Daily Inspiration: Meet Jessie Green

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Green.

Hi Jessie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 

Some of my earliest core memories were of me sitting alone in the bedroom I shared with my sister. Being the youngest child and extended family member, I didn’t have any cousins or siblings my age to play with. So I turned my attention to something I could control – creating art. I was so happy to make things. 

I remember teaching myself to draw a star for the first time, a dog, or even correctly making the letter “e.” All these things made my blood race and excitement boil over. I never had anyone to show it to, but that didn’t bother me as a child. Art became much more than an image as I grew. I would sometimes use little card books to convey to my mother that I was upset or tell a friend how much I loved them. At one point, everyone in my family began asking me what I would do with my life -and I said, “I’m going to be the best artist.” They immediately raced to squish my dream out of protection. They wanted me to do something that was a “guaranteed success.” My family persisted with trying other alternatives to being an artist, but It only made me rebel more. 

I flew through schooling, graduated, and went straight to college for art. I often asked myself as a child, what would happiness look like in the most simple term? To that, it was just being able to draw. Because to me, that was all I had sometimes. To fast forward, I took a few years off after graduating from KCAI in 2018; while I loved what I learned, my brain was legit mush for a year afterward. It never occurred to me to stop creating, so even though I didn’t use my hands as I wanted for over a year, eventually it came back to me. People wanted to see my work, they wanted to support it, and they wanted to support me. It was like being welcomed back to a place that so desperately needed you. Since coming back and having a solo show, the creative world here in KCMO has been so welcoming. I went from being someone from Kansas who never really got support to having people across this city know my work. It’s humbling and inspiring. If I can do anything to get folks moving and see what’s out there, then it’s a good day for me. 

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

It’s been tough getting here; one thing I often wished for while growing up was having more support from my family and those from home. You’ll always carry home with you even if you don’t want to. So it hurt me for years that those people didn’t show up for me in any capacity. But, sheesh, am I one strong person now! I don’t bat an eye at those things because they helped me have tough skin. I’d put on a show anywhere with anyone if I got to. Without blinking, I know what to do, and that my work is important to show to people regardless of who they are. I can stand alone in a room full of work and feel powerful because I made it happen. Another huge obstacle was going to a college full of rich people as a poor high school graduate. They don’t give you enough credit for “figuring it out” when you can’t afford materials, so I became an“engineer”. To this day, I am grateful for it because I always will figure it out. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work? 

I want to call myself an Illustrator/interdisciplinary artist – Illustrator first because illustrations have always been a love and are what got me to this point in my life. I specialize in Illustration, Fine art, Large scale paintings and murals, digital work, 

and fiber/design. As an artist, I always want to do more and try to take on challenges that will teach me something new. I mean this in every way, as I get bored with the same process after a while and will find ways to bend and curve it into something different. My motto is “if I can make it, I’ll make it.” Simple and literal. I’m most proud of myself for breaking my barriers. I did digital artwork no bigger than 5 inches for almost 10 years, and now I’m getting work for murals. 

I’ve got big paintings in my home; they take up most of the living space. And I am one of the first people in my family to graduate high school and college. I don’t give myself enough credit, honestly. I want to be known for never holding back and doing big, colorful, and loud work. I want my creations to stop, capture, and take you. Where you go from there is up to you, but my work will live with you. I feel many artists are terrified to do more or learn more. Thus they spend years holding back. I feel that breaking that down and using those hands with unlimited capacity sets me apart. I don’t get hung up on perfection or accuracy. Sometimes things exist in abstract ways, and we should let them be. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?

This city has so many hidden gems that are people. My first and easiest advice would be to know what’s happening around you, go to those places and meet those people. I wish someone had told me this when I was starting, but now in life, it’s so easy to go and introduce myself. I realized that more than half the people I know now are friends and people I also network with. When I was younger, it was tough as I was a nervous wreck when talking to people about myself. Once I learned how to talk about myself, the nervousness faded because I told them about my true self as an artist and what I was doing. The excitement of that overwashed the nervousness of talking. Now I can talk to anyone in a room, but it starts with you learning how to talk about yourself. And last, have standards; just because you need a mentor doesn’t mean you settle for less. When I was at KCAI, I wanted a black mentor because the experience of being a POC in these places can still be a challenge. I wanted someone who had done that and could help me prepare for those moments. Make a list of what you want in a mentor and stand on it. I stood firm on that “want” and found the perfect match right in time. It can happen, but you’ve got to have a list and put it in the networking. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessiesgreenn.wixsite.com/my-site-3
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessiesgreenn/

Image Credits
Chadwick Christopher