Brigette Jones is a freelance artist based in Birmingham , AL and her talents extend far and wide as she creates impressive pieces using graphic design, illustration, water colours, mixed medium and more.
We had an exclusive interview with Brigette exclusively for 33 Magazine:
A TALK WITH BRIGETTE JONES X 33 MAGAZINE
Describe yourself as a creative and how did you decide to launch Brigette’s Art ?
As a creative, I would describe myself as a curious- minded, problem- solver. I have always been a student at heart no matter what my current skill level is and have always admired other artists and all other forms of art, especially visual art. I will always want to learn as much as possible about my craft and explore more and more styles, mediums, etc. Because art has been one of my passions since early childhood. I decided to launch Brigette’s Art a long time ago actually, while I was still studying at the University of Alabama at Birmingham here in my hometown and I wanted to do it as a career even before finishing grade school at the age of 12 years old. It’s always been a life’s dream for me to do what I love and to help others do the same and live their dreams as well.
How do you manage the creativity process exactly as it’s really challenging during the pandemic situation for art industry ?
One day at a time to be honest and transparent. You have to have a change of heart and mind to be able to make it as a creative/ artist at this stage of time and humanity. Nothing is ever really going to be the same again as it was pre- COVID so you have to have a life-time learner mindset to never get too comfortable with your current skill set(s) or being too closed minded in the way something has been done before for so long up until now. You have to continue to grow daily not just as a creative/ artist but as a person, it’s not always easy but worth it in the end.
What is the most challenging issue in promoting your art ?
Hmmm, that’s a good question. I would say that the most challenging issue that I’ve come across here lately has been learning all the new ways to do social media and how to do business digitally more so than traditionally as it was more standard the other way around in previous decades.
What’s the main impact of social media in both ways, buying and art marketing?
Social media’s impact I believe has become the “new normal” for just business as a whole. It’s never been a time previously that you can have such a vast amount of knowledge from people ( both peers and mentors in the industry) that have been where you are and can teach you from their mistakes ways to combat the learning curve associated with business, promoting, buying and selling and marketing for your brand. It has helped us newbies have a more successful probability rate of succeeding in our first few years of operation more so than in past years where social media wasn’t as well developed or used in one’s daily life.
How do you manage to choose your market in order to sell more your art?
I manage to choose my target market to increase the rate of sales for my artwork by just old school research. I get to know the market and where my style and services fit in and also where I would like to be say so in the next five years. I also look at those who have had success selling the same type and or style of art as I am trying to sell and I look not just at their successes but their failures to see what I can take away from their experience(s) and learn quickly and advance more seamlessly as I navigate through this new aspect of the industry like everyone else.
Which do you think is the most successful piece of art created by you?
I think that the most successful piece of art that I’ve created as been my digital abstract piece titled, “ The Color of Love” and I say that because it helped me to gain confidence in a new art medium ( Adobe Dimension) and to expand my skill set by including more digital artwork in my portfolio.
Define sustainable nowadays in few words.
Sustainable nowadays would be a consistent avenue of income that can be tailored-made to fit into every season of your life regardless of a 9-5 job.
Do you think this issue can become possible in art industry?
Yes, I do think that this can become a new standard of work life and daily life as COVID has taught me and countless others that you can break away from a traditional 9-5 job working for someone else and just “ go for it!” you only have yourself to fault for failure to try something new. You’ll never know where your gifts and talents may take you, but just remember to have the right kind and amount of character to keep you there once your gifts start opening doors for you.
How do you think Brigette’s Art can play an important role in your daily client’s life?
I think that Brigette’s Art will play an important role in my client’s daily lives as far as me being able to help people with their everyday business needs all the way to personal needs such as designing a proposal packet for larger business clients in order to sustain their business and increase their exposure all the way to designing a baby’s birthday party decor and stationery (birthday cards) for a mom who may be struggling to put food on the table but still wants the best for their child and wants their baby boy or baby girl to have great birthday regardless of what challenges she is facing at the moment.
What do you think about the opportunity of selling your art pieces online nowadays?
I think that the opportunity to sell my art pieces online nowadays rather than just traditionally used “word of mouth” methods not only increases the speed at which you can build a very substantial clientele base, but it opens up so much more exposure than in previous generations because of how connected we really are as a society, it only takes one person that knows somebody that knows somebody else and then it’s like all of a sudden ( overnight really) you are coming into contact with people that you probably would have never been able to meet in your lifetime just because of social, racial, or socioeconomic circles that pre- exist in our modern day society.
Tell us the story behind Baby Carla art piece.
Wow, the story behind baby Carla is one that brings back sweet memories of an older black woman that looked out for me and cared about me very much during the time that God blessed me to know her. She was very protective, sweet, and motherly towards me and she taught me alot things about life and how to navigate in the corporate world by myself that I am still implementing to this day. The artwork that I did for her was actually of her then baby granddaughter whom she loved dearly! It was a way for me to say thank you to her but also to finally start back doing art again, I was not practicing ANY art at the time that I met her. I was in a very low place in my life and in my personal health battles so it took a big step of faith to just simply try again in which I did and now I am very grateful for my decision to just keep on keeping on. Thank you Mrs. Carla, I miss you!
Imagine that you must write a letter to your FUTURE SELF. What would you write?
Dear self,
I am so proud of not only who you are but of your journey to how you got here. NEVER forget your past, for in doing so you will never fully understand where you are and where you’re about to go. Keep moving forward even if moving forward is just standing still and holding your ground. Remember your journey and your story in life is never really about just YOU it’s about all of the beautiful people that YOU are supposed to help and impact for a better future and to help make this crazy world a better place. Even if that is just for ONE person then you’ve done your job here on this Earth for you are never really here just to benefit you and self but to benefit others and to share your gifts, but be careful about what you say and do because you now have the whole world watching and listening to YOU.
See you soon! LOVE, Self
33 MAGAZINE 