We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ren’ee Jevning a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ren’ee, 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 been about DIY projects even when I was just wee little Renée. I can remember growing up with my mum and two brothers, things were tight financially after my dad passed away in a car accident. It was the mid 90s and I was obsessed with the Spice Girls, girl power!!! ✌️ ❤️ I really wanted a CD but we just didn’t have the means at the time. Yet, I did have a Talk Girl, like the tape recorder the kid has in the movie Home Alone. So, I went to work calling the local radio station and requesting every Spice Girl song I could think of to create my very own mixed tape. Well, I may have called a bit too often in all my enthusiasm. So much so that one day the DJ actually asked me to please stop calling. This story cracks me up to this day! But, it’s a prime example of my mentality when it comes to creating. Don’t have it? Then make it! As an adult, I started painting as a side hobby in 2013 when we salvaged a large quantity of old windows from our home when remodeling. These windows were installed by the previous owners because his wife had cancer, and he wanted his love to have a sun room to sit and rest in with her plants. A place to find some much needed comfort and light in a very dark and trying time. She, sadly, passed away from that horrible disease. And yet, years later, when we went about remodeling, we removed several of these windows, and I… well, I kept every single one. I am very sentimental and sensitive to such things, and I felt that it was a disservice to toss them away. So I began upcycling them into decorative mirrors and other wall decor. I never thought I would turn my little passion for making something out of nothing into an actual business!! But, that’s exactly what I decided to do in 2020 when I opened up Etsy shop, Chicly Reclaimed Decor and I have never looked back!!
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.
My name is Renée Jevning and I’m the owner and self taught artist behind Chicly Reclaimed Decor. I’m based out of the Bitterroot Valley in Montana, USA and I specialize in artistically refinished furniture and home decor. Whenever I embark on a new project, I always have a base concept behind the design. My inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources and I believe that is why my work runs the gamete from Eclectic, Boho, Shabby Chic, Aged Old World Style Textures and much much more. I never like to keep myself in a box when creating, in fact, most of the time I usually let the furniture or other piece I am working on dictate where I take it artistically. If it has a certain look already, say French Provincial, I like to kind of design around that concept but put own little spin on it! I absolutely love transforming the look of an item from trash to treasure!
I used the term embark earlier because each piece I create is meaningful to me and takes me on a creative journey. I had always painted furniture as a side hobby, even entering some of my pieces into our local fair for fun. But I picked up my paintbrush and began seriously painting again as a form of therapy in 2019 when my brother Zebulan lost his battle with lung cancer. Then, as life tends to do, everything seemed to hit all at once. I had to undergo an emergency surgery because I had an unknown infection that had run rampant in my nasal cavity, creating a golf ball sized hole in my skull. Then, when I had healed from that, I injured my back and had to ultimately leave my job as a head barista that I had held for going on 8 years. In my personal life as well, I had to make some big lifestyle changes including confronting my own mental health issues and ultimately making the decision to leave a religious organization and the influence it was having over my life. It was in this pivatol moment in time that art and creating helped me to heal and connect again. This art quote by Georgia O’Keeffe expresses it well:
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.”
Following my passion for the arts helped me to slowly climb out of the pit of depression I had been in and start living again. Consciencey living and it changed my life. It gave me the courage to open my own business in 2020, doing what I’m passionate about, using sustainably sourced materials to create beautiful and unique pieces of functional artwork. Encompassing form with function! And in 2023 I was accepted into a creative position for the good people down at Paint Couture Paint! Where I get to the opportunity to share my tips and tricks I’ve picked up along my journey as a self taught artist with others via YouTube tutorials and other creative avenues. Joining an amazingly talented group of fellow artists and creatives and giving me the opportunity to continue to grow in both my professional and personal life.
It was kind of funny because about a month before I received your email regarding this interview I had read this quote by Maya Angelou and it struck me to the core.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” So, thank you for giving me the chance to tell mine and to share with others who may be struggling to know they are not alone and to never give up! And to follow your passions! You just never know where they will take you if you are willing to work hard for it.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Most definitely!! I joined a creative group about a year ago that’s run by a gal that I have looked up to since I began painting. It is full of people in my particular industry who share their knowledge freely. And you are welcome to ask questions and share insights. Not only that but you get to network and make connections with people across the globe that share in your passion. Which I believe is important to the overall longevity of your business as well as your metal health to surround yourself with a encouraging and well educated group of people. I definitely recommend expanding your knowledge/ support system through networking and taking classes that may be available to you!!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I am extremely proud that my business is built on using sustainably sourced materials whether that be second hand items or “refuse” that is literally headed for the land fill. Did you know the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that in 2017, 12.2 million tons of furniture waste was produced by Americans alone? And that’s JUST furniture!!! If I can help to keep needless waste out our landfills and support the arts and creativity and the same time, that’s a win win in my book folks!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chiclyreclaimeddecor.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiclyreclaimeddecor?igsh=NjI3MWpmemNwOGh4
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chiclyreclaimeddecor?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ChiclyReclaimedDecor?si=BAUD88JwiJNxQ4T1
