Passioneer:
Someone who loves the talents & gifts they have been bestowed & strives
to become the best when it comes to sharing those talents & gifts with others.
This month’s Passioneer is my daughter, Jessica Smith.
JESSICA, WORKING ON A BANNER FOR A FAMILY EVENT
Jessica is a local artist and culinary student in Richmond,
Virginia.
Below are just a few of pieces of Jessica's artwork (see more on Instagram @expressivedelights)
SUMMER CHILLIN'
MEDIUM: PAPER ON BOARD
SUNBURST
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
MOON CHILD
MEDIUM: CHALK ON PAPER
THE BIRDS
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
PEPPERS
MEDIUM: OIL ON CANVAS
Please take the time to peak into the mind of this
very passionate artist:
-1-
Eclectic Bouquet:
How did your childhood attribute to you becoming an artist?
Jessica: I
guess because I was always able to express myself freely without anyone putting
too many limitations on my creativity. And
I’m coming from a creative family… writers and artists and crafters…that kinda
influenced me to express myself in those different ways as well.
-2-
EB:
What are some of your other passions?
J:
I think that all of my passions have to do with art in some kinda of way. Like visual
arts and culinary arts. I like music a
lot. I like praying which I guess isn’t an art form, but it kinda is. I’m passionate about helping others to see the
potential within in themselves. Trying to make them find their passion and see
their passion too.
-3-
EB:
Usually, the skills acquired to fulfill a person’s passions are either,
natural, learned or a mix of both. How
would you describe how you acquired your artistic skills?
J:
I think that partially they were natural but I think that everyone has an
artistic ability, but you have to learn how to hone those crafts and how to keep
them alive. I always think that since we
were made in God’s image, he made us all
to be creative people because he’s the creator and he made us in his image. So
people just have to learn how to keep that alive and not let the daily stresses
of life overshadow what they were born with. But I think that in order to fine
tune stuff you have to learn from people, from experiences or from places. It’s
always a learning experience.
-4-
EB:
When did you decide that art (culinary & aesthetic) was what you wanted to
do for a living?
J: Probably when I was 7. That’s when I knew
that I wanted to be an artist. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do it for a
living. But I’ve always liked to draw and create things. But I think that when I was really into school,
I got to see different aspects of art from teachers, so it kinda exposed me to
another side of being artistic and not just drawing, you know…that there’s painting and cooking. I think Ms Whitesell’s (elementary school teacher) class
kinda influenced me a lot…showing me that I can do things like that for a
living, she exposed me to a lot of different career options.
-5-
EB:
How long has art been a “money-maker” for you?
J:
A week (laughter). That’s when I got my first art sale. It was always something
that I knew could do to make money, but
I hadn’t really put myself out there at first, and once I started exposing my
artwork to other people, then they saw that I actually had an artistic talent
and they wanted me to do art for them.
-6-
EB:
Would you do this for free if you were wealthy and did not have to work?
J:
Yes
-7-
EB: Why did you choose
Expressive Delights as your branding?
J:
I chose that because I think that when you express yourself in front of other
people it brings joy into people lives to see
how colorful your personality is. They may only know one part of you,
but when you are expressing yourself through the arts you can show different sides of yourself and
its delightful when people can see that you’re doing what your passionate
about. Just being yourself. I think
Expressive Delights was a good name for someone who is learning how to express
themselves in different ways.
-8-
EB: If someone saw a
sticker/sign/flier/t-shirt with just Expressive Delights on it and they had no
idea what it was for and asked, “Hey, what is that?” What do you hope the answer would be?
J:
I would hope that the answer would be to be 'the ability find your passion or
express through your passion'. It doesn’t have to be with art or whatever I’m
doing, it could be anything. If you wanted to be a doctor and you express yourself
through helping other people to get better or get well, then I think that’s an
Expressive Delight too. You make people
happy after doing that because you are
passionate about it. If you aren’t passionate about it and you just doing it for
the money, then it’s not an Expressive Delight because you are not going to be
making anyone happy, really you’re just
gonna be doing it because you feel like it’s what you need to do at the time.
-9-
EB: Give
me some one-word emotions that you would like for your customers to feel when
you have provided them with a piece of
art or a finished culinary product.
J:
Passion. Joy. Happiness. Soulful. Beause
I want it to be Food for their soul.
-10-
EB: Is there one piece of art
or dish that sticks in your mind and makes you
swell with pride when you think of it?
J: Probably the piece I made for (my former
boss), because when I sent it to him, he said that he was having a bad day and
it kinda made him feel better when he received it in the mail. So that’s what
it’s all about. That made me feel good. It made me realize that people actually
do appreciate when people do things for them.
-11-
EB: What
advise do you have for young, aspiring artist or culinary artist?
J: If
their heart isn’t all the way in it, then they should’nt do it. But if they do
feel that this is the career path for them, then they should’nt let anything
get in their way.
-12-
EB: What are some of
your future goals?
J: I want to own a café that has an art
gallery connected to it. Where local artists can hang their art work for free
and gain exposure. And not just visual artists, but performing artists can come
and sing and do spoken-word you know just kinda express themselves. I want to
have a community gathering place where
people can share their passion with everyone, just as I share my passion with
them.
EVEN JESSICA'S PALLETS ARE BEAUTIFUL!
WOODEN PAINTER'S PALLETTE
GLASS PAINTER'S PALLET
