Latest / Most Things Kenobi - A Star Wars Podcast / Episode 74: A Conversation About Art, Creativity, and Star Wars with Artist Jennie Marie Studio
Transcript
- 0:00Hello, there. It's time for most things
- 0:04Kenobi. Hi everyone, welcome to another
- 0:19episode of most things Kenobi. A podcast about Obi-Wan Kenobi
- 0:22and all things Star Wars. I'm your host Lauren and today,
- 0:26we have something a little different for you.
- 0:28Last week, Lee Ann was traveling and didn't have time to record
- 0:30with me. So I dug into our archives and
- 0:33dusted off an interview. I did with Jenny Marie Studio.
- 0:36That I've recorded about a year ago Jenny's made a name for
- 0:39herself hand-painting, glass, candle votives, most of them
- 0:43feature Star Wars scenes but she's also been known to do
- 0:45Marvel DC. Lord of the Rings.
- 0:47If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen my unboxing
- 0:50video of the custom commissions. You painted for me, depicting
- 0:53the dark and brutal relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth
- 0:56Maul, it is truly a masterpiece. I'm so grateful to own something
- 1:02that is so meaningful and that was created by a dear friend of
- 1:05mine in this interview. We discuss everything from
- 1:08Jenny's formal art training in Florence to how the American
- 1:11school system didn't work for our creative brains to how her
- 1:14Teenage Love for Luke Skywalker. Actually led to her current
- 1:17business venture painting custom votives.
- 1:20We had a fabulous time, recording this and ended up
- 1:23chatting for almost three hours. This is the shortened version.
- 1:27But if you'd like to listen to the full conversation, please,
- 1:30consider joining our patreon where we post complete
- 1:33interviews, episode extras, and so much more before we begin.
- 1:37Let me apologize in advance for some of the lousy audio on this
- 1:40episode, it was one of the first interviews I conducted and I was
- 1:43still learning a lot about podcasting even so I hope you
- 1:47enjoy this conversation with one of most things, Kenobi's
- 1:49favorite artists, Jenny Marie Studio.
- 1:54You have this beautiful art style that I really really love
- 1:58and appreciate its kind of like a baroque type art and I just
- 2:02wanted to ask you. When did you realize you had a
- 2:05passion for art because you're so talented.
- 2:07When did that get started for you?
- 2:10Thank you. Yeah, there wasn't really a
- 2:14defining like moment. I have been surrounded by Art
- 2:19since I was born. Basically my grandparents were
- 2:22artists Mike. Mom and Grandpa were both
- 2:25sculptors and so we they actually my dad grew up in
- 2:28Laguna Beach California which is I almost hate telling people I
- 2:34grew up there now because ever since the TV shows and
- 2:36everything it's kind of painted Laguna's this like hoity-toity,
- 2:40you know, just Rich spoiled kids but it was an artist Colony like
- 2:45in the 60s and 70s. It was like a hippie art colony
- 2:48and my grandparents were Starving Artists who, you know,
- 2:52drove their family from it. Illinois bought a house there,
- 2:55like I said before, it was what it is now.
- 2:58So, like my dad went to the same high school that I went to and
- 3:01then she moved back to Laguna. I grew up there mostly and so
- 3:04just because of my grandparents and all my aunts and uncles,
- 3:07they say everyone on my dad's side is Artistic, I just was
- 3:09surrounded by art supplies and that was, you know, always
- 3:12really encouraged in me. I would say that like, I kind of
- 3:15had a love-hate relationship. I found out pretty early on
- 3:18that. I was it feels so weird saying
- 3:21this because I'm so used to being self-deprecating.
- 3:23My life, but I am somewhat and I was silent naturally good at it.
- 3:28Like I haven't I had an eye for it.
- 3:31Like I could look at something and like replicator it see where
- 3:34the shadow was, where the light hit where the and I could to a
- 3:37certain extent, just do that. So I think, you know, when my
- 3:41parents saw that and because it came from an artist family,
- 3:44everyone just was like which is really fortunate and that that
- 3:47was, you know, because you know, creativity and you know, art is
- 3:50not always encouraged or cultivated.
- 3:53Yeah. And everyone.
- 3:54And I know that I was really lucky and privileged to have all
- 3:59that access to our and for it to be so encouraged in me.
- 4:03So, yeah. Like, I just kind of fell into
- 4:05it, but I will say, I loved, so I loved art.
- 4:10I just I'm a very visual person but I really struggled with the
- 4:13discipline of it. I sometimes hated art classes
- 4:17because I couldn't sit still for, you know, three hour.
- 4:20I think that's actually a really common with creative people.
- 4:23That when you try to constrain them into a format or a
- 4:28timetable or put deadlines on them, it just stopped being able
- 4:33to be creative. I think that's really common
- 4:34with even some of the like, famous painting Masters in
- 4:37history. Yeah, I kind of became kind of
- 4:39almost like stubborn about it to like, because it just felt like,
- 4:43I'd kind of just didn't know what else to do.
- 4:45And I don't know because it was kind of wasn't pushed on me by
- 4:48any means, but I don't know at a certain point.
- 4:50I remember kind of going away from that, like, maybe this
- 4:52isn't what I like just because I'm good at something and it's
- 4:54true. Just because you're good at
- 4:55something. Doesn't mean it's what you want
- 4:57to do. And sure, I don't think I
- 4:59necessarily I don't even I don't even remember that.
- 5:02I think there are lots of periods, especially Junior,
- 5:04High, and high school. That I didn't even really enjoy
- 5:06it that much. I didn't really want to take
- 5:09classes but I, you know I loved looking at art.
- 5:13I love colors that I just yeah, I couldn't sit still I just
- 5:16didn't want. I just wanted to be good at
- 5:18something right away and if I couldn't paint something
- 5:20perfectly I didn't want to take the time to And all the hard and
- 5:25practice, which is no matter how talented you are, the drive, the
- 5:29dedication, the consistency, and practice is super important.
- 5:33And that was something I really struggled with, which is why I
- 5:36think it took me so long. So I would say, to dance a very
- 5:39long way of answering your question.
- 5:41I would almost say this year, I realized what a passion I have
- 5:45for art. I mean that, oh, wait, maybe I
- 5:49do, maybe everyone was right and it took, you know, 25 30 Here's
- 5:54but shoot, I guess I am an artist, I guess this is what I
- 5:57was supposed to do so fun. I so many people.
- 6:00I know feel like they're not allowed to they don't give
- 6:03themselves permission to call themselves, The Creative that
- 6:07they are so they're not a writer.
- 6:09They're not an artist or not a painter.
- 6:11Unless like you're somehow getting paid even if you do it
- 6:15every single day of your life and it's a deep passion, unless
- 6:18somebody else gives you permission, you can't be that
- 6:22thing. That is So true.
- 6:24That's so true. And I actually thought about
- 6:27that because when you yeah well I like I almost ate.
- 6:29It's still hard for me to call myself an artist.
- 6:32It feels wrong, it feels pretentious.
- 6:34It feels like I'm not. Yeah, like I'm not supposed to
- 6:37call it like that's assuming or like that.
- 6:39I'm like good. So I never used to call like I'd
- 6:42or I'd sort of say like oh hon. Yeah I'm artistic eye diamond on
- 6:47the weekends at night. Yeah, but I'm always very like,
- 6:52like weird about it. And yeah, I feel the same way
- 6:55about writing, even though I wrote every day of my life since
- 6:59I was 4 and my brain just functions that way where it's
- 7:02constantly writing a story, it's like, I could not call myself a
- 7:06writer, it was like, at what point am I allowed to?
- 7:08Like, if I get published, am I allowed to call myself for my
- 7:11eyeliner pen to paper before you are like another thing that
- 7:16describes what you're literally doing.
- 7:19Exactly, exactly. It's funny that way.
- 7:23It is it sounds there's something like feels
- 7:26pretentious, like I'm a writer. I'm an artist.
