influence, I also take cues from several 19th & 20th century painters, the main ones being Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso. I have enjoyed the journey of developing my own unique voice over the years and I look forward to seeing how it grows from here.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I have been artistically inclined ever since I can remember and I am glad that I have been able to “tend to the fire” of my creativity over all of these years. Drawing in particular was a great way for me to process life and the idea of becoming a full-time artist had been on my mind since I was young. After graduating college in Seattle with a bachelors degree in Studio Art and Art History, I moved back to the family farm in Wisconsin. I spent a full year drawing and painting along with illustrating one of my father’s books on Tuscany. I also enjoyed hosting “Open Art Studio” at my local church where students of all ages could come create for an hour or two. That year of being “unemployed” was foundational to my life and art-making practice. It was there that I began to develop my unique folk art style.
After that year, my family ended up selling the farm and moving. Over the years, I had jobs in a variety of fields but throughout each season, I was still creating artwork, gathering inspiration in sketchbooks, reading resources and finding opportunities to use my gift in the community. One of the most stressful work environments I have experienced was working as a mail carrier. Now that’s not to say that I would trade that season for something else because it certainly taught me many valuable lessons. I got this position with USPS while my wife was pregnant with our first child so that she could stay home and take care of little Ezra. Even though it was such a demanding job, walking up to 10 or more miles a day in every weather condition, I found the job to be very rewarding and exhilarating. It strengthened my work ethic, thickened my skin and helped me face challenges, mentally and physically.
Near the end of my season with USPS, I created a painting depicting the grit and tenacity it takes to be an artist. It is titled “The Creative Soul” and it pictures a wild lion which symbolizes the aggressive desire I had to strike out on my own, leaving my day job and pursuing my passion with a deep resolve.
If it had not been for my resilient creative spirit yearning to be an artist, I would have been more than content to continue my career with the post office. So after three and a half years with USPS, I sensed the season of being a mail carrier coming to a close. In the last few months of walking my mail route, I kept getting the image of Peter getting out of the fishing boat and walking to Jesus on the water. I sensed that like Peter, the Lord was calling me to step out of a secure job and to trust Him; walking on the water with Him.
And I can attest, after over two and a half years, God is still keeping me “afloat” with the many opportunities to create and to share my work with and for others. It is still amazing to think that I am able to do what I do for a living.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My mission through my artwork is much like a child’s approach to creativity; I simply want to play, experiment and express and in turn I hope to inspire others to use their creative gifting as well. Art is so therapeutic and I would love to see more people interact with the art world. I’d also add that my creative journey is fueled by my curiosity and longing to experience truth and beauty. It’s as if I’m excavating, looking for treasure deep in the earth. I find the process of creating to be very exhilarating and captivating. If you’ve written lines of a poem, composed the melody of a song, drawn up plans for a new building or choreographed a dance set; I’m sure you’ve felt the same pull. What a great feeling when that spark of joy ignites the fuel of inspiration, creating a driving force that brings us to new places and revelations.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yehonatan-art.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yehonatan.art
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yehonatan.art
Image Credits
All images are taken by myself… Well, except for the photo of myself – that was taken by my wife, Kelsey Shaw