Meet Jen Montgomery

We recently connected with Jen Montgomery and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?

My dad dying. I have always been fortunate to have vision, but when my dad lost his battle with melanoma when I was 17, my commitment to building a creative life became rock solid. He encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and I made a silent promise to him that I would. Much like a mid-life realization, I had the awareness as a teenager that life can be short, and I had a deep knowing of how I wanted my life to be. Whenever I have faced a challenge, encountered a naysayer, experienced a setback, or battled imposter syndrome, I put my blinders on, kept focused on my vision, and continued moving in the direction of my dreams. While I would trade my dedication in a heartbeat to have him here, the self-discipline I developed is a gift from the clarity gained through losing a parent at a young age.

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 versatile designer and artist specializing in book design, branding, and botanical illustration. With a graphic design degree from Art Center College of Design (2005), my journey includes roles at Disney and as a Senior Art Director for Meat and Potatoes, contributing to projects for Taco Bell, SKYY Vodka, Neil Diamond, and more.

Now, as an independent creative, I focus on book design, branding, and illustration for clients like W.W. Norton, Top Secret Recipes, Amazon (via Uspech), and Sammy Hagar. I bring a rare blend of left-brain strategy and right-brain creativity, collaborating closely with clients to elevate their vision from my broad palette.

In addition to client work, I also create self-directed botanical paintings. Some of my personal artwork has made its way into major retailers like Michaels and Walmart through art licensing.

If you’re seeking a collaborative partner who combines strategic insight with a diverse creative approach, reach out and Let’s Create Together!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

  1. A dedication to your craft. I do this by always having a self-directed creative project in the works. It’s important to stay devoted to curiosity and give yourself the space and freedom to create solely for creative expansion. Not everything needs to be monetized.
  2. A commitment to become great at managing your time. Improve time management with the Pomodoro Technique—work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, enjoy a 15-30 minute break. This helps you understand task duration for accurate estimates. If you tend to be obsessive, use the technique selectively and transition away when necessary.
  3. An intention to manage your energy. Once you have a handle on time management, focus on energy management. Take note of your most and least creative and productive times, the activities, situations, and people that energize or drain you. Then start being intentional about how you are using your energy. Shifting from time to energy usage creates a paradox: suddenly, you have more time.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
By far, the most impactful book I have read is “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She has such a gentle way of addressing all the excuses that keep creative people stuck. Gilbert’s view on creativity as intuitive, spiritual, and something outside of ourselves really took a lot of pressure off and helped me recognize which ideas and opportunities I am most aligned with. It also motivated me to build the discipline to see an idea through before it loses its magic. I run my business and create my work in a very intuitive way because of this book. Three of my favorite quotes from the book are:

  • “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to discover those jewels—that’s creative living.”
  • “If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.”
  • “Something is carrying me along—something powerful and generous—and that something is decidedly not me. You may know this feeling. It’s the feeling you get when you’ve made something wonderful, or done something wonderful, and when you look back at it later, all you can say is: ‘I don’t even know where that came from.’You can’t repeat it. You can’t explain it. But it felt as if you were being guided.”

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