We were lucky to catch up with Artist Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Artist Jones, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I spent the last 3 years networking, showing and sharing with various artist from the Tampa Bay area. I’ve never been so humbled and inspired by our many differences and how each of us is so unique. From the style of art, to the materials used and even backgrounds, there’s so much creative diversity.

When Vanessa Oatman of EVOZ Marketing asked to collaborate with me to bring some of these brilliant artists together for an event to remember, I couldn’t turn it down. This project has been a year in the making. In that year, I’ve watched most of these artists not only continue to topple achievements that most people could only dream, but continue to grow in their craft. That, to me, is why this project is so meaningful. I’ve spent three years of my life watching us all grow TOGETHER. And in that, we all share this special bond.

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

Like a lot of artists at the time, if we wanted to go to school for art, we were pushed into Graphic Design. It was enticing to me because it sounded like an art profession where I’d make money. When I graduated, we found out just how many artists were convinced of the same thing. The industry was very heavily saturated with Graphic Design grads looking to break into any kind of design career. I landed my first Graphic Design job at a local newspaper. I had actually made more money working at a deli, but it was why I signed my life over to student loans, so I needed to make it count.

I spent the next 10 years, evolving into the new-age Graphic Designer, who needs to be proficient in design, video, web, coding, oh and Word as a bonus. The more knowledge or skill I absorbed, the less I felt appreciated or even respected. It was a constant battle to get people to respect my experience. This is the exact reason I began painting.

When I paint, it’s mine. It’s untouched by the pressures of my day. It’s my release. I’m able to exercise all of my creative freedom without the worry of who my audience is or why. I’m painting to get out all of the creativity that’s being held back by opinions, rules or messaging. Not every piece will speak to everyone, but there’s always one that will speak to the right person. To understand the magnitude of the reward of exercising your creative freedom, and that outcome being celebrated is indescribable. It’s validation of an achievable peace we’d all like to feel.

I want people to view my work, see my design background in the composition, observe when I learned new techniques as I worked through a piece, feel my love and respect for color and how it relates to emotion, and more importantly, be inspired to find what brings about personal peace while letting it guide you to what could be a beautiful dream come true.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

One of the best things about being alive in the digital age is that actual living artists are celebrated without having to be deceased. Our exposure is worldwide with the click of post. We can share our work on multi-platforms, attract followers, fans of our work and even business opportunities.

I’ve spoken to so many artists who would rather just paint than have to keep up with social posts. We do it to gain notoriety and respect while we are still around to appreciate it and grow past our strengths. But to grow on social media, it takes consistency and effort. I’ll be honest in saying I have days where I just don’t want to give in making social posts and I don’t. I feel like it gives me a sense of control – like saying “I’ll play by your rules for the exposure, but you have to play by mine, too.” And I can find a nice balance by not feeling pressured to stay relevant within the algorithm.

It’s taken me almost four years to grow my Instagram to what it is now. I see artists with 10k, 30k, 80k followers and sometimes it feels like my number isn’t enough. But then I remember that I’m doing this my way, and social numbers don’t reflect all I’m accomplishing and all that I’m receiving back from those experiences. I’d say don’t focus on the numbers. You become a slave to the numbers and you find yourself sacrificing growth and experience for likes.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Sharing in the secrets I’ve learned as a Creative to inspire other is definitely one of the most rewarding parts of being a Creative. If I can inspire one person to take this journey, I feel as though I’ve balanced the scales for being able to use this gift. I can be a bit annoying sometimes, but I’m constantly trying to get people to see where the opportunities for greatness are in their lives. We all have it in us. Most times we don’t recognize it or even have the confidence to pursue it. But it’s in there and if I can be someone to throw someone a shovel to dig it out, I feel more satisfied than selling paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theartistjones.com
• Instagram: @theartistjones
• Facebook: Artist Jones Creations
• Twitter: @theartistjones
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhhq_kPat_moyvLK0aARrA