We recently connected with Jessica Rodriguez and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose by listening to what gives my heart joy and for me that’s connecting with others through music, art and creative expression. I learned to weave my pain into purpose throughout my own personal healing journey via music, art and self expression. Once you learn to harness that energy it allows you to help empower others to do the same, like passing on a flame that keeps on burning, it’s a beautiful gift to share.
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?
My name is Jessica Rodríguez (Museica) I’m a Mexican-American multidisciplinary artist, educator, cultural events curator and activist from Chicago IL. As a queer, first generation Chicana and gun violence survivor I use my platform to uplift our listeners and raise awareness about the issues impacting our community.
I’m a small business owner, and art instructor with a B.A. in Business Marketing from Northeastern Illinois University. I founded Museica’s Art Studio, a creative space in Bucktown in 2017. It gives me a great sense of purpose to be able to share my passion for arts with others to inspire healing and change.
I’m the singer-songwriter of The Braided Janes, a bilingual Latin alternative trio recognized as a cultural agent of Mexico by the SRE during the international artist conferences in 2021 & 2022 resulting in a national tour with artist collective Corazon Migrante in 2023. We’ve released three albums and two EP’s which are available on all streaming platforms (www.thebraidedjanes.com).
We’re currently working on our new album. Our first single Bésame was released November 2024 and is our first song entirely produced mixed and mastered by women.
Our next show’s are June 26th for the VII annual Dreamers forum and July 12th for the Levitt VIBE Chicago Music series presented by The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago.
On June 27th we’ve teamed up with One Aim Illinois, a gun violence prevention organization to offer a painting workshop for gun violence survivors in honor of Gun Violence Awareness month (www.museica.com)
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The adversities I’ve faced in life taught me to lead with kindness, empathy and love which I consider to be a superpower in this world we live in. Music and art have always had a way of helping me articulate what I couldn’t say. It gives me a sense of healing to release what I feel into something raw and truthful. I started writing my own music to release all the emotions I had within which brought me healing in the process. It was cathartic because I never truly saw myself reflected in the music industry and it feels liberating to hold space for myself and others whom my music resonates with.
It’s important for me to connect with people on a deeper level, to create a safe space for people to be who they truly are and explore their creativity and emotions without judgment because human connection is what it’s all about. The advice I give to those starting out in the music or art industry is don’t force yourself into the mold, be the most authentic version of yourself. Never imitate but admire, never idolize but aspire.
The advice I most give during my painting workshops is that the end result isn’t visible at the start, it takes layers and require you to trust the creative process and yourself. You have to go with the flow and dare to lean into the beauty of your mistakes you have to go at your own pace until you reach the finish line, even if you’re not sure where that finish line is, that’s the beauty in creating, and that’s the beauty of life.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I think it’s important to lean into your strengths and what comes naturally to you but I also think it’s important to improve in other areas you aren’t strong in if they support your goals and dreams. There’s always room for growth, we just have to invest ourselves into what we’d like to learn and make time for it. Consistency is key and that’s always been the case for me from teaching myself guitar to music production (still learning).
I entered the world of cultural curation because I’ve experienced the inequalities of the music Industry first hand and I understand that you can’t always fix a system that wasn’t built with you in mind, you have to make your own way and find your people. I’m fueled by my desire to learn and the fact that women comprise only 18.9% of songwriters and 5.9% of producers (2023 billboard stats). We have a lot of work to do and if I can hold the door open for those experiencing the same thing together we can build a future where we see ourselves in it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebraidedjanes.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/braidedjanes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraidedJanes/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/the-braided-janes-latin-alternative-music-0813b6211
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/braidedjanes
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/theybraidedjanes
- Other: https://linktr.ee/thebraidedjanes
Image Credits
Sarah Larson, Jose Calvo (depends on photos)
