Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmin Terrell.
Hi Jazmin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Living in South Carolina is a new experience for me. I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and completed my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts at Iowa State University last year. Most of my life involved a sense of imagination, and I grew up making art with an incredibly supportive family. After graduating from college, I took a break and collapsed from the most intense experience of burnout. My partner received a job offer here in Greenville about 6 months later, and we moved here together at the beginning of the year. Immediately, I fell in love with the area, and I was fortunate to find a studio space in town. After a very slow start, I feel that I have found my groove and am creating art consistently again. As a young person in a new place, I have been so excited to participate in the community and try new things.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have struggled with the process of learning a new town, building connections in a space I am unfamiliar with, and having limited physical space to experiment. As someone fresh out of art school, it is challenging to find what exactly works for my artistic mission. I was an overachiever in college, with several leadership positions and roles. Leaving that community and environment has provided a great challenge. I left behind all the connections I built to move to a new place. Luckily, I have met a few passionate artists who have welcomed me into their sphere. I still find it challenging to break my way into spaces of more experienced and connected artists. Having a limited number of shows and competing with established artists has been a great challenge. I feel that I am breaking through slightly, but then I will get back-to-back rejection letters for events in limited supply. The cost of starting a small art practice has been staggering to a degree. Everything I earn at shows goes immediately back to purchasing more paper, equipment, or supplies. Due to financial obstacles, I am limited to small art festivals and opportunities. To be eligible for more successful art events is a great financial burden in terms of application costs and actual tent equipment. My greatest goal is to have a sustainable business. I am confident that if I had a greater audience, I would be successful, and I have challenged myself to say yes to everything in town. Working on social media can be soul-crushing, and I am grateful for my friends who encourage me to keep trying every day. I know that if I continue to work hard, I will eventually build connections and financial stability. My overall key to success is trying and never giving in to the negative voices in my head. I allow myself to be flexible and change if something is not working, but also persevere with a project even if the initial feedback is not what I hoped.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I graduated from university with a degree in Integrated Studio Arts. I am an interdisciplinary artist and translate my ideas using multiple mediums. Printmaking is my spiritual side, painting is my intuition, and natural color/textile is my intellectualism. What combines all of my art is a sense of whimsy and love for the earth. Telling stories of animals, making fun of humanity, and cherishing color are all elements of my work. I seek to invoke joy and humor by placing animals from back home in ridiculous circumstances. The name of my current body of work is “Nothing Matters,” which is my reaction to the overbundance of stress I faced during my studies and becoming an adult. I decided to free myself from expectations and rules that only I enforce. This exploded into a liberation of creatures in my artwork who represent different shards of frustration. My most cathartic experiences come from satirizing and making fun of what torments me. Whether it is strict gender roles, people in power, or my insecurities, creating humorous stories provides a space for healing. In parallel, I develop natural colors by turning plants into pigments for paints or dying fabric for textile works. This research is ongoing and I hope to meld it together with my other ideas. As an emerging artist, I am continuing to explore and find my way. This year, I have found the most success by creating works of joy and humor, which I hope to continue as long as possible.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
As someone beginning their art career, almost all of my actions can be described as risk-taking. Sometimes I invest in equipment that, regretfully, does not work in my practice. Last year I was able to get a spot in an art festival in my hometown. Spontaneously, I spent a great deal of money on an art display which I only later discovered could not fit in my car. It taught me a great deal about making big mistakes with money. Every time I take a risk, I find myself learning from the experience. Another risk I took was signing a lease for a studio before moving here. It was more important for me to create art and find a community of artists than not liking the space I chose. Risk-taking has taught me to make priorities, and that saying yes opens more doors. Saying no has closed me off from building relationships with people or communities. I continue to push myself to take more risks and try new things even if it makes me uncomfortable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jazminterrelldesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazminterrelldesigns
