Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jen Sterling.
Hi Jen, 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.
There are those artists who have known they were artists since birth.
That was not my path. I always loved and appreciated art, but my father was an academic, so my focus in school was always more “serious.” I headed off to college thinking I was going to be a genetic engineer or a lawyer. Then, I took a basic typography design class to fulfill a general requirement. My world changed.
There was an aspect of art (design) that I could actually do for a living and get paid. Mindblowing.
I spent 30 years in design and branding. I built three companies over that time and loved the work I was doing. However… the more time I spent in client relations and building the companies, the less time I was actually creating. So, I started to paint on the side as my creative outlet.
Eventually, the work my company was doing was less about design and more about marketing, social media, etc. I just couldn’t find my passion in it anymore. So, I made the choice to sell my firm. I interviewed several potential buyers and ended up selling it to a member of my staff. It allowed the firm and the team to continue building their futures in the way we had mapped out. And I left to paint.
Despite COVID doing its best to derail me, I have been building a full-time fine-art practice for almost 4 years. My business and branding background has come in quite handy. I have loved every single minute so far and can’t wait to see where it goes!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I often joke with fellow entrepreneurs that you haven’t really made it in business until you have failed at least three times. I don’t think that you have learned all of your life lessons or learned to appreciate the good parts until you go through all of the drama, stress, and emotions of your failures.
I learned so much from each one… lessons in self-confidence, people management, financial management, trust, etc. As much as I hated the pain and strife each caused in my life… I am only where I am today because of them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create colorful abstract paintings. My work uses highly saturated colors and energetic strokes to express a range of emotions. The resulting paintings inspire the viewer to be bold and enthusiastically live their life in full color.
Friends describe me as vibrant, passionate, and creative; those words apply to my art as well. Creating expressive abstract work that is fluid, that inspires energy and excitement, vitality and confidence.
I work primarily with acrylic paint and mixed media such as paper, fabric, wood, and plastic. I use brushes, palette knives, my fingers… whatever is at hand. Some pieces flow forth in a matter of hours. Others are built over several weeks, evolving from fragments of imagination to energetic expressions of my experiences, dreams, or aspirations.
There is nothing bland about my work. I don’t play it safe. My art should ignite the same excitement I felt when painting it. If my work helps someone start the day with a zing, stirs a fond memory, or refreshes the senses, then I’ve succeeded.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
The “great pause” of the Covid pandemic made me stop and assess my life and choices. I knew I wasn’t happy in my work prior to Covid, but I couldn’t define what it was exactly, and I was nowhere near doing anything about it. Then, the forced break made me realize that the craziness that my life had turned into was what was making me so unhappy.
I had crammed my schedule full of a ton of meetings, calls, volunteering, obligations, etc. I had left no time for myself or my family. Being able to take the time during Covid to break that down and then to rebuild it in a way that brought me pure joy was an incredible opportunity. I doubt I would have made those changes had Covid not opened that window for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jensterling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jensterlingart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jensterlingart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jensterling/
Image Credits
Mary Gardella and Alison Harbaugh