- 7:29It should it's just a description of something you
- 7:32did. Yeah.
- 7:34Well, hopefully someday I can be paid for.
- 7:37Yeah. But I do feel like a bit of an
- 7:40asshole. If I would say like, I'm a
- 7:42writer it's like people who say that you're just like off God.
- 7:45You're so sure. But it's true like, but it's
- 7:48hard to eat. Hey does.
- 7:49It's hard to figure out a way to get paid as an artist or writer.
- 7:53It's hard to Yeah, yeah, yeah. To turn creativity into a
- 7:57lucrative thing without cheapening.
- 7:59It somehow or like undermining your own love of the thing.
- 8:04You know. It's very hard to find that line
- 8:06to walk. I think.
- 8:08Yeah. Or I mean, one of the things
- 8:10that I actually found really a little bit discouraging and kind
- 8:15of dissolution. So I've actually like thin
- 8:18involved in a lot of different areas of the art World.
- 8:20By 19, I went to art school. I my first job was at an art
- 8:23gallery. Sorry, I moved to New York.
- 8:24I worked for a global Art website company that did like
- 8:28appraisals and auction records. And it was a gallery database
- 8:32and all this stuff. And I was very immersed in this
- 8:35world, you know? And one of the things that was
- 8:39it's very elitist. It's it's a very gate kept
- 8:44industry. I mean, I even me, like we
- 8:47didn't, we didn't even like grow up super wealthy or anything,
- 8:50you know. My dad was a pastor, my mom was
- 8:52a nurse and then on disability but But because my dad was
- 8:55called to the church and looking to beach.
- 8:57Like and, you know, because his family had grown up there like
- 8:59that's why we got to live there. And so I think, you know, I
- 9:01definitely benefited from proximity to that access meant.
- 9:06When I, when I got to New York, I mean, I noticed even a lot of
- 9:09people that I worked with at the company, like they a lot of
- 9:12people come from family money, it can be a really tough.
- 9:15And it's one of the things though that I feel like is
- 9:17Shifting down. One of the ways that I'm
- 9:19grateful for the internet, I think the internet is
- 9:21democratizing it a bit. There's so Any more ways you
- 9:24don't have to depend on the galleries on the writers, the
- 9:27critics. Like I I never thought I could
- 9:30be an artist like I never really, you know, when I was
- 9:33younger, I loved drawing, I love painting but I never saw way to
- 9:38get paid for, you know, like reached that like perfect, I
- 9:40never saw myself being a professional artist because it's
- 9:43like, how do you even do that and make money and like get
- 9:46connected and, unless you're Bob, Ross on us, like, 32 how do
- 9:52you even it's Not like other mediums where with music or
- 9:56writing or photography, even the distribution for our didn't
- 10:01exist. Until like, it's much easier.
- 10:04Now with you can sell prints online and you can even tell
- 10:08Originals online in a way that you couldn't you didn't have
- 10:11access to that. Unless like you said, you use a
- 10:13gallery where you can grow your own audience through Instagram.
- 10:17Now, I mean, that's, that's huge.
- 10:19It's been really inspiring again, just for all the
- 10:22shittiness horribleness. Comes out of the internet.
- 10:25There's the definitely some positives and I think greater
- 10:29wider access to our and giving more people a chance to actually
- 10:32get a foot in here and get their artwork being is huge.
- 10:36So that's a positive sure. Especially since you can kind of
- 10:40interact immediately with people who and like I do feel like the
- 10:44algorithms are they can be very detrimental.
- 10:47Sometimes keeping you very pinned into a specific kind of
- 10:50demographic, but it also allows people with he similar interests
- 10:54to find you. I don't know.
- 10:56I just feel like it draws like-minded people and it's
- 10:59probably similar with your art. The kind of art you do in the
- 11:01interest that you have drawers, like-minded people to you.
- 11:04And yeah, the internet can be a total Cesspool, but sometimes
- 11:09it's really great. We have cultivated, I mean, I
- 11:12say like week, I see you. I feel like we have a lot of the
- 11:14same. You just start seeing so many,
- 11:17like, if I were to say, the Nerf herder Co, like, you know, who
- 11:20that is like, you know, our say Star Wars.
- 11:23Like silver. It's like, I feel like we're all
- 11:25kind of getting to know each other and it's really, I feel
- 11:29like, like attracts like for the most part, um, and yeah, it's so
- 11:33it's so wonderful. And yeah, that's so great for
- 11:35for artists because you had to be able to just Reach people,
- 11:38who are passionate about the things that you're passionate
- 11:40about fainting or doing, or, you know, Creator.
- 11:43You said, you went to art school.
- 11:45Then, did you go to like University or like an art
- 11:48specific school? Like, what kind of school did
- 11:50you go to? Yeah, I know.
- 11:52I just, I went to Cal State. Long Beach.
- 11:54It's so funny. Like when I graduated high
- 11:56school how do people know what they want to do out of high
- 11:57school? I have no idea.
- 11:59I'm Jody six and I still don't know what I'm doing with my
- 12:03life. I think like really I was
- 12:06expected when I was 19 to like pick a major and figure out what
- 12:09I wanted to but I kind of your a baby child.
- 12:13You don't know. What do you think I'm doing this
- 12:19the last year but yeah, basically Only applied to State
- 12:25schools. I also freaking lucked out
- 12:27though, because, okay, I'm a millennial, some very aware of
- 12:30the student loan issue, but what I went to school like this,
- 12:34California state had a great system and it was really, it was
- 12:38relatively affordable. It was like nine hundred dollars
- 12:40a semester or something. So I just worked part-time.
- 12:44Yeah, I was able to like I didn't have to take out a ton
- 12:47alone very quickly. Started shifting like this was
- 12:50like 2001-2002 on Aging. I saw a foot.
- 12:54Yes, I am. I'm basically like I don't know
- 12:56what I want to do. I don't want to fill out any
- 12:58essays. I want to say that I really
- 12:59didn't want to spend about, I don't want to go into debt for
- 13:01forty thousand dollars. I just had no idea and I was so
- 13:04indecisive. So I chose Cal State, Long
- 13:07Beach, loved it, loved the school.
- 13:09I was Undeclared. But then I think I started and
- 13:13then I chose studio. Art is a major.
- 13:15So I was, I did I was actually like, studio art drawing
- 13:18painting like creating art was my major.
- 13:21I think for the first, oh, I was.
- 13:23Undeclared. The first year that, I true that
- 13:26I went to Studio Art, which I am really glad even though I did
- 13:30the same thing happen to me that, you know, is always
- 13:32happened where I just got burnt out on the classes, and I didn't
- 13:35learn in college. I mean, you have literally, like
- 13:37six, our life drawing classes, where you're looking at a nude
- 13:40model drawing this, into it for six hours, it was drove me,
- 13:44crazy. Like that's a lot.
- 13:46I can't focus on anything for longer than an hour and a half
- 13:49before I answer, like rest my brain.
- 13:52Yeah, I'm Just I was always one of those people, like I'd rather
- 13:55go to class five times a week for a 45-minute class.
- 13:59Then go twice a week for the longer ones but some of the art
- 14:02classes that he just you had to do a longer one because you need
- 14:05to do a longer study. So but I'm glad.
- 14:07I am glad I did it because some of the things that I learned in
- 14:10college are things that are helping me right now with our
- 14:13time, currently doing a lot of, I still remember, it's the
- 14:16littlest thing and I don't know why does just sticks out because
- 14:18it just blew my mind and changed my painting.
- 14:21It was just such a little thing. But I remember my painting
- 14:24class, I was doing a still life and you know, you learn color
- 14:28theory and our clients like 101, which colors, go together,
- 14:31contrast, all that. And I was doing some purple
- 14:34grapes and my teacher came over to me and was like, here you go.
- 14:36I'm going to show you a super easy and I was doing like the
- 14:39Highlight on the grapes and I would think just you just use
- 14:42white, right? White highlight and he adds.
