We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jasmin Pannu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jasmin , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
In the last few years, I’ve been able to bring a degree of confidence into my business and art that has made the whole journey more exciting and rewarding. As an artist coming into the industry with no prior experience, art school, connections or stamp of approval, I needed to use the first few years to prove it, first to myself and then to my clients. What really helped me at the beginning was that I didn’t romanticize my job as an artist, instead I approached it with the same business acumen, grit and work ethic that you would any business. When my taste and what I could imagine producing was leaps and bounds ahead of my actual competency, I didn’t take it personally, I simply continued to show up, and try my hand at it again, and again, and again. Now that I’m able to create at a level that matches my taste and preference, I feel confident in my execution- and at the same time, because I want to continue to grow, I’m deliberately widening the gap by exposing myself to new levels and calibers of artwork that I strive to achieve.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own a full-service Art Studio, specializing in murals and public art for commercial clients. We’ve had the benefit of working with clients such as Nike, Footlocker, UPS, Fritolay, Lancome, Scotiabank, City of Toronto and more. My career has also taken me to Argentina for an Artist Residency, murals painted for the Tourism Center of Carhue and the Department of Human Development in Buenos Aires, the South of France to work with fellow artists in a beautiful village, and soon to Saint Croix to teach and work for the Museum of Caribbean Arts.
The variety that my job as an artist gives me- painting the side of a building one week, digitally designing product art the next, and then teaching art to youth and families- is my absolute favourite part. I am constantly challenged, inspired, and I have so many tangible artworks and projects to show for my effort- it definitely leads to moments of ‘wow, I can’t believe we created all of that.’
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?
1) As best as I can, I don’t take things personally. When a client asks for revisions for example or a different approach entirely, I go back to the drawing board with them, with the intention of co-creating the best art project possible. So many times, because I’ve been open, coachable and receptive, what I’ve been able to create alongside my client is beyond my initial capability and we’ve all come away from the project feeling amazing.
2) My brother and I have built two very different careers- mine as an entrepreneur, and his within corporate. What we do have in common, is a joke we like to say to each other about our work ethics, we’re ‘resilient, like cockroaches.’ No matter how trying the day, or how many small things have gone wrong, I will take a breath, do what I need to do to collect myself, and show up again. That continuity itself is what has helped paint massive 1,200sq ft murals, deliver 18 artworks within 2 weeks, and paint in front of 5,000 people audiences.
3) Specific to art, I invest time and money into exposing myself to the best. I’ve perused museums in Athens, galleries in South Africa, visited the world’s oldest (36,000 year old!) cave drawings in France, and attended artist residencies around the world. By giving myself the benefit of exposure, I am able to aim at ‘world-class,’ knowing that it’s possible.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Having your own business can no-doubt feel overwhelming at times. As my closest friends know, there are times of absolute chaos in my studio- maybe one project is coming due, another’s deadline just moved up, while a third’s requires much more time than originally anticipated. I like to think about those times of intensity as just a part of the game- but of course that doesn’t help so much when I’m in the thick of it. Here are a few things that do help,
-I’ve learned to ask for help, or often, just company and moral support from my people. They’ll come over, we’ll order food and I’ll paint while they hang out. It goes a long way, plus I get to ask for feedback in real time as I’m creating!
-I’m a big reader and writer. So, when I start feeling the weight of too-much in my business, I carve out time to relax and read or to free-script write until I feel lighter, and I always do
-Running is my go-to physical activity, it has been since I was 13years old. So, if you ever see me running long and hard, just know I’m working some things out in my head
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jasminpannu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminpannu
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