Meet Jesse Peña

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jesse Peña. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I think at first glance I give the impression of being optimistic and day-brightener. I think that coming from a hard background made me look for the good things in life. Growing up in a very conservative surrounding forced me to hide myself, be considered “shy”, and felt the pressure of trying to fit in a “mold” where I did not fit. Traveling, meeting new people, and depending on myself taught me it was okay to ask for help, to create community, and to open up more to those close around me. It was through those hardships that I found the joys of day-to-day life, where I also understood that it was okay not to be okay. I hope my art softens the hardships of early adulthood and brightens the day-to-day lives of dreamers and those young at heart, bringing joy and positivity, even in a fast-paced, late-stage capitalistic world.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

After moving to Belgium during confinement, my process of adapting to a new country felt sudden and overwhelming. It was during a time where it was impossible to have direct human contact. I missed my life back in New York (where I had recently graduated from). Coming back to the good and nostalgic memories through art, sketches, illustration, and just different media in general made my adapting process smoother. It was during the pandemic that I could finally take the time to find myself as well as my artistic voice: this is how my brand Tulip Art Cafe was born. My art focuses on bringing together those who struggle with mental health, identity, and adapting to new situations.
For the last three years I focused on making illustrated products of my brand: stickers, prints, tote-bags, keychains, as well as other accessories and stationery, and since Fall 2023 I have been a full-time vendor at Artist Alleys conventions and creator markets such as Made In Asia, Comic Con, and Facts Belgian Comic Con, among others during weekends. During the week I offer mentoring and art classes for aspiring artists and illustrators who want to make their artistic career their full-time job.
Since February 2023 I started organising local artsy meet-ups along with my associate Fasu, where we created the Artist Coworking Brussels. The purpose of these meetings was to bring together local artists and creatives in the artistic field to discuss freelance and business, share resources, and create community. It quickly expanded to Liège and Luxembourg. Paris and Osaka will be added to our list as well. These meet-ups inspired us to organise the first edition of the Brussels Illustration Festival at La Bourse in Brussels. Our purpose was to bring together local artists, give visibility to illustrators, provide educational workshops, and invite locals and internationals to the newly renovated Stock Exchange building. We are currently looking into becoming a non-profit organisation for our second edition.

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?

I think three qualities that were the most impactful would be: creating healthy habits, trying everything and prioritising, and finding my ideal client. Let me explain:
Creating healthy habits was what made me get a better drawing skill. During confinement I made myself a challenge: set up an alarm to draw for 30 minutes every weekday first thing in the morning. It didn’t matter what I drew that day, I just had to draw “something”. This habit transitioned from drawing lines and circles into faces, landscapes, still life, and more. It made me focus on the practice aspect rather than the finished result. I think this can apply to any business: dedicate a set time or schedule different aspects such as finance, client calls, etc. and show up. The little bits of here and there truly add up, and it gives you a structure that works around your own schedule while improving a specific skill or managing goals.
By trying everything and then prioritising, this is what I mean. If you know you want to improve drawing, try drawing different things. I started out making polymer pins, then painting coasters, and making needle-felt ornaments. This helped me realised I was more of a surface designer rather than a crafter. I preferred to use my illustration and have someone else manufacture my finished product. By trying everything I was able to differentiate the process and learn my strengths and weaknesses in making products. This can apply to businesses in general: try everything, prioritise what you like to do and are good at, and learn to delegate those tasks that seem more difficult.
Finally, find your ideal client. When I was trying to take illustration seriously, I was drawing aimlessly and posting it on social media, hoping to be one of those “Instagram famous artists”. I did not have a niche, so even me I did not know who I was creating for. It was not until 2023 that I did a client study where I could visualise my ideal client. I do strongly recommend businesses to do these studies: if your client was a gingerbread man, what would be her name? what are her hobbies? where does she work or study? All sellable products already exist, so what makes your brand stand out and how does it help others? Once you figure out your ideal client, sales will eventually come naturally.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I think it is better to go all in on our strengths and delegate those areas that are difficult for us. I personally tried to manage tedious tasks, such as doing my finances. I knew I did not like to do them, so I would push them away to not think about them. This would eventually cause me even more stress, and I would feel too overwhelmed to do them. I decided it was best for me to delegate the task to an organisation that would do these for me. This gave me so much more peace of mind and freedom, giving my more headspace to create. I think it is important to learn our own boundaries and ask for help when we need it instead of spiralling. That way things can work out smoothly and give us more space to focus on our own priorities.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tulipartcafe/
• Other: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/tulipartcafe
  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tulipartcafe