- 14:44He's like so purple's complementary values yellow so
- 14:47he put the Teeny tiniest. Smidge of yellow, in that white
- 14:52and mixed it up. Like you couldn't even tell But
- 14:53it was yellow. And then when you look at it, he
- 14:55brushes it on the grape, and it was like that grape jumped off
- 14:58the canvas, like the difference with that little bit of yellow
- 15:04and that blew my mind and it's again something I still use
- 15:08today. So I'm really glad that I got
- 15:10the education. I did.
- 15:12There are certain things that I wish I had paid more attention
- 15:15to and that I would like to learn what like things like
- 15:17perspective. A lot of the technical like I
- 15:21have to cheat a little bit and like, hides, like I'm not Good
- 15:23at drawing hands or something like this.
- 15:25A lot of things that I, you can tell where I kind of skipped
- 15:29assignments. And just like, you know, when I,
- 15:32maybe you can tell, but I can't tell because you find you find
- 15:38ways to, you know, get around things.
- 15:40And I'm glad I did it. But then I, then I switched to
- 15:44art history because I just, like, I said, I got a little
- 15:47burnt out on those long studio art classes and I just, I fell
- 15:51in love with art history and I fell in love with with the
- 15:53Italian Renaissance. I also got an amazing
- 15:56opportunity to again, damn it. I almost like, I almost don't
- 16:01want to say this on a podcast because I feel like people are
- 16:04going to Riot because college is so screwed up right now, and
- 16:07it's so expensive. But because my tuition was so
- 16:11affordable, you know? And I said I was able to work
- 16:14part-time. I did a study abroad program in
- 16:17Florence and they had a study abroad, Italy program where most
- 16:21of the time when you do one of those there, Super expensive
- 16:24because you're paying like Italian tuition and all this.
- 16:27We had a program Cal State had a program where we paid the exact
- 16:30same tuition. I did at Long Beach as I did in
- 16:32Italy. So only thing I took out loans
- 16:35for I'm take out about, you know fifteen thousand dollars in
- 16:38loans for like pausing just living for a year but I was able
- 16:42to do that and I doubt anything like that existing.
- 16:45It's probably like 40 thousand dollars which side which is like
- 16:48I'm sorry I don't want even a little like it's like that
- 16:52awesome thing that I got to do. It's probably not possible
- 16:55anymore. Well, I was so glad and it was
- 16:57there that I, you know, even when I went there, I was, I was
- 17:00supposed to do Studio Art but something clicked.
- 17:03When I got to get in, like, walk around Florence and actually be
- 17:06in the church where Michelangelo's, you know, David
- 17:09is and be, you know, and see the things in person and I just most
- 17:13of my life like I've, I've always felt really stupid, like,
- 17:16I'm really bad at math. My I've ATD my memory sucks, I'm
- 17:19all over the place but when it came to Art, I felt smart.
- 17:23Like I could read these paintings like people can read a
- 17:26book or an equation and I like I'll never forget one of my most
- 17:30challenging teachers like doing a field trip with her and she
- 17:33would ask the class, I'm like, oh what do you see in this pair?
- 17:35What's the and I looked at it and I was the only one that
- 17:38figured out the subject matter. And I was like, oh, that's the
- 17:40Good Samaritan. Because you see here that did a
- 17:42Johnny see the light coming from here and I didn't she was very
- 17:44like yes, like and then I point out something she didn't notice
- 17:48first the kid who's always like struggled with grades and is
- 17:52always felt stupid. Stupid.
- 17:53Like, I had to take, I had to drop out of Cal State, Long
- 17:56Beach and go to a community college for a year because I
- 17:58kept failing, my math classes, I kept having to get tutors and I
- 18:01failed them three times in a row.
- 18:03So to have this moment where the teacher was like, you're smart
- 18:07and I just got this, it changed my life like that.
- 18:10That was a turning point and I got A's and B's in my art
- 18:13classes because that's amazing. I loved it.
- 18:16So, what kind of art is points out, it really points out that
- 18:20how our American education system is structured the Beryl
- 18:23Arts, education of where you have to learn, everything makes
- 18:27you feel like a moron sometimes. I'm the same way.
- 18:30I, it's funny because I love writing, I did fairly badly and
- 18:34all of my English classes, may be excellent at all my math.
- 18:38Now, like while I'm learning math, I'm really good at it.
- 18:41And then two days later when you asked me the question, it's like
- 18:44if it's not right in front of me, while I'm learning it, I
- 18:46don't remember, I don't remember but language, especially writing
- 18:50because I'm a little bit dyslexic, especially when I'm
- 18:52like seeking my brain doesn't go at the same speed as my mouth
- 18:57sometimes. I feel that I do very exhausting
- 19:02but like writing is where I can take time and clarify, look what
- 19:06I'm trying to say. So it's really funny that in
- 19:08school. I felt like a moron when it came
- 19:10to like English, and any kind of verbal or literary kind of
- 19:15background. And I got really good grades in
- 19:17science and math and I'm terrible at those in real life.
- 19:21Yeah, I hope so. I hope eventually I agree.
- 19:24I don't know. I haven't been in school a long
- 19:26time, but that it should be looked at differently because
- 19:29everyone's different, like standardized testing.
- 19:32I hated like so much pressure, like a times test, like all I
- 19:36can think about that, my a.d.d., hyper focus goes into that
- 19:39clock, and all I can think about is the clock.
- 19:41And, and yeah, and even with art classes to, I think the key to
- 19:46me is again, being able to paint the things that I'm passionate
- 19:51about. So it's hard because there's
- 19:53only, so, I don't want to be still-lifes Millions delays.
- 19:56I know you need to pray again you there is a learning.
- 19:58There's something to be said for like you've learned that you
- 20:00know, you got to be dedicated but I think back to to My Pan, I
- 20:04took piano in high school and Hannah was a very similar thing
- 20:08where I just really struck, didn't want to practice.
- 20:09I just wanted to sit down and play something.
- 20:11But I had a teacher that just gave up and stopped making me
- 20:13try and learn classical. She's like, you choose whatever
- 20:17you want and I will teach you. And soon as that happened, I
- 20:21learned the theme to Titanic. Today, my heart will go on.
- 20:25The only thing, I can still play the piano.
- 20:27I learned the Star Wars theme, The Simpsons theme, the
- 20:30Backstreet Boys, because I was 17 and all the sudden, I could
- 20:34memorize these piano piece and play them because it was
- 20:37something I liked. And I don't think that that's
- 20:40looked at enough in school. So, I would just, I wonder if he
- 20:42even earlier on if a class or something and maybe but I don't
- 20:46know. Let me somehow adapt.
- 20:47Like instead of a still life, let me draw plate of.
- 20:50Like yeah, I don't know is or something from Star Wars?
- 20:52Like I probably Bleah would have that.
- 20:55Holds a lot of I think that's a really valid point.
- 20:58I was, it's funny, you're staying.
- 20:59This is I was just having this thought the other day.
- 21:01I felt really stupid until I got to sixth grade and I had a
- 21:05different kind of teacher. It was the first time she didn't
- 21:09listen to what other teachers had said about me or anything
- 21:12like that. She just let me be me.
- 21:14It was like the first time my brain was like not under that
- 21:18constant pressure of like conform conform to the worst
- 21:22school must be. It was like the first time I
- 21:24felt. Oh, I can just learn and it's
- 21:26like, it just. Yeah, I really do think that the
- 21:29structure of regular quote-unquote, regular education
- 21:33is not for every brain. It definitely didn't work for my
- 21:38brain. I couldn't focus the amount of
- 21:40time that was required and I was such a Daydreamer that I really
- 21:46struggled to find any subject that interesting depending on
- 21:50what it was, we were talking about.
- 21:52And so like When I found the guy's a college, it was the
- 21:55first time where professors don't care if you're there or
- 21:58not. It's like it's up to you pick
- 22:01the class you want to take. Yeah and if you don't come, I
- 22:04don't care. You're failing on your own, you
- 22:07know. Yeah.
