We were lucky to catch up with Jules Gissler recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jules, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I continue to go forward without another thought. To me, there is no standing still. I think when I’m in tough spot, I know I don’t want to stay there, and the only way to get out of it, is to move forward. There have been so many times in my life I would label as “tough”, and I didn’t realize until recently, it was creating with my art or writing that moved me from that tough spot to something brighter. Whether it was for myself personally by creating it, or having a positive response from others. When I create my art or writing, I’m not only giving to myself, but giving to others, so there is a bounty of good in it all. I guess I am resilient by intuition, if that makes sense.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My art & writing is about joy & connection. I use several mediums; acrylic, colored pencil, ink, hand-painted collage, gouache, pastels, charcoal, and if I run across something else that seems fun to use, I’ll try it. Using each one is a different experience for me. There is something magical when I’m drawing with colored pencil on paper. I use a lot of pressure and so I feel what I draw. The collage I hand-tear instead of cut, which makes it more organic looking. Painting is capturing my interpretation of what I’m creating.
I do the same with what I create. I love flowers in pots, quirky women, the furry kids, desserts, & abstracts. Of course, with the furry kids there is an immediate connection because these are commissioned paintings, but I like to add other elements to their connection, such as putting them in pajamas, a Hawaiian shirt or bowtie. Whatever portrays their personality. I also do a personal title up the side of the canvas and over the top. The women, it’s about the short story I include on the side of the canvas, and how I paint them. I never paint a whole body. It is from the shoulders up. It’s because it’s more personal, as if you are standing near them. The desserts, well almost everyone likes a dessert, and the flowers just are happy. My abstracts are more involved, because there is more to interpret.
And then there are my stories. I love writing quirky, short stories, mostly about women, and sometimes add a bit of romance. A lot of the time, I don’t know where these come from…they just want to be written on paper.
I’m expanding my pet portrait commissions even more across the states, instead of just local clients, which is fun. I also have a collaboration with a shoe company that I’m very excited about. I just learned the launch date will be June 5th. Watch for more information on my website, and Instagram, if you are interested in purchasing some cool-ish sandals! 🙂
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Definitely playing with new apps & programs that might add to your creativity. Being involved with a group, or a couple of artists, where you can show work, bounce ideas, make recommendations, or just vent on those off-days. Taking classes from time to time, even something that’s just for fun like ceramics or cooking. For me, what I found especially important is grounding myself in nature, walking or hiking with my dog, or running. It’s my meditation and where ideas, what colors to use, or my stories spring up. This may be a 4th, but also most importantly, is creating what gives you that zingy-zang in your heart. ( I like making up words!)
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I would love to collaborate with someone with my furry kids on a larger level, and have some of the proceeds go to help with adoptions. I also would like to do something with my quirky women and their short stories, maybe a book, gallery show, or home decor. Also, I don’t exactly which product I would put it on, but I love doing the hand-painted, hand-torn collage, and the texture of it all, and think it would be great on a product. If interested in collaboration, I can be reached through my website: www.julesgissler.com, email: jules@julesgissler.com or instagram: @julesAgissler
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.julesgissler.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/julesAgissler
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julesGisslerArtist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Jules-Gissler
