We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jye a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jye, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I began my creative career in Nashville, in the early spring of 2022. I’ve always been attuned to a certain perspective, like a secret radio station. I think most people are familiar with it. I call it wonder, or whimsy, play perhaps. But it can also be rather serious… the way the sky touches a certain rooftop. It’s probably the most valuable feeling-concept that I know of. Either way, it seems to have little place in the modern world. It doesn’t have a clear purpose. You could say it is meaningless. And it’s what I treasure.

Growing up, I loved the idea of creating wonderful things that could take the experiencer to faraway worlds. But it seemed to be a task beyond my capacity. So I just enjoyed and allowed other artists to shape the means for my expression. Collecting, absorbing, and enjoying. This isn’t just visual artists, but musical ones too. Furniture makers. Anyone who seemed to have a deep connection to that sense of wonder.

I began my artistic life at a small yoga studio. It was called Rubber Soul. The owner, and one of the teachers, Cal, inspired me more than any other. This was a creature berthed in wonder. He taught me many things, but most of all that I get to choose what sort of life I would lead. I could ignore all of the good advice and just do what meant most to me.

I feel good about the time I started my career, but I wish I would have started my artistic life the moment I had that first spark of wonder.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Nashville-based artist, painter, environmental researcher, dishwasher, creative consultant, website developer, yogi, performer . . . many fancy hats here.

I primarily work in acrylic on canvases, creating emotive and experiential pieces that range from landscape to abstract to figurative. However, I also work as a creative consultant.

I have gotten where I am currently by always seeking opportunities to put my creativity to use. I have shared my dreams with as many people as will listen, and listen too to their dreams. The more who know, the better.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

No matter what the medium is, whether it is painting, or performing, or just meeting with a group of people and wearing unusual wigs, I seek to connect with and allow connection to the sense of wonder. I just didn’t realize that I could base my life mission around that. It is a slippery thing this concept, because what exactly does it mean? You have to figure it out anew each moment.

I am an animist. By that, I mean that I believe there are many persons in this world and they are not limited to humans. Some are more ‘awake’ and some more ‘asleep’. You can get a feel for it. I seek to paint and give reverence to the overlooked animals, rocks, trees, and even lamp poles that I believe possess personhood. I hope to honor them with my work.

A portion of my work incorporates runes, primarily of Celtic and Nordic origin. Much of the cultures and the meanings behind the symbols we possess remain mysterious, often overshadowed by the narratives of their conquerors. So what remnants we have are up to interpretation. I just know that it calls to something deep within me. I make no claims, I come from no ancestral line. I support the work of Tolkien and what he was really attempting to do (give us a real mythology in a new world based on humanism).

I would like to provide artwork for those who are grounded in nature magic. I feel there is a severe lack of that.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Not everyone is into what I have to offer.

When someone gets it though, it is like meeting a sibling. I want to support a community of wonder-seekers, and art is just one way that I can find them. I am so thankful for everyone who has connected.

Contact Info:

• Website: jyeartstudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jye.art.studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jyeartstudio