- 22:08It's like when I first started to thrive, really, and I loved
- 22:11art history, it was one of my like, my nurse that I took and
- 22:14it was the first time where it was like mixing history with
- 22:17visual. Yeah, the visual person that was
- 22:21so transformative for me. Like how old are you?
- 22:24You're much older that that point, you know you're like
- 22:27almost in your 20s and it's like it took that long for me to
- 22:30really find and feel like, oh I can, I can do this.
- 22:33I'm fine. Like my brains, okay, the way it
- 22:36is. It's yeah, primary school.
- 22:39I mean High School, all of that it is, it's imagine.
- 22:42It's kind of just pumping you out to the, you know, like I
- 22:45drove and it's every yeah, everything's the same.
- 22:48It doesn't really. I mean, even even growing up
- 22:50again, like, Laguna Beach is very Mystic community.
- 22:55And I had that from my family and stuff, but I was convinced,
- 22:58I was really stupid because I just, I'm not good at a lot of
- 23:02the bench, more whatever? I couldn't reach the benchmarks
- 23:05that. Sure.
- 23:06Yeah. Like I struggled a lot, like I
- 23:08was actually diagnosed with ADD at like 13, my mom tried putting
- 23:11me on Ritalin but I didn't like that and I didn't like being
- 23:15singled out as having a learning disability and being called out
- 23:18in the middle of class every day to go take medication.
- 23:21So I rejected that and Do it on my own.
- 23:24It's just that's why it is just so freeing now to be able to
- 23:28like we're just living the way. We won't be able to explore all
- 23:31these different creative. Passions.
- 23:33Even just having this conversation, like it kind of
- 23:35makes me. It reminds me that I really this
- 23:38is something I want to do try and help kids or like, cultivate
- 23:41the art, I don't know in terms of kids right now who you know,
- 23:46or may be feeling this way. If they still are feeling not
- 23:49feeling stupid or feeling not appreciated, you know, just
- 23:52because we could do still live in.
- 23:53The society that kind of rewards, one type of
- 23:55intelligence, and that's the intelligence that serves
- 23:58capitalism in serves. Yes, it's when you are saying
- 24:01that like school is super homogenized, it was making me
- 24:04think. I was like, well, so is the
- 24:05workforce. And it's just basically training
- 24:07you to get out of one desk and go to another desk and Fuller.
- 24:12Oh my gosh and like thinking about this now, like, look what
- 24:15happened to me, I was this quirky weird creative kid that
- 24:19freaking loved space Wizards and aliens.
- 24:23And you know drawing and art. I was such a weird kid.
- 24:27I was so creative though. Like I mean I was I would make,
- 24:30you know, my I would make elaborate animal hospitals for
- 24:33my stuffed animals in my room. I drive me all kinds of things,
- 24:36but what did I do when I graduated college?
- 24:38I ended up in corporate I ended up at and then I ended up in
- 24:42advertising sales of all the things I worked for artnet which
- 24:45was our website. That's how I ended up because
- 24:48art got me in and it was my passion that got me in there,
- 24:51but it was sales, I wasn't in An art job there.
- 24:54I was having meetings with Brands like Mercedes-Benz and
- 24:57Chanel and trying to get them to spend advertising dollars on our
- 24:59art website. Because people can buy art can
- 25:01buy Chanel because like I said and Tennis the crossover
- 25:05demographics different and then I ended up at Vanity, Fair
- 25:09magazine, also in like advertising sales marketing.
- 25:12And I burnt out my soul, I was having panic attacks.
- 25:17I was in New York for six years and I broke down.
- 25:21I loved New York, but I do think like A lot of that was from
- 25:24denying so many parts of myself to conform and to fit in with
- 25:29what I thought. This is the path and I gotta
- 25:31say, like, it's been hard, that my identity is, I'm an artist
- 25:35kind of unemployed ever. Call these part-time jobs now
- 25:37and stuff. I loved telling people I work at
- 25:40Vanity Fair it really because I felt like I was this single
- 25:43powered high-powered businesswoman living in New
- 25:46York. Like I had that title again that
- 25:48in our society is one of those acceptable benchmarks, but I was
- 25:51starving my creative side. Side.
- 25:53So yeah, it's funny cuz I'm in marketing right now.
- 25:57I'm finally. But it's true.
- 25:59Like no, no, it's you're not sucking industry called
- 26:02marketing. Is it is I always joke.
- 26:05It's where creative people go to die.
- 26:07Yeah. Because it's where you feel like
- 26:11you can be a little bit creative and you can kind of like still
- 26:14do graphic design and and eventually just sucks your soul
- 26:17right out of you. So, I mean, I work for myself
- 26:19now because again, I did the same thing, I went to film
- 26:22School. I did photography and journalism
- 26:25and art history and fill. And then I got out of school
- 26:28already things. All those words make me for
- 26:30photography art history. Right?
- 26:31I God, I got to go to class every day and watch movies and
- 26:36analyze them and write scripts and couldn't get to work because
- 26:41I graduated during the recession.
- 26:42So I ended up working at a bookstore which was a great and
- 26:46then I entered corporate work after that.
- 26:48And after I don't know, I can't even tell you how long it wasn't
- 26:51very long. I basically I had a breakdown
- 26:54and was like, I have to go out on my own and find a way to make
- 26:59the creative part of my brain, more more of what I do.
- 27:02And I'm still like fighting to get there.
- 27:04That's why I like running this blog and doing the podcast.
- 27:07That's how I'm making room in my life for that, but it's so hard.
- 27:11And again, it was exactly the same thing I got promoted.
- 27:14I was the regional digital marketing specialist for all of
- 27:18Illinois. Michigan, Indiana.
- 27:21And it was just like, I'm exhausted.
- 27:23I'm Tired. But like on paper, you're like,
- 27:26you're doing all the things and it looks.
- 27:29Yeah. You are the like that's the the
- 27:31success story. It sucks your solo.
- 27:36Yeah. And like, there's got to be a
- 27:38benefit. This is a good transition.
- 27:41Then like, how did you start to make Star Wars part of your
- 27:46regular art cycle? Oh my gosh.
- 27:50I mention her on every podcast. She's like, my Patron.
- 27:53Saint I got the force booty Vanessa on Instagram.
- 27:58I think a lot of people follow her too.
- 28:00She was one of the first people. She she bought one of my I did.
- 28:04I have all the evolved once so funny.
- 28:08The rise of Skywalker piece that I did which was faded Star Wars
- 28:13movies but the motive that got me where that's actually really
- 28:17shocking. Now that I think about it,
- 28:19that's what that's what got me in with the Star Wars.
- 28:21People was a rise of sky. Walker.
- 28:23Peace again, try and condenses much, but I started making
- 28:26candle glass kind of in this about three years ago when I was
- 28:32in Seattle. It was, they looked very
- 28:34different than they did. Now, they were more of us.
- 28:36I had kind of an art history theme.
- 28:38I was doing more collage. Yeah, I did one Star Wars won
- 28:41during covid during quarantine. You know.
- 28:43I was laid off for my event planning job.
- 28:45Moved back home. So I was living back home with
- 28:47my parents again, I was unemployed, it was covid and I
- 28:51did a, I decided to just do Star Wars one for me, basically,
- 28:55because I didn't think I could sell that.
- 28:57Like, I was trying to Kansas, like I, when I started out, I
- 29:02was trying to think, how can I make my brand look, like, Paris
- 29:06and flowers and our, I don't know, I was just, I guess the
- 29:10point I'm trying to, guys, I was trying to again, do what?
- 29:12I thought looked cool chic, whatever I liked them and I
- 29:17loved, I loved, you know what I was doing, but I didn't think
- 29:21that I could sell a Star Wars one.
- 29:22At that point. Didn't have any of this
- 29:24connection. I didn't, I was, I was one of
- 29:26the only few people. I knew that are obsessed with
- 29:29Star Wars as I am. You know, not that.
