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

Rebecca J., appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Taking risks is important for growth. The risks don’t have to be big. It’s anything that puts you outside your comfort zone. These are the things you might fail at. However, I have realized over the years that failing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s ok to fail if you learn something, pick yourself back up, and keep moving.

When I was growing up, “failure is not an option” was a common theme. I guess that helped me in some ways: to work hard and never give up. Although that led to a lot of anxiety and insecurities. As a dyslexic, I became used to failing and not being good enough. I leaned into art and drawing because it was the only thing I was good at, and I could create things away from the public eye. This made trying new things and failing more comfortable for me. No one had to know. It wasn’t risky.

I started drawing quietly in my little safe space. I decided to take, what I thought was just a small risk, and put my one piece of art out there. I entered it in a big show without telling anyone (minimizing the impact of failure). There was also another tiny risk in actually winning, IF I was even accepted into the show. “I’m not going to win.” But I did. The top prize was a solo show. Yikes! At this point, I only had 2 pieces. I spent the next 10 months creating over 30 pieces of art, on top of being a mom and working full time. This was a huge learning point for me. One where I had no choice but to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I found out what worked and what didn’t quickly! My mom’s advice of “always start with the hardest part first” became law. “If you fail, you haven’t wasted too much time.” Learn from it, grab a new piece of paper, and keep moving! This risk was one I will always be grateful I took. It was the one that catapulted me into the fine arts and illustration world.

Today, I push myself to take risks and work outside my comfort zone with every piece I create. I’ve found the thrill in starting a piece without knowing how to do it. Pushing the boundaries and the limitations of what I know. This has helped me work through some of my anxieties and insecurities, grow as an artist, an animator, and a human.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After a grueling 17 years of school (K-BFA), I joined a team of creatives who all wanted to try something different. We all wanted to see if we could become animators. We decided to do the paying jobs during the day and worked on a short animation at night… sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning and back at the office at 7 or 8. We didn’t publicize what we were doing. We just did it. We entered it in a few film festivals to see what would happen. “Are we good enough?” Hundreds of film festivals, over 500 “Best of” awards, and 25 years later, this team of animators (Out of Our Minds Studios) is still going strong, creating content for film, commercial, web, AR, VR, etc.

Animation has become a huge part of who I am as an artist and illustrator. I enjoy the power of storytelling and creating pieces with a purpose and emotional connection. I love when people approach me and say things like “this makes me smile”, “I can relate to this!”, “I could look at this for hours.” My animation career and independent fine art/illustration have truly helped each other: bringing storytelling into art/illustration and art techniques into animation.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There is an assumption that art is “easy” for creative people. “You could do this in your sleep!” While being creative is fun, rarely is it easy. If it is done right, it requires great skill, patience, study, and focus. It can be very mentally taxing. Artists make millions of tiny decisions for each piece, hours of concepting, practicing, research and developing, and then actually producing the piece. Even the “little” projects consume our minds for days, weeks or even years. Not because it has to, it’s just part of how our minds work.

The fact that creatives enjoy what they do, shouldn’t make it less valuable. It should increase the value. Especially in this day and age with AI. We need human connection more than ever. AI is fine for some things. But it will always lack heart.

There is something unexplainable about true art and the creative process: whether it is a car that was constructed by hand, music lyrics that make you weep, or a culinary delight that transports you to another time. Art is passion. It is love. It is the connection and understanding between hearts and souls… and that… well… that isn’t easy!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

When I get asked, “What is the best thing to help my creative journey?” I always tell people to go to the zoo as often as they can! If you don’t have a zoo nearby, go to a park or a place where you can watch people and animals interact with nature. It is best to bring a drawing pad and draw, draw, draw… but if you fear drawing, just study. Take it all in!

“Why the zoo?” The zoo offers people from all walks of life, a variety of animals, and different natural environments. The people’s emotions start energetic and with excitement, and fade to exhausted and overwhelmed. It is a great place to pick a spot and study: how things move, shift in weight, the emotions of the people, the way the sun cascades over objects. Study the shadows things make, and the shapes the light creates. The more you study, the more you will see and begin to understand. Art is an expression of life, and there is no better place to see it all than the zoo!

“Great art picks up where nature ends.” Marc Chagall

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebeccajjones.com/
• Instagram: @rebeccajonesshenanigans
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-j-jones-5868947
• Other: https://outofourmindsstudios.com/