Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Snake Jagger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Snake, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

The first thing that came to mind when I looked at this question was a gift that a neighbor of mine had given me. At that time I had not been doing my art that much, just some little projects here and there and nothing of any great substance or anything that might launch my desire to be more prolific doing artwork. It was my neighbor Peter who came over to my little studio apartment one sunny afternoon, and he was carrying an odd shaped canvas that he had built and stretched and he gave it to me with no strings attached. It was a bow tie shape, and it blew my mind. I had not considered ever doing something like that before, and I think even though I was just dabbling in some little art projects, this large canvas just blew my mind and got me thinking. For some time I had been mulling over how I could come up with something that I could get excited about and how I could begin to develop my own unique style of painting. And this canvas was the trigger for me. I painted my first desert landscape that would become my own way of depicting the desert that I lived in and it began my forward momentum into eventually stoping my working at restaurants and try to make it in this world with my creative talents instead.

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 was born in Los Angeles and moved to the desert when I was 17, where I began to appreciate the uncrowned landscapes and searing desert heat, which was a “dry heat” back then. I have been doing art from the age of 6 and always dabbled in painting and drawing, but it was when I was 28 that I decided to try to make it as a professional artist. I developed my own recognizable style of painting the desert landscape where I lived and once things started to sell I never looked back. Most of my years doing art were spent selling at art festivals, and occasionally a few gallery shows. These days I have created my own gallery at my home in Morongo Valley. And now the only art festival I participate in is on Catalina island in September. The thing that makes me proud is the fact that for 40+ years I have earned my living doing what I love, painting pictures. And the fact that I feel that I will leave behind a legacy of artwork that elicits smiles and positive feelings about our home planet, and hope that my visions inspire people to want to take care of the only home we will ever know. I am now working as a marketing director for the Hi-Desert Artist group where we will be opening a art center with galleries and a shop. A community center for the arts. You can find out more about the HDA here at www.hi-desertartists.com, and my own artwork at www.SnakeJagger.com

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

For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I get to exercise my creativity daily, and because I have been doing this for decades now, I have developed a fan base and I’m able to support myself with my artwork. I have worked at jobs in my early years, and I loved most of the jobs I had. But being my own boss and being able to work on my schedule is a lot more desirable to me than having to go to a job everyday, and putting in hours of my time doing work for someone else. I have developed a good habit of being productive everyday, doing what I love to do. I am a painter of desert landscapes primarily, and creating my paintings is similar to writing and performing music, it entertains people and inspires others who have this creative itch to make the effort to create for themselves.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I got started on Facebook and Instagram around 30 years ago or so. So over the years I have been building up my friends and followers and fans of my artwork. Throughout my years being on Facebook I have made many sales and gotten commissions to do my artwork for friends and new clients, and I have made thousands of dollars using this free advertising platform that reaches so many people I might never have reached without it. On the other hand I have never made a sale or commission from Instagram. I feel that Facebook gives you more opportunity to connect and communicate more than Instagram does, as Instagram posts are fleeting and people might make a comment but not engage as much as they do on Facebook. One thing I have learned and try to share with friends, is that it’s best not to try too hard to sell people your artwork, I never say what something is priced at, I just post pictures of my art, and if someone likes what they see they will ask about it, and you can take it from there. But constantly trying to sell your artwork is like an annoying commercial that you see constantly on tv, and you might just scroll past the post. Of course this has just been my experience, I can’t speak for anyone else. I use my social media to build up interest in my artwork, and reap the rewards when I have an exhibition. I occasionally make a sale online, so self promoting on social media can work too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SnakeJagger.com
• Instagram: @SnakeJagger
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/snakejagger
• Other: www.pixels.com/snakejagger