- 29:31I think it's this little like, Niche thing that no one else
- 29:33knows about. I know everyone, you know, I
- 29:36just didn't have that. So, I decided to paint this
- 29:39little, Luke Vader one and but I just put it on my Etsy, just for
- 29:43the heck of it, and someone bought it.
- 29:45So I slowly just kind of did a couple of them.
- 29:47Just and again, it was just because I wanted to paint them
- 29:51and I loved Star Wars. That's And of what, what kept
- 29:54me, kept me going. I'm again with ADD I could
- 29:58struggle to focus on a lot of things, but when I'm passionate
- 30:01about something, when I'm interested in something
- 30:03something grabs me, I'm unstoppable.
- 30:05So Star Wars is that thing and then I did that piece with Ray
- 30:08and kylo on the, you know, the remains of the Death Star that
- 30:12battle and she was just so lovely and she posed.
- 30:16She did a whole post about it. She bought two more votives.
- 30:20It did this whole post shared it, she had, you know, a quite
- 30:23Big following. And all of a sudden, I started
- 30:25getting all these little Star Wars people trickling in and I
- 30:28was so happy because it when I started getting followers with
- 30:30names, like Star Wars drifting and Kenobi this.
- 30:33And you know, later that I was like, oh, these are my people
- 30:36like oh my gosh, they're out there and it just started
- 30:43building and and I just kind of from there.
- 30:46It's like when she posted that all of a sudden I actually had
- 30:48to scramble because I didn't have any, I had, I didn't have
- 30:50any Star Wars ones to sell after that.
- 30:52So I actually had to I'd like quickly trade like maybe a
- 30:54couple of put up that was just like the biggest joy that I can
- 30:58remember in life if any recent life is just the fact that the
- 31:01thing that I just really, really wanted to do that.
- 31:04I didn't think was what people would want it or would sell is
- 31:07what everyone gravitated gravitated towards.
- 31:10Yeah, that's really beautiful. I think that's when we are our
- 31:14truest self when we finally Embrace that that's when you're
- 31:18you become like a magnet and universe and you pull people to
- 31:22you and Use an opportunities to that are like really pure.
- 31:26This is like my love language. This is like these.
- 31:29This is the most amazing thing. Like these are what I would want
- 31:32to paint and give myself as a gift.
- 31:34So the fact that I'm getting to make these for other people and
- 31:38I feel like, I understand that and I like the reactions I've
- 31:41gotten from people like the messages, I've gotten about, my
- 31:44votives reactions, and they opened them.
- 31:46I've never experienced anything like this.
- 31:48It's it's so meet you deserve it.
- 31:51You really do. And like, I don't know if you
- 31:53can C minor back. Here you go and anybody who
- 31:59comes into my office, I'm like, you see my Star Wars bonus.
- 32:06They are these beautiful little thoughtful.
- 32:09Like detailed pieces of art that just like you said, you're
- 32:13capturing these moments that people are.
- 32:15It's so crazy because I'm one of these people like I bought the
- 32:18Luke and Vader but I think was the first one I bought from you
- 32:21and that is my favorite bone. And like the fact that anything
- 32:25exists with that, that's all it takes for me to be happy for a
- 32:28really long time. Yes.
- 32:31Well, it's cause it's hard to describe to someone who's not a
- 32:35fan or not. As passionate, these characters
- 32:38are so loaded for us like a little votive with again, like a
- 32:41so Kitano. It's not just a cartoon cat.
- 32:45I mean, this is like like even just saying her name, I get this
- 32:48wash of I think of the season 7 of Clone Wars like I think of
- 32:52her reuniting with Threatened with Rex and Rebels like it.
- 32:55And I also just love that like candles.
- 32:57The whole idea of a candle is inherently kind of this like
- 33:00again like a votive of you know, they're used to honor people to
- 33:04honor, you know ones we love. I love your spiritual and and
- 33:09there's an energy to it. Yeah.
- 33:12Again like devote I don't like you.
- 33:14I don't want to catch like a religion but like a devotional
- 33:16and again there's there's meaning behind it and I keep I'm
- 33:19I'm still trying to figure out like the best way to describe
- 33:22them. I have a Time describing when
- 33:24you can't stand, but I almost think of them.
- 33:25They're kind of most, like, glass dioramas to like they're
- 33:29three-dimensional, like there's there's a story in them like
- 33:33they're almost three paintings in one.
- 33:34Like I'm painting something in the background, I'm just
- 33:37painting something in the foreground and then the light is
- 33:39its own form of our that's interacting and all these things
- 33:43play together. And I'm as I'm creating these,
- 33:45like I'm constantly thinking like, how's the light going to
- 33:47look? How's the Shadows going to let
- 33:49our houses going to peek through houses?
- 33:51Going to highlight this figure? Can you does it?
- 33:53You look as good and silhouette as it does, you know, in the
- 33:56light and yeah, because some of it is fully opaque and some of
- 33:59it is thin layers that doesn't let light all the way through.
- 34:04And I just love that kind of detail and makes it come alive.
- 34:09And this is like, I just kind of taught myself how to make these.
- 34:12I can't like I feel weird saying this because it doesn't seem
- 34:15possible with how much art is out there.
- 34:19I don't know if I can use this word, but I almost feel like I
- 34:21invented something like I've never seen.
- 34:23Anything, exactly, like them. I've seen similar things that
- 34:26I've not seen anything which made me worried at first because
- 34:29you know, sometimes if something doesn't exist it's no one needs
- 34:32it or wanted that so it's like it.
- 34:35I was doing this for a while and not I mean for three years.
- 34:37I barely sold anything like nothing but I've kind of been
- 34:42just developing this whole little little process and yeah
- 34:44they've just they've turned out pretty magical and like now I'm
- 34:48like dang like I've been thinking like I want a pink one
- 34:50for myself like I want to do one.
- 34:51I'm nine it's just that I Wanted I want to display every now and
- 34:55then you gotta just treat yourself.
- 34:59I'm gonna paint that about Luke rescue.
- 35:02Rescuing everyone from Jabba's Sail, Barge.
- 35:04I'm Jack. Oh my gosh, I'll do it, I know
- 35:07that's fun. You and you and I both love the
- 35:10Lucan Jabba's barge it's just still like such a classic
- 35:13wonderful moment and shows Luke and like it's my favorite.
- 35:18I was actually watching Return of the Jedi last night because I
- 35:21thought I want to prepare and watch.
- 35:23My favorite Star Wars movie before the Star Wars, before
- 35:26this podcast, and I've decided it is my favorite scene.
- 35:30I think, in all of Star Wars, I think you'd like, if I was
- 35:32stranded on a desert island and I could only have one YouTube
- 35:35clip of one Star Wars thing, it would be the Luke rescue scene
- 35:39from Javas barge. Well, I do love is the question.
- 35:43I want to ask you though, to if I could only bring one start,
- 35:46we're seeing in the desert. Yeah.
- 35:49Put you on the spot. It has to be, it has to be Be
- 35:53the lightsaber battle from Empire Strikes Back.
- 35:56Oh the cloud city and if I could only take part of it the part
- 35:59where they're out on the like scaffold right before the like
- 36:02while Vader, tells him that he is his father that whole, that
- 36:06whole sequence liking the lighting in that.
- 36:10And the stark contrast, the shadow, their Silhouettes, and
- 36:14blue and red smoke. It's gorgeous.
- 36:17I love that there. That's a good one posture and,
- 36:20like, throughout the whole like that movie is so brilliant with
- 36:22the Writing it just, I don't know if you know this about me,
- 36:25but cinematography is like, a huge thing for me.
- 36:27I love it. And the movie, The Empire
- 36:30Strikes Back cinematography is perfect.
- 36:32It is purchase Perfection. And it is done.
- 36:35So deliberately the way Luke is always like half lit and half
- 36:39dark and the way their Silhouettes are posed.
- 36:42Always in this like this contrast, it's so deliberate.
