Hi. My name is Jessica and I am an artist.

I’ve been an artist for my entire life and quite frankly I think anyone who is any type of creative, whether you are a performing artist in theater or a musician, whether you paint, or whether you take pictures, are born that way. So, someone who says they became an artist late in life; they’ve always been an artist. Maybe it takes some people longer to discover their talent. And some people chose to develop their talent a little bit more before they reveal it to the world.

I thought, it would be fun to give you a little bit of insight in to an artist’s life.

I started developing my artistic talent when I was in elementary school. I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged me to pursue my passion and put me in art classes. They even allowed me to go to college to be an artist, which is a really bold move.

Why?

It’s really hard to make a living as an artist.

Artists create art or perform or make music, whatever their talent is, for a variety of reasons. Some artists do it to make a statement. Some do it because it relaxes them, it’s their therapy, but I think all artists who choose to pursue art as a career have the end goal of making a living. They want their art seen, they want their art appreciated, they want to be validated that being an artist is worthwhile, worth their time.

And yes, it’s nice to make money at doing it to.

Why am I an artist? I am an artist because I love to make art. It’s very calming for me. There is a satisfaction in making something I feel is beautiful.

I also always try to be true to myself. I hope my artwork is what people want to buy, but I am not going to create art specifically for what might be trending. If the in “thing” is horses, I am not going to suddenly start taking pictures of horses. Right now there seems to be a trend in fluid acrylic pouring art. I am not going to suddenly take up fluid acrylic pouring art because that’s what is on point. And not necessarily where my talents lie. I believe most artists create the art they want to create and then sit around and hope that someone else likes it enough to support them so they can continue to make great art.

I try to be creative every day in some way. I take my camera with me everywhere and I go on photo excursions once a week.

And when I finish a piece I put it out there to the world.

I am also my own marketing department, creative department, and sales force. It takes a lot of time and energy to put your work out there. Yes, we do live in an incredible time where you can have exposure to millions of potential art buyers at one click, but that also increases the competition, because everyone has exposure to millions of potential art buyers at one click.

So, as an artist I look for ways to stand out. I look for ways to get more exposure.

That is one reason I started my art online art gallery, J Mane Gallery, to try to help fellow artists gain exposure. You can view the gallery website here.

I also love when my fans gush about my art (it’s amazing for the ego, so keep it up!!), but here are some great ways you can be supportive of me or any other artist whose work you love:

1. Comment and share the Facebook posts about my art. It is amazing how far a “Facebook” reach can go and then suddenly thousands of potential fans are looking at my work! You can follow me on Facebook here.

2. Consider becoming a patron of the arts on my Patreon site. For as little as a $5 you can get some really cool stuff from me!

3. Buy something from me. I try to make my work available so you can have a little art as part of your every day life, and to fit every budget.

4. Buy something for a friend. The gift giving season is right around the corner. Keep an eye out for my Holiday season gift guides in the next coming months.

Stay golden!

Jessica

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