Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Reyna.
Hi Jessie, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on the seacoast of New Hampshire, and I’ve been painting and drawing since the age of three. I was raised by a single working mom, so I learned how to entertain myself very early on, and my greatest escape has always been art. As I got older, I knew I wanted art to be a huge part of my life and career, but I was continuously scared away from this profession. There was a constant humming in my ear telling me that there’s no money in art, and it’s a wasted major, and I’ll be in debt for the rest of my life if I pursue this. And to be honest, I had no clue what I wanted to do with art, and at the time, I wasn’t ready for such a long-term commitment so I walked into it blind.
I attended the University of New Hampshire as a drawing major, with a specialty in charcoal, but after my sophomore year, I realized that I was dreading my drawing classes. I didn’t have the freedom to create what I wanted like I did in high school. Everything was so rigid, by the book, and a tad boring. We would work on a still life for a month and then jump right into the next one for the following month. It wasn’t my drawing pace, so I was quickly losing interest in something I once adored. After speaking to a fellow art student, I decided that I didn’t want to lose my love for creating, so I switched my major to Art History. I was back at square one without an idea of what I wanted to do with this major, but I went for it anyway.
Fast forward several years, and in 2017, I was in a rut. I hadn’t really created anything in about six years. I was moving from desk job to desk job, not at all proud about the work I was doing or how I was spending my time. I am not cut out for office work, but I didn’t know how to pull myself out of it. I knew that I needed a change, and luckily, I reconnected with an old college friend who was also experiencing something similar in her own life. We visited Charleston for a few days, but we were on the fence on where to start this new beginning. So, we placed five cities in a hat, and I pulled out Charleston. Within a month, we were moving into our apartment downtown.
My goal for that year was to take as many risks as possible. I took a job as a gallery associate downtown for $10 an hour, and I applied to as many opportunities as I could. I struggled a lot, and at one point, I had about 3 or 4 jobs at the same time just to pay my rent. Over the course of four years, I met and married my husband, temporarily had to move back to NH and then lived in England, and finally came back to Charleston in 2021. I got a great opportunity to work closely with Julia Deckman in her studio, and with that, I’ve learned a lot from her and some lovely Charleston artists along the way. I have a very exciting year ahead and I’m currently working on a solo exhibition to be held at Julia Deckman Studio this upcoming July.
Needless to say, I consider Charleston to be my true soulmate.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! Like every other artist, I get stuck in my own head. Imposter syndrome is real and it’s hard to knock it down. I go through times when it seems like nothing is heading in the direction, I want it to like I’m in a bad dream where I’m running in place. I question myself all of the time, and whether or not I actually fit into this world. Everything around me is constantly changing – I may be a millennial, but I’ve been sensing a shift in my generation that we are starting to struggle to keep up. Social media is changing every single day, and so are artistic style trends. I’ve been programmed to hide behind my screen and wait for things to go “viral” but it’s just not real life. The only thing that has stayed consistent is connecting with people one on one, which is something I’m slowly warming up to.
The hardest part in all of this is tuning out all of the noise, creating what I want in the style I want, and hope it resonates with viewers.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in creating digital illustrations and acrylic paintings. I started my journey with digital art in 2019 when my husband gifted me a drawing tablet for Christmas. With traveling and moving so much, it was hard to consistently have canvases and paint on hand, so I grew to love my tablet because I could take it with me everywhere. It was a challenge because digital art is like its own language I had to learn, so it was a lot of trial and error. I loved the style of illustrations I was creating, and I really wanted to transfer this style onto canvas but had no idea how to do that. Just recently, I’ve begun painting on canvas again, and I use Procreate on my iPad as a rough draft to figure out the colors and position I want before starting.
I am a huge fan of bright, vibrant, and unnatural colors, which is what I think I’m best known for. I’m a lover of pink, turquoise, blue, and purple. I like to see how far I can stretch these colors so you’ll often find my trees are a turquoise green with streaks of pink or orange, and my sidewalk is painted in a light neon purple. If anyone asks why I’ve used such colors because it’s unnatural (which they have), my response is, “Why not?” I feel most proud about my style because it took me a long time to find it, embrace it, and dive into it without fear.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I wish that there was a better support system for artists. I really would have loved brutal honesty, but also encouragement for wanting to make a career out of art. Instead of just saying, “There’s no money in art”, it would be best to give students resources on what they CAN do with art, what kind of opportunities they should be looking for, who to talk to, and how to get there. It’s also important for those starting out to know that it’s a slow process, a lot of rejections, but that one acceptance, even if it only happens once every couple of years, is the most fulfilling.
My best piece of advice is to take risks. Apply to shows, markets, small businesses, etc. Markets have been so important to me because it’s how I meet my customers face to face – they can see my work in front of them and ask me about my process. Small businesses like coffee shops and boutiques are always looking for local vendors to support. Write up exhibition proposals and send them out to establishments who are looking! You never know who’s going to say yes to you – and when it happens, a lot of other opportunities fall right into place.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@jessiereyna.com
- Website: www.jessiereyna.com
- Instagram: @jessiereyna_art