- 36:46It's like its own language and I am very passionate leader always
- 36:50been the dominant where Luke's always kind of on the offense in
- 36:54that seem like it reminds me of kind of similar like Ray and
- 36:56Kyle has gotta land Force awakens.
- 36:58Yes, they are. At no point.
- 36:59Was Luke really like in charge of that fight, like he's doing
- 37:03struggling and I love. Yeah, that's a good fat.
- 37:07Which is what it's so important when it flips in Return of the
- 37:10Jedi. Yes, yes, I was just gonna say
- 37:12that. Yeah, that's another scene.
- 37:14I want to add to my repertoire, I've gotta gotta do the throne
- 37:19room, Return of the Jedi. Oh yeah.
- 37:22There's so many Like that, the top of the stairs featherston up
- 37:26there. Yeah, there's so many great
- 37:28poses with face in the background and that cool
- 37:31geometric shape of the yes in. Do I want to ask you, why do you
- 37:36love the barge scene? It's just, you know, I think it
- 37:43feels like when I was watching it last night because I'll say,
- 37:46like, mostly times my watch Star Wars movies, nowadays.
- 37:49I always just kind of, it's more like I have them on, in the
- 37:50background and I'm painting, it's rare that I just did.
- 37:53Down and watch it. Yeah, same times, but it's nice
- 37:56to do once in awhile because you just, you know, and give it its
- 37:59tension and I think this scene, it almost like, it was like a
- 38:02precursor to the fight scenes. We love now and like, Marvel
- 38:06movies and stuff. There was something so slick
- 38:10about him up there with his little, his little salute to our
- 38:13to the, the music. Duh, duh, duh, like the like in
- 38:20your waiting the tension building up, you know, he's got
- 38:23Think plan and I just, I'm getting freaking pumped about it
- 38:27when I'm just talking about it. I will never how old however old
- 38:30I get him flipping and show jumping off the thing and then
- 38:35flying back up off the diving board off the plank.
- 38:39Tiny tot just so like catch the light saber and then smash by
- 38:43the feds. Yes.
- 38:45Like what? Again that's like that's me like
- 38:48watching the freaking like, you know, airport scene in Captain
- 38:52America, Civil War Warlike and like it's just such a fun cool
- 38:58choreographed fight. And also, what I love about
- 39:01Return of the Jedi in general and this scene and just all this
- 39:05in particular to, I realize is just having Star Wars for me.
- 39:09My favorite thing about Star Wars was, it's the, the
- 39:12chemistry and the banter between those main characters, Luke Han
- 39:16and Leia, and when they reunite in Jabba's Palace, I love.
- 39:21Like I love Han be like how Doing same as always like just a
- 39:26really funny pain and Luke banter and then throwing Lando
- 39:32in there. I mean you got Boba Fett looking
- 39:34badass and then not looking so bad ass.
- 39:36Is he cutting ceremony sighing, like a little bitch in the whole
- 39:41it was. It's just for much at the end.
- 39:42Every time I watch that scene, it's just, I can't believe it
- 39:46came out in the early 80s. It gets me just as pumped as any
- 39:49modern, I'd seen. It's just so fun.
- 39:53N. And then also, of course,
- 39:54freaking Carrie Fisher. Getting her Vengeance on, and I
- 39:59just love her quote about that or something.
- 40:00Isn't she? How she has like, some quote or
- 40:02something? When she's like someone?
- 40:03Because, you know, obviously, everyone's always asking about
- 40:05the stupid, you know, the slave bikini.
- 40:06And, you know, she says something like, oh, you know, he
- 40:09made me wear that, so I killed him or some other.
- 40:11I got to murder her. Something like that.
- 40:13Like she had some room, not doing it justice, but she had
- 40:15some very good like Carrie Fisher's Narco, very carry face.
- 40:18Yeah, it was a woman's job. Killing job has a wolf.
- 40:23For sure. It's just such a fun scene.
- 40:27I love it. I love it.
- 40:29I love it too. Because it's the first time you
- 40:31see, Luke after Empire, where he gets his hand cut off, and it
- 40:35ends very badly. And then, yeah, it comes in and
- 40:39just owns the place. Yeah.
- 40:42Everyone's ass. And like it goes.
- 40:44You think it's not going well, when he gets gets captured but
- 40:47it's like all according to plan pretty much.
- 40:50Hey, I love just harness like everyone's got to Illusions of
- 40:53grandeur. Yeah, he's been.
- 40:55He's out of it for a little while, you know, the other thing
- 40:58I realized that I loved. So, part of what I was watching
- 41:01a lime also, you know, working on my painting and I don't even
- 41:04need to look at the captions to speak, like just when he was
- 41:10speaking huttese, and I'm literally hearing, you know,
- 41:13you're my favorite kind of Bounty Hunter.
- 41:15Like, you know, you're you're my favorite kind of scum or
- 41:18something. Like now, I like, I just like,
- 41:21know the dialogue so well. I just it's my favorite.
- 41:25I love everything in Jabba's Palace.
- 41:27And you know, the other thing, I've only been comfortable
- 41:30enough with myself to admit, I think I used to lie about this
- 41:33actually because I was too ashamed.
- 41:35I'm gonna put it out here though.
- 41:37I love this special edition musical number that they added
- 41:42into Jabba's Palace. I know it's controversial and I
- 41:46honest I think I like I get why people hate.
- 41:49It's so out of place the CGI characters.
- 41:51Next to the Grungy puppets looks weird, but it's catchy.
- 41:56And every time it comes on tonight and I mean, I mean, I
- 41:59mean this is noodles. I think is that her name?
- 42:06Jedi Rocks, the name of the song?
- 42:09Oh my God, you didn't the name that?
- 42:11Yeah. So how did you get into Star
- 42:14Wars? Where did that start coming into
- 42:16your life? Uh, yeah.
- 42:18I don't have a memory of like the first time I ever saw Star
- 42:22Wars. It kind of crept up on me
- 42:25because I think the first time I ever saw was actually my dad's
- 42:29VHS recording of when a New Hope, aired on TV in the 80s.
- 42:34So, the first time I saw Star Wars their commercials, like,
- 42:3880s commercials in it. Like, I remember actually old
- 42:41Levis commercials and stuff so. So I don't think I didn't really
- 42:46get into it until I think it's like until the special editions
- 42:50came out. I'm almost like technically my
- 42:52attack. Nickel original trilogy special
- 42:55editions is my time period, I guess?
- 42:57Yeah, mine too. Right?
- 42:58Because, you know, you got the original true but we, you know,
- 43:00I was I wasn't born yet. I didn't see him in theaters,
- 43:03but I saw the special editions and I think that point actually,
- 43:07like, I actually remember asking my dad?
- 43:09Like wait, so, which is the one? Like, like I remembered there
- 43:11was like a snow Planet. I knew there was like, teddy
- 43:14bears that I didn't know what was in, what movie like they
- 43:17were all kind of like, I'd seen it as I was a kid, but I didn't
- 43:19really, but I saw it in theaters with these special editions.
- 43:22And It was game over like it was in a day.
- 43:27I think I walked out of that theater and practically went
- 43:31next door and threw on Star Wars shirt and a hat.
- 43:34And got all the books and like I was just a fan from that on and
- 43:36this was like, so this is like going into junior high.
- 43:39So I living like a kid kid. I was like a 12 13 year old.
- 43:43But yeah. So I kind of like, I went down
- 43:44this Rabbit Hole. I was obsessed.
- 43:46I would come home from school. I would just watch Star Wars all
- 43:48the time. I read all the Legends books, I
- 43:51read the thrawn trilogy three. Zai was obsessed.
- 43:53This is all I did. I really good?
- 43:56So good. Like I am kind of like bummed
- 44:00that I've lost a lot of my knowledge just through the years
- 44:03because there was a point when I was 13 or 14.
- 44:05I could have told you the name backstory origin of every
- 44:10freaking alien in that Cantina scene?
