Return to Childhood Joy | Interview w/ Performance & Visual Artist Jesse Learned
“I love to paint using my intuition and sense of play. I try to nurture a non-judgmental and lovingly curious space for creativity to flow through.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Jesse, a performance and visual artist and Universe Collaborator, who resurrected her childlike wonder and love for creativity after a lengthy hiatus only to find her spirit fully alive and ready to play once more! Connect with Jesse on Instagram @itty.bitty.kitty.pittie Here is Jesse in her own words on the creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to any and all forms of creative expression. My mom says I was born with a paintbrush in my hand, and my favorite things to do as a child were drawing, painting, making up dances to my favorite songs, and pretending. I got into theater in my teen years and that became the outlet for my creative expression for many years of my life. In my late teens and early adult years in the 1990s, I was blessed to become part of a theater group with an incredible mentor, director, and artist, Mario Lescot. One of Mario’s sayings was “all of theater is music and dance”. Mario valued emotions and honest expression over polished and perfect performances. This theater group was the first time in my life where my traits of being emotional and highly sensitive were seen as positive, and even honored. Then I had some years where I lost my creative outlet except for the infrequent occasions where I would find a practical reason to be creative. I would experience so much joy in hand making Valentine’s Day cards with my daughter for her classmates at school or hand painting ornaments during the holidays. I loved being creative but felt like I needed a reason or justification for it. In February of 2021 a close friend of mine (Daniela /@art.shewolf) who is a fantastic visual artist offered a one-time art class focused on self love for Valentine’s Day. She guided us to focus on emotions and to choose colors specifically to express them. She cultivated a space of non judgment and self love. Ironically, immediately after her class, I disliked what I had painted, so I put it away out of my sight. But then I came across it about a week later and it looked entirely different to me. I could see it with fresh eyes. It wasn’t good or bad, it just was. There was so much energy in it. Such strong feelings. I wanted to paint more. My friend’s class awakened my love of painting that had been dormant for years and I have been painting on a pretty regular basis ever since. I feel a lot of gratitude and joy to have that creative flow valve wide open. I love to paint using my intuition and sense of play. I try to nurture a non-judgmental and lovingly curious space for creativity to flow through. Right now I have really been enjoying bright colors and childlike content. Who knows what I will explore in the future? I’m looking forward to finding out. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? Self-criticism, judgment, and comparing my art to others’ are the most common culprits, lurking in the shadows aiming to sabotage my creative alignment and flow. I also used to put off painting or creating for years by telling myself all the things I needed to get done first. Like, I shouldn’t be allowed to paint or create anything that makes a mess until I have gotten all other messes cleaned up everywhere first. I don’t do that as much now. I more often can appreciate, celebrate, accept and embrace the ongoing messiness of life. I have created a little outdoor painting space for myself with a filming set up. I think that helps a lot. And spiritual connectedness. I had a spiritual expansion that happened alongside my reawakening to my love of painting, and I feel so much connection to my ancestors and guides now. I talk to them a lot, I hear back from them in creative ways too. And I talk to myself. I give myself epic best-friend-style pep talks when needed. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? As much as you are able to, commit fully to radical self care and radical self love. Do not compare yourself to other artists in any way that diminishes yourself or your work. Frida Kahlo’s work is so different from Georgia O’Keeffe’s … it makes no sense to compare them, they are each needed to exist in the universe, just as our creative expressions need to exist. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? The day before I became aware of the Awakened Creators community, I got what feels like a spiritual heads up from the universe. I’m a person who loves to paint with bright colors; I focus a lot on color frequency and vibrations, and I tend to notice colors in the world around me. I had this moment at work (I work at a grocery store) where I realized that there were a lot of people shopping in this one small area and that they were all wearing yellow shirts of different shades. I counted 6 of them in yellow shirts, which seemed statistically unusual with no other colors nearby, and as I’m taking this in, a 7th person walks into this little corner area wearing a yellow shirt. It gave me that kind of giddy feeling I get when I realize I might be getting some kind of sign from the universe/my guides. I tend to …
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