We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jena Collins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jena below.
Jena, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Trials against societal standards, wearing confidence as armor, building yourself up and tearing yourself down before another can do it worse. If I was to rewind to my youth, confidence and self-esteem where paired down to the don’t mess with me girl after the days of being bullied, and I’m not here to deal with inconsequential emotional drama. Then there’s this moment when instead of looking into the tiny window of adolescence, one see’s the world. To see if I fit in, then you realize why did I want to fit in? Why did I tear myself down first?
It was easier to blend in. It was easier to know your own faults first, so when another person said them, you were prepared. And then there’s a moment when you gain the guidance of those wiser, expand past one viewpoint to multiple, find others just like you, and those that cherish you more than you at times cherish yourself.
I realized then I never wanted to blend in again, tame me. I transitioned to look at myself from a different perspective and self-love and adopted a new mindset. I embraced that I’m not perfect, therefore it’s time to not shy away from being uniquely me.
Honesty. Time. Wisdom. Vulnerability.
Cliche’. Something you hear from those that have walked up hill to school both ways, but none the less, true. It took years to find my confidence in myself and my work. I would love to say I was born fierce, and while I had strong qualities that I wore like armor, it’s the experiences and growth I embraced that helped me find my inner self-esteem and confidence.
I learned that confidence no longer has to be armor in a world so loud. That both confidence and self-esteem can be fluid, quiet, forever developing with each new stage in life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
There are those who know the path in which they follow, and for myself professionally, arts have always called my name. I cultivated my passions in the arts in my younger years, earned my Bachelors in Fine Arts 2-D drawing and painting, my Masters in Art Education K-12, I freelance as an artist/book cover designer, and I’m furthering my education by pursuing a certification of graphic design at the Rhode Island Institute of Design.
As an artist and designer, I’m honored to work with my clients and create one-of-a-kind masterpieces that embrace their storyline. My style leans to the bolder side in colors, however I do emphasize my clients’ desires while noting market trends. I’m absolutely delighted about my current path with obtaining my graphic design certification at the Rhode Island Institute of Design. This will enable me to open more avenues in the creative industry, while also expanding skill set for freelancing cliental.
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?
Determination, an open mindset, and integrity.
Be honest with yourself on the direction you are taking in the development of yourself personally and your career. Understand the timeframe, dedication, and work that goes along with your path. It’s easy to look at a creator and think they had a natural ability to make amazing pieces, when it took years to acquire the skills. There are no easy roads in life to develop one’s self, determination is one link in the chain that will help you improve your skill sets and achieve success.
Also, critiques are part of the art world. The faster you acquire an open mindset to analyzing feedback, the better you will be in understanding others viewpoints. It doesn’t mean you have to always agree, instead that you understand their perspective.
How you can improve? How a work could be misunderstood? This works hand in hand with clients and life in general. We never grow out mindsets by only viewing on perspective.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Some call it the a mid life crisis, this point when you question your choices in life. For me it was the transition of stepping out of being a full time mother, to now forging my career path. That huge question of what do you want to be when you’re grown up?
The question is daunting when you’re a kid, I know I’ve had talks with my own kids on the subject. As an adult it’s terrifying when reentering the career world. Realization of my career goals with freelancing and rediscovering my passion of the arts was my epiphany of the year.
We are never too old to realize our goals, to strive for new directions. While I’ve always known the art world was my home, realizing my direction once again was inspiring. Which is why I’m now enrolled at the Rhode Island Institute of Design to earn my certification in graphic design.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jenarcollins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenarcollins/