- 44:12Like, I knew everything I would read Star Wars trivia books for
- 44:15fun. Like, yeah, it was I mean Star
- 44:18Wars was it was an escape, I had severe.
- 44:21What? I, no, no, no, no.
- 44:23A severe social anxiety. Like I did not have a lot of
- 44:26friends. I didn't know how to talk to
- 44:27people. I was super awkward and Star
- 44:30Wars. Just it just gave me an escape
- 44:32from all of that. And just, I just kind of lost
- 44:36myself in it. I could, I still couldn't wrap
- 44:38my head around, the fact that something that made me feel so
- 44:42isolated and weird when I was younger, that all is good.
- 44:45But like in my 20s and 30s and all of a sudden like people, I
- 44:49was super cool that I was that into Star Wars and it's like now
- 44:52I've Unable to connect met all of these, all of these friends
- 44:56and all these people through it when that shift started to
- 45:00happen. But like when nerd culture
- 45:01started to become more like acceptable and less isolating
- 45:06but maybe that's because there's it's actually not nerdy.
- 45:08It's just really cool. It's just it's such a fun world.
- 45:12I it Star Wars really for someone again like even to this
- 45:16day like obviously I've come out of my shell, I'm more
- 45:19extroverted than I used to be but I still struggle.
- 45:22You know I'm Very comfortable, like I'm comfortable right now
- 45:25in front of people, but I struggle still in, like, I can
- 45:28get very introverted and anxious socially anxious.
- 45:31And like, I just don't know what to say.
- 45:33I don't know how to make small talk, but it's kind of funny
- 45:35things I love about Star Wars is for one, you meet another Star
- 45:39Wars fan. Like, if I'm wearing a Star Wars
- 45:40shirt, it's just this instant connection.
- 45:42And like, I'm either at the grocery store standard something
- 45:44and then I don't have to sit there.
- 45:46How you doing today? How's the weather?
- 45:48Oh my gosh. I love R2D2 and hold a sudden.
- 45:50We're just having this like and even And if someone's not a
- 45:54super fan everyone knows what Star Wars is.
- 45:57So it's just it's such a good conversation starter that just
- 46:00allows me something. That's easy and fun and more
- 46:03interesting to talk about than the weather.
- 46:05The usual the yeah in shit. Show that his life nowadays like
- 46:09covid anymore. I want a man like, you know,
- 46:15whenever I talk to Star Wars fans to it's not even like we're
- 46:17talking about just Star Wars it. It's because it isn't there
- 46:22archetypes. An apology.
- 46:23It is exploring our Humanity, our values, our own stories.
- 46:27It's a starting off point to have more interesting
- 46:30conversations about morality ethics, right or wrong, good and
- 46:33evil. It's just a vessel for them, you
- 46:38know, it's not, we're not just talking about going on, but a
- 46:40little space cartoons. Like it's, you know, this is my
- 46:43Dermatology and there's Artistry to it.
- 46:46I wanted to say one last thing because you'd asked me one of
- 46:50the questions about like, suggesting to people.
- 46:52Who wanted to be an artist? And I wanted answer that one
- 46:57because for one it was so weird cause when I first read it I was
- 47:01like how did what I like cause I still feel like I need to ask
- 47:04other people for advice. It was weird too but then I
- 47:07realized like no like I've actually been doing this for a
- 47:10while, it's just I'm kind of at a weird turning point in my life
- 47:12where I was like like a midlife crisis where II don't know, I
- 47:15still feel like a 20 year old like and I'm not though like I
- 47:18have experienced don't think anyways and as someone who's
- 47:22just Struggled so much again with ADHD.
- 47:24Like I went 20 years like I would almost never finish
- 47:27anything never finish any artwork.
- 47:29I had such a hard time. I always thought like everyone
- 47:32just has it together and I can't and I you know and the biggest
- 47:37difference like this is the first time in my life.
- 47:39I've ever started actually putting out work consistently
- 47:43but I just I'd get so hard on myself about that.
- 47:45It just, I don't know, like I just felt like I couldn't do it.
- 47:48I couldn't focus enough so I don't know.
- 47:50But the key is, I guess what I learned like, it's Just
- 47:53literally just keep swimming, just keep making just forever
- 47:58and ever. Even if you don't think, like
- 48:01when I started making these candleholders, they were cool
- 48:03and I was doing them because it's what I liked.
- 48:06But this like what I'm at now is what I wanted to be doing from
- 48:10the beginning. There was no way in hell I could
- 48:13have jumped to this. There was no way I could have
- 48:15done the paintings I'm doing now.
- 48:17I it wouldn't happen and if I hadn't forced myself to just
- 48:21just keep building Even though I again like I would sometimes
- 48:25sell these can be like, I'm sorry like which is such a
- 48:28terrible people like would support me and I still think
- 48:30they're really beautiful, but I like I'm so I'm such a
- 48:33perfectionist like any little crate.
- 48:35Like it didn't look pristine like it.
- 48:37Belonged in a shelf, I didn't think it had value again.
- 48:40It's this imposter syndrome, even though people were still
- 48:43buying it, but there was value in it and they were stepping
- 48:46stones and just keep going. And another like a quote, is
- 48:50this quote was written in my day planner today but I I just loved
- 48:53it so that it does not matter how slowly go as long as you do
- 48:56not. Stop from Confucius.
- 48:58And again, I just, I've always felt so slow and unfocused.
- 49:02I have wanted to do something like this for so long and it
- 49:06took me years and years and years and years, just keep
- 49:08going, keep doing it. And then the second thing I was
- 49:10going to say is just that I wish I'd known sooner is to start
- 49:14before you're ready. Because I also, it took me so
- 49:17long to start an Instagram account because I wanted to
- 49:21start with a pristine. Grid of, you know, and have
- 49:24everything be perfect. And you just just start just
- 49:27putting it out there and just know you're just going to grow
- 49:29and build and keep building from it.
- 49:31One more thing I wanted to mention because this was also
- 49:34really inspired my grandma started, writing poetry, and
- 49:37doing watercolors that 85 years old, and she started busting out
- 49:40the most beautiful, poetry, any of us had ever written about her
- 49:43childhood and this wonderful beautiful gift.
- 49:47She gave us 85. So it's amazing no matter like
- 49:51what place your ear just you never know.
- 49:54I would have never in a million years thought I'd start doing
- 49:56this at almost 40 start making Star Wars candles, so it's never
- 50:01too late. I think, wasn't it?
- 50:02Like c.s. Lewis who said something like
- 50:04that? Your, it's never too late to try
- 50:07a new adventure, you know, as long as you've got air in your
- 50:10lungs, you can do new things because you really do.
- 50:13And I think especially, I don't know if I say that, I do think,
- 50:17especially with women sometimes like, I don't know, like I feel
- 50:20feel sometimes like there's like an expert.
- 50:22Like my Using my youth and stuff and I don't know there's just
- 50:25this we're taught that and all margin.
- 50:27That women are only valuable if they're young and wrinkled
- 50:30lists. Yeah yeah and it's like I've as
- 50:34you know coming up on the edge of coming to its I've it's a
- 50:38very it's been a really tough year really tough transition,
- 50:41the joy and purpose I get from these from this art and the
- 50:45connections I get from this is just, it's made all the
- 50:47difference and I'm just so glad that I just kept going and I had
- 50:52literally We never done that before for the 30 years prior
- 50:55it's mostly just all unfinished, started things that I would
- 50:59just. Once I got stuck, I throw them
- 51:01aside and never pick them up again and just could never push
- 51:03through. It's amazing when it's that,
- 51:05that whole thing of like, expecting the same result from
- 51:08the same behavior, it's like you have to change your behavior if
- 51:11you want a new result and that's easy to say and hard to do.
- 51:14We tend to, if there's like a big decision or big, major thing
- 51:18you want to try, we were very good.
- 51:20Like we tend to assess all the risks first.
