We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Jaynes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
I was raised by a preacher and a teacher. I grew up in a house fuelled by service. My parents were generous with their time and their love. They taught me that the act of giving was the basis of community and a sense of belonging. As a mother and a teacher I share all day. I share my affection and my knowledge, and I work hard to share my love of my subject and my passion for the creative process. I have a strong sense of self. This came from my upbringing but much of it has also come from time. At 52 I know who I am and what I need to thrive. I am confident in my skills. After all I have watched them develop steadily over the decades. This is not something that anyone can take from me. Many artists hold their process and tricks of the trade close. I share everything. If I can help anyone get further, faster I am happy to share my knowledge generously.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a trained artist and educator and hold a BFA and a BEd. I have been teaching High School Art for 27 years and running an art business for the last 8 years. It is not easy doing both simultaneously but the two passions cross pollinate each other wonderfully.
I love the soft beauty and texture of classical drawings and the loose, misty, colourful style of street art. I love building texture and depth in charcoal and the fast and free abandonment of spray paint. I am inspired daily by the beauty of the Eastern Ontario landscape and often paint the flora and fauna that I see on my travels by road and water.
The places I spend my time are not just spots on a map. They are communities of people that I love, past memories and memories to come, the sound of birds and the wind in the trees, the glimmer of early morning sun on the river. I relish the challenge of capturing these special qualities in my work and sharing them with others.
My business focuses on providing unique, affordable art and prints to the art market between expensive art galleries and big box stores. Recently, I have started working on corporate commission and licensing my work for print and merchandise.
I am most proud of the fact that my business has been built around my needs and not around the business model of others. I am open by chance or by appointment because that is what works for my schedule. I am not gallery represented because I do not wish to have constraints put on where I show or how much I make off of my art. I do not do anything that I cannot sell three times. Everything I do is digitized for printing and for licensing.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Curiosity
I am endlessly curious. I soak up new tech and new techniques. I have trouble focusing on one subject or one style because I am constantly seeing something shiny and new around the corner. Because I chase my curiosity I have amassed an incredible amount of knowledge and skill over the years. In fact, it was astounding to me the skill I had collected teaching for two decades when I decided to pursue my own art. I did a little, everyday in the classroom and it really added up. The other wonderful thing that has come from this curiosity is a wide style and subject range and some pretty unique techniques. While I have found myself envious of artists with a tight style, my range makes me perfect for wholesaling and licensing because clients have a lot of choice in me.
Thrive in chaos
I thrive in chaos. I do not need a clean, quiet environment to do my thing. In fact, one of my favourite places to create is in a busy environment. Teaching prepared me for this. This means that I can draw and paint pretty much anywhere. So I get a lot done, fast. I love painting live and I have no issues painting in the large window at my studio. People often stop to watch. I think the process of creation is magical and I am happy to share it.
Strong work ethic
I started my business in my 40’s. By this time I was well into a teaching career, I had raised three children, and I had a strong understanding of who I was and what I needed to thrive. And I needed an outlet. I needed to get moving on my own work instead of waiting for retirement. I had too many examples in my life of people who had held off living and chasing their dreams for too long. It is hard to carve out time for yourself when you are a wife, mother and teacher. There are so many people taking pieces of you all day long. So I removed myself physically from them and I rented a studio. This turned out to be the best gift I could give my kids and my students. They got a happier me and they all got to see me build something successful from the ground up. I like to think that this will give them the nerve to chase their own dreams. I work long hours, but I am doing what I love.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
At the moment I am loving creating custom artwork for interior decorators and for corporations. The challenge of meeting a clients vision is very exciting. Restaurants are especially fun. I recently completed a sleeping male lion in a kilt for new restaurant in my hometown. I dream of having my nature art on outdoor products. Eastern Ontario is so beautiful and her flora and fauna deserve to be seen. I am also very interested in working on the development of curriculum for art education in schools, old age homes, and the special needs community. I adore sharing my passion for art and I have seen first hand how the creative process can transform lives.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.sarahjaynes.com
- Instagram: @sarahjaynesart
- Facebook: @sarahjaynesart
- Other: Artwork Archive https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/sarah-jaynes
Image Credits
I, Sarah Jaynes, own the full copyright to every one of these images.
