Meet Jennifer Kahn Barlow

We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Kahn Barlow recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, 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?
What a thought-provoking question! I don’t believe that at any point in one’s life confidence and self-esteem are fully developed. As individuals, we are always growing and changing and with that confidence and self-esteem are constantly developing. As a child I was extremely quiet and shy, I vividly remember asking my best friend in first grade to approach a group of kids for me to ask if they would play with me. My own voice was very unsure and anxious. As I aged and sat with the heartache of learning I was not an athlete and would not rock any mathematics competitions, I gradually found what I liked to do and where my talents lay.
As one continually shows up, perfects their craft, and keeps sharing their skills to the world, hopefully positive feedback occurs and with that confidence and self-esteem grow. I have been a professional artist for almost 15 years now and every experience I have had, even if I failed miserably, has taught me a lesson in which I can then build my confidence and self-esteem.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist who loves to paint food subjects in oil paint! It took me a decade to figure out why I love food as my subject matter, especially bold, vibrant, and gooey desserts, and the message was buried in my childhood memories. During childhood holidays, my mom and grandmother would make us all hungrily wait at the table until after they took photos (IN FILM) of the food, to praise themselves on how gorgeous and colorful the food looked, after hours of toiling in the kitchen and as a memory for later.

Food, especially sweets, are central to my message of joy. Food nurtures us, connects us, elicits memories, and are works of art in their own right. In this fast paced world we devour before we really look at the beauty, design, and craftsmanship of our foods. I want to invite the viewer to slow down and savor life’s sweetness.

As world politics become darker by the day and there seems to be so much hate and suffering around us, I have been thinking about what each person can do to be more generous and kind. My love language to others is to give gifts, especially sweets. Sweets have this implicit intention to make a person happy. How excited are you to see a box of chocolate truffles or a bowl of jelly beans? My recent project is painting boxes of candy or pastries. There are no calories in viewing works of art inspired by candy/cookies/chocolates, but there is still all of the sweetness and cheer. The world needs more 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) You have to like what you are doing. Let’s be honest, if you don’t like what you do, you will not show up. 2) Willing to be open and learn from others. Even if you think another person might not have something to offer you, you will be surprised. Every time I listen to a podcast or watch a video and think, “I am not going to get anything out of this,” I prove myself wrong. An open mind makes life more interesting. 3) Just keep doing the work, over and over. I have painted hundreds of French Macarons and will probably paint hundreds more, because I know I can always improve on the next work. I never have finished (or will finish) and say, “That is the perfect Macaron, I am done.” I think this advice is not special to a creative life, it is JUST SHOW UP and DO THE WORK. Grit counts for a lot.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My challenge lately is how to nicely blend the need for social media for my art career and my mental health. By nature I am a jealous person. It is hard to go onto social media and see another artist that sold a painting or got into a show or seems to produce a prolific amount of work and not compare myself.  From there, I mentally spiral downward. It is something I have been working on my whole life and honestly, my yoga practice has helped a great deal with this. On my yoga mat, it is just my practice, others next to me are stronger and/or more flexible, but when I think about my practice 6 months ago until now, I can see the progress. I am trying to embody that with my art practice and career. Art is subjective and there is room for everyone in this world to share their art. I am learning to stay in my own lane.

 

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