- 51:22Like if you were to move while these are the wrist, I could be
- 51:25lonely. I could run out of money, I
- 51:27could do that. And we think of all the risks
- 51:29but we don't consider the risks of not.
- 51:33Moving of not taking those chances.
- 51:35This like kind of blew my mind of like just staying sedentary.
- 51:38We don't we don't analyze like, well if I don't do anything five
- 51:41years from now, I could still be unhappy stuck in the data and I
- 51:46had like never thought of it that way there.
- 51:49It's just for doing nothing to. So you might as well take the
- 51:52Risks. Try something new because you
- 51:54can also hurt yourself by doing nothing.
- 51:57All right. Do you want to answer some rapid
- 51:59fire questions? Let's do it.
- 52:02Okay? Scared?
- 52:04No, no, they're fun. Okay, first question, what
- 52:08character would you bury what, weight, bearing, or Mary, Mary?
- 52:12Mary, I literally just like, you asked me, which character do I
- 52:15want to bury? And I was like just got dark.
- 52:19No, we wouldn't ask - And only things you like that.
- 52:24Thank you would kill like poop, um, Krell I don't know, maybe
- 52:29charger, I don't know. Sorry I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
- 52:35Oh Mary Luke, Luke Skywalker. I mean, it's just that's my
- 52:40yeah. Off the top with me at Luke.
- 52:43Luke was Ice Crush. I can't.
- 52:45Yeah. Same.
- 52:47Yeah, same here. Okay.
- 52:52Are you a Jedi or a Sith and Jedi for sure.
- 52:56Okay, which version of Obi-Wan, do you like best boy in
- 53:02question? Since my most things cannot be,
- 53:06this is supposed to be rapid fire.
- 53:08Oh okay, I'm going to say Rebels.
- 53:11I'm gonna go with like the maybe the unexpected and I because I
- 53:13know and maybe it's cheap because we don't get much of
- 53:15him. But what we can do get of
- 53:17Obi-Wan in Rebels, is so profound.
- 53:22And impactful and says so much and anyone who has never heard
- 53:31my God. What's his name?
- 53:31The voice of Darth Maul, you know I'm blanking Sam Sam
- 53:35Witwer. Yeah yeah.
- 53:36Anyone who's never heard him described that scene,
- 53:40step-by-step go look that up a little the scene I'm talking
- 53:45about is that went on Twin Sons episode of where is small in his
- 53:49arms. That's that is like the The
- 53:53epitome of Obi-Wan, to me, if you could wear one costume from
- 53:56Star Wars, what would you wear? Oh, well, how should I name the
- 54:03one I have hanging in my closet right now?
- 54:07I think I should. Because Ray, I I love Ray.
- 54:15I love Ray. And I love her outfits and I
- 54:18have one hanging in my closet that I have not had the
- 54:21confidence. To photograph myself in Cosplay
- 54:25wearing, okay? So which would you pick what's
- 54:28your favorite original trilogy? Prequel trilogy sequel, Trilogy,
- 54:32or animated shows who? I mean, original?
- 54:36I'm an original trilogy girl, and I don't know that anything
- 54:39will replace that, although I will say, the animated shows
- 54:44probably have the most impactful moments that make me cry and
- 54:48elicit. The strongest emotions from me.
- 54:51Okay. We're almost Done.
- 54:53What's your favorite Obi-Wan hairstyle?
- 54:57Oh gosh. I mean, the beard, the beard.
- 55:03The Revenge of the Sith ob1 that's Revenge of the Sith.
- 55:06I'll be one is the Obi one that I had wanted from the beginning
- 55:09that just yeah beard. In fact, so you're so good.
- 55:14Oh yeah. Yeah.
- 55:16I just got so happy. Just thinking about it.
- 55:24I like that answer, okay? If you could be any character in
- 55:29all of Star Wars, who would you want to be questions?
- 55:34Um, rapid-fire rapid-fire, I mean, okay, I mean the one
- 55:39coming to my head, this one's really hard, because there's
- 55:42three characters I'm saying, but I'm gonna go with Ray again.
- 55:45I just really loved Ray and I would want to be re because I
- 55:49feel like she's the most Like, Me In terms.
- 55:52Zuv. She's has like a sensitivity and
- 55:55a sweetness to her. She doesn't have to be a stoic
- 55:58badass black widows much as I freaking love.
- 56:00Black widow. Like, that's not the kind of
- 56:02person I am. And Ray made me feel like I
- 56:05could be a superhero. Alright, last question.
- 56:09What special power would you want to have?
- 56:13Gosh II mean, I volunteered Vala Jedi Powers.
- 56:17I think just the the way they can use their use the force to
- 56:21project their Like jumps like jumping over freaking Ravines
- 56:26and jumping into spaceships and stuff.
- 56:28And yeah, I just I don't know, like I always liked flying like
- 56:32the thought of like flying and stuff and so I think that would
- 56:35be my favorite. I guess of the Jedi Powers just
- 56:38being able to kind of throw my body like that.
- 56:41Be useful in everyday life. Yeah, right.
- 56:45I just I like climbing things and I like, I don't know, to
- 56:48just be able to just group pop right over.
- 56:51It's all right. Well, thank you so much for
- 56:54joining us here. It was really nice to have this
- 56:56conversation. I hope you had fun.
- 56:58I definitely did. Yes, thank you so much for
- 57:01having me on. I loved it.
- 57:03Yeah, it's been so nice getting to know you and just, I'm so,
- 57:07so, I know we say all the time and I'm just, I'm so grateful
- 57:10for everybody in our Little Star Wars Instagram, internet
- 57:14microcosm, well. So real quick, then how can
- 57:18people find you? Where can they find you?
- 57:20Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Instagram, Jenny Marie studio
- 57:25and Jenny is spelled with an ie jennil507 to d0.
- 57:30Instagram is where I post most of my like previews and
- 57:33announcements and stuff for votive drops.
- 57:35Great and we'll definitely link to you in the post related to
- 57:39this as well, so people can find you.
- 57:40Thank you so much. Thanks again, to Jenny for being
- 57:49so generous with her time for this week's listener question.
- 57:52Let us know if you've ever purchased one of Jenny's votives
- 57:55and if so what did you buy and how did you like it unless
- 57:59week's episode we discussed and or episode 5 & 6 we asked our
- 58:03listeners. What their thoughts were?
- 58:05I loved it just in case you were wondering and our friends over
- 58:09at sisters Sabres Star. Destroyers sent me this message
- 58:13on Instagram while I loved both episodes 5 & 6.
- 58:16There was one specific Exchange in episode 6 that I had to
- 58:19immediately rewind and re-watch the tenant.
- 58:22In comes in during the heist and the large Imperial guy is
- 58:25shocked. He says that Gorn is a traitor
- 58:28and will be killed and Gorn simply responds that he deserves
- 58:32worse for serving the empire in eldini.
- 58:35That moment also caught my attention.
- 58:38I want to know what did Lieutenant Gordon.
- 58:40Do we all know, the Empire are evil bastard, so it definitely
- 58:44got my curiosity piqued. Thanks as always to our
- 58:47listeners for sending us their thoughts, every week.
- 58:50Next week, we're going to discuss and, or episodes Seven
- 58:53with every new release this show just gets better and better and
- 58:57then need to Screech about it. Into our microphones is
- 59:00overwhelming. So come on back for more
- 59:03Cassian. Mon mothma, Marva Etc.
- 59:08Thank you so much for joining us here in the most things Kenobi
- 59:10podcast. We appreciate every single one
- 59:12of our patrons and are grateful for your support if you'd like
- 59:16to support the podcast and become a patron as well.
- 59:18Head over to the most things Kenobi.
- 59:20Patreon as always, you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram,
- 59:24and YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe on
- 59:26your favorite podcast player. If you enjoy our podcast, feel
- 59:30free to rate US on Spotify and apple.
- 59:32And if you need, just one place to find all of these head over
- 59:35to most things Kenobi.com. So until next time, my friends,
- 59:39May the force be with you always.