We recently connected with Jelly and have shared our conversation below.
Jelly, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I’m usually a pretty content, positive person so that’s helped with having lifelong degenerative, very painful and debilitating autoimmune conditions. But it hasn’t been easy at all, life has been very restricted due to my body and there have been times where I have been housebound. I’ve been on weekly chemotherapy and biological drugs since a child which I am leaving behind now thanks to holistic medicine, I’m not 100% there yet and it’s been a process of many years but feel I’m on path. Like most sick or disabled people I have experienced traumatic devaluing attitudes and gaslighting, even worse when it comes from someone you know. That along with the physical pain and upset of missing out at a time when your peers are experiencing work/ education/ social/ fun can send you one way or the other, resilient or completely broken. But trust me a person who appears resilient can also be broken inside. Back then even being academic and artistic didn’t help entering the workplace as I was too sick, but I found a feeling of connectiveness in music and raves which always raised my vibrations. However now, holistic medicine and practices such as meditation have changed my way of life, engaging parts of my brain previously suppressed by meds and I would not be painting without this holistic direction, let alone crafting a career from my artwork. I am grateful to have met some amazing people along the way. The future feels bright.
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?
I’m a London based street artist known for painting vibrant feminine figures with supersized eyelashes with positive messages of love such as You Are Enough and highlighting issues of injustice such as MMIWG (missing and murdered indigenous woman and girls) and Palestine. As Nina Simone said; “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.”
It’s lovely to have had some really positive messages from the public who have said my murals spoke to them and helped them through a difficult day. I especially love to see children connecting with my artwork and have given several career talks in schools. Last year a mural I painted for Black Icons: Brockley Max festival really touched the public. It was of Rosamund Adoo Kissi Debrah in memory of her 9yr old daughter Ella who died from air pollution, Rosamund is such a strong woman who despite her tragedy, proactively campaigns for clean air today. Graffiti and street art allows such figures and powerful messages to transcend the community. A type of media if you like, but a more honest one which truly reflects what society is feeling.
Personally, music is a huge influence and I’ve been blessed to work with legends such as DJ Mantra painting an anniversary mural for the club night Rupture in London. Then DJ Billy Daniel Bunter, who had championed my graffiti for a while, invited me as a regular at the epic Rave Story event and commissioned me to design four vinyl album covers on behalf of himself, DJ Vibes, Arkyn, Dwarde and Sanxion. Last summer I was also commissioned to paint live at Stormzy’s festival and though the segment got pulled last minute, it was nice to be asked! So far for 2024 starts with another music related commission at a UK music arena. Painting on the streets has led to a varied career, from murals for restaurants, bars, festivals, brands, to immersive art events, schools, vulnerable groups and I also paint with WOM, an all female collective. However compared to most artists, I do have to be selective and spread painting out until the day my health is 100% which can be very frustrating. Painting for myself is still at my core, I find it almost meditative hanging painting with my friends who are kind, amazing artists. Sometimes I think it’s crazy that this new life all came about from changing my approach to my health situation. I have been blessed to have painted across London, Bristol and Mexico City and have had my art on the streets and exhibitions in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Naples.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1 Don’t overthink: Work hard but don’t overthink it. I feel over strategizing can result in being further from your goal or worse, mimicking someone else’s path.
2 Be true to yourself: I find the universe responds best when you are true to yourself following your passions.
3 Have fun: You’ve got one life so live it. Especially if you are early on in your career this is the best time to experiment and have fun, and you could end up carving your own niche without even realizing it
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I’ve realised over recent years that if you feel overwhelmed about anything in life it’s probably a sign you need to slow down and take some time out. For me stress shows very obviously in my health and my body starts to ‘scream’, Nowadays we are constantly stimulated by social media, emails, texts or fomo. Stop and take space to do something that stimulates you in a more organic way, go for a walk, listen to music, meditate and usually a solution pops into your head or sometimes simply your mind reasseses and downgrades the stressful situation. Ultimately we all do it but don’t be too hard on yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jellyjartist.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jellyjartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jellyjartist
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jellyjartist
Shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JellyJArtist
Image Credits
Profile image: Richard Gough
