Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Jen Meyer

Hello, happy February 12th everyone! it's a very special occasion...because it's TAT TIME yay =D

We have a beautiful artist (of course she's beautiful her name is Jen ;) ) with beautiful work today, sit back & enjoy your special 12th of February treat =)

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.

I've been making art of some sort for my whole life. When I was younger I would spend hours coloring which evolved into paper cuttings, paper making, glass mosaics and now illustration, watercolor and most recently painting. It's only been a few years since I started taking things a bit more seriously doing shows and selling my work.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it? 

It's hard to narrow it down to just one thing, because it changes.

Sometimes I don't feel justified to be an artist. A nagging part of me that says I need to have a 'real' job or since I don't have a degree in art I'm not a 'real' artist. When I notice those thoughts I overcome them by reminding myself that lots of people are artists (and even Picasso didn't finish school), I can take classes to expand my skill level any time. Lots people make a living as artists. The world needs art. Art expresses emotions, helps us understand complex ideas, grows us. I also put notes here and there to remind me it's ok when I need it. 

Another challenge I sometimes face is sticking to a schedule. It's easy to distract myself with other things that 'need' to be done first, instead of just getting to work everyday. There are times when a distraction is needed, like when I'm stuck on something and need a break. SO when it gets out of hand I overcome it by setting a timer for certain tasks so I have an allotted time for everything that needs to get done. 

What do you love most / least enjoyable about your art?

most enjoyable/ I love getting feedback from people. I love selling originals. It satisfies my need for approval ;) 

least enjoyable/ marketing myself-I'd rather have someone else talk me up.

What messages do you try to portray in your work and do you feel you achieve it?

Well, my husband and I both became vegan a couple years ago and that has been a big life change for us. We both had the realization that animals are not food and that we do not need to eat animals to thrive. In fact, we have become much healthier since becoming vegan. This change in thinking and life style has inspired and consumed most of my recent work. I feel very compassionate towards animals and the injustice they face in factory farms and other cruel practices in the food and pet industries. I am drawn to bring awareness and light to this area in a gentle, fun and light hearted way. I love spotlighting cute personalities and human-like postures of animals in my illustrations. I want my art to make a sizable difference in the way people think about about their relationship with animals and also with themselves. To help allow people to come back to the love that already exists within them and to stretch their thinking a bit larger and farther than they thought they could. and to smile.

Have I achieved it? 

I don't think it's ever 'achieved' as in a final result, but rather always in the process. So far, many of our friends and family have already had the same realization and become vegan or are reducing their consumption of animals. Each vegan diet saves around 200 animals per year, so I'm estimating at least 2,000 animals have been spared so far. And many people are opening up to the thought 'Why do I eat animals?'. And that is a good place to start because change first comes from within.

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

My web site is jenmeyerart.com. I'd love to hear from everyone, so feel free to drop me a line by your choice of communication: Facebook, twitter, email, blog… I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you so much for your shares Jen, I enjoyed your work very much =D that 'I don't have a degree so I'm not a real artist' nags at me too ~ not that I ever question the fact that I am an artist, I know I am: I have always been, but the fact that I've not been 'trained' gnarls at me a bit. But when I look back at my life I can't regret the choices I've made, if I had studied art then my art would not be anything like what it is now, and who knows...I may have even just stopped doing it altogether - like I did with the things I actually do have qualifications in :/ 

LIFE HAPPENS TO US THE WAY IT DOES FOR A REASON.

IT MAKES YOU WHO YOU ARE...AND WHO YOU ARE IS FABULOUS!!

Would you like to be featured on Tell All Tuesday??

Email me or click the link to find all the details here =)

Much love

Jennibellie