Dating Your Inner Artist
A lot of times the things that we love to do as an adult are very much in line with the things that we loved to do as a child. For me, this was getting dressed each morning. My mom tells me that from the time that I was 3 years old I was putting together my own outfits and creating my own quirky styles. Picture a tiny Jackie decked out in stoned washed ruffled denim, multiple scrunchies, a permed bob with pixie bangs, and strategically layered socks.
My sister, cousins, and I would play dress up with my grandma and mom’s clothes and jewelry every chance we got, and I always opted for a minimum of 5 necklaces at a time. In middle school, a friend’s mom introduced me to the thrift store and a whole new world of fashion was opened up to me. I dove into vintage and started using my basic machine sewing skills to alter clothes and create new looks. At 13, I found a pair of vintage Levis and decided they would look better covered from top to bottom in giant smiley faces made from Sharpie and highlighter, and of course giant red hearts on the butt pockets. Then, in college, my roommates nicknamed me One Step because I would always come out of my room to go out in “one too many accessories.” So basically, I was never a minimalist.
Now, nearly 20 years later in the position of Creative Director for FOUNT, I find myself feeling like that little girl again, filled with joy and excitement every time I get to style photoshoots with our team. When I reflect on why I get so pumped to execute a shoot, I think it is mostly because we have the opportunity to showcase our bags at their best, symbolizing the hard work and love that our team puts into each and every piece.
I write to you today because I’m bubbling over with excitement for the unveiling of our most recent, and my favorite, photoshoot to date. I think what made it so much fun was that our team decided to fully embrace the personal style that is so alive within the four walls of the FOUNT studio in each individual who works here.I We wanted to celebrate the self-expression that our entire company embraces day in and day out when they show up to work. You can peep these stylish individuals on our insta stories—they inspire me on the daily!
As we roll the photos out on social media and elsewhere, I hope you love them, but even more so, I hope they inspire you to dive into exploring your own self-expression, whatever that looks like for you. Be that painting, dancing, pottery, decorating, cooking, gardening, organizing, music-making, or a million other things. Whatever art form it is, you have to start somewhere, even if it’s with drawing hearts on the butt pockets of your jeans. When you were a kid, you didn’t worry about perfection or creating a masterpiece, you simply created art because it was fun. So, my question for you is this: When was the last time you allowed yourself to practice an art that you loved?
Treat yourself to an “artist’s date” doing the things you love and I promise it will leave you feeling energized and hungry to make more.
Hugs and High Fives,
Jax
Follow me @fountjackie on Instagram to stay up to date!
P.S. I’m currently re-reading The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron, which has inspired the heart behind this post. I highly recommend it, and I can say that it absolutely drove me to begin creating art I didn’t even know I was capable of.
