Keep Out of the Cookies (an animation) from Jessica Gonacha Swift on Vimeo. SO cute & adorable!

How is it that Grown-Up Gigs has yet to feature a full-time artist? The travesty! The most simple but seemingly most elusive career for a creative person (not necessarily a full-time artist but a full time insert-creative-”starving-artist”-profession-here), Jessica Gonacha Swift has been doing it for six years with amazing results. I don’t know how I found my way to Jess’ work initially, but when I saw it I immediately swooned – it’s bright & sweet & quirky & insightful & so unique & personal. In getting to know Jess by being her coach & friend, she continued to inspire me with her words & her actions. Besides bringing her into Spring, I knew I needed to dig a little deeper & ask her some grown-up questions. You’re welcome.

1. You are an artist who makes her living – pays her rent, feeds herself, buys adorable clothes & doesn’t live hand to mouth – solely from selling your illustrations & patterns. That’s so beyond the realm of The Possible by so many of us who are “stuck” in traditional jobs (or traditional families!). What advice can you give to those Grown-Ups out there who think,  “I’ll never be able to pay the bills by being an artist”?

Wow, you make what I do sound so cool! I guess my only real advice is to  not listen to those people who tell you you can’t do it for one reason or another. Because you absolutely CAN. I say, don’t we all have a responsibility to do the things that make us truly joyful in this life? Who made the rule that a job isn’t supposed to be fun? Also, the world NEEDS artists. Can you imagine a world without anything pretty or decorative? Without images that make you think and question? Everything would be so  boring and dull– so if artists are so necessary, why shouldn’t we be able to make a living giving our talents to the world? If you are passionate about what you do and want to share it with the world, then there is an audience for you. You can do it.

2. How did you take the leap into being a full-time artist? Feel free to discuss the emotional and/or the tangible!

Well, I didn’t have a real plan, that’s for sure. Basically, I was waiting tables at a miserable restaurant, the managers were awful, I was beyond unhappy and unfulfilled, and I had to get out. I’d gotten into a juried art show, and somehow I just decided that I was going to make as much art as I could for the show and make it happen on my own. Looking back I can’t believe I made that leap so quickly, but I’d gotten to the point of not being able to handle it for one more day. So I quit. And I painted in my bedroom. Literally, on the floor of my bedroom. And then the show came around a month or so later, and I made $5,000.00. It was exhilarating! I had no idea it was possible to make a living this way, and I’d stepped into a world I’d never been in before. I was 23 then, and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve just known that I was going to make it on my own one way or another. I’ve had a couple very part-time jobs here and there, but for the most part I’ve been making a living as an artist for the past 6 years.

3. In your opinion, what’s the biggest roadblock to being a working  artist, & how have you/are you rising above it?

MONEY. It’s hard not having a steady paycheck or knowing where the next project will come from. I have such fear around money, which makes me wonder why I chose such an uncertain path for myself! This makes me think there’s a lesson in it for me, and the lesson is in trusting myself and trusting that the next project will always come. Up to this point, it’s all worked out well, so I’m trying to just believe that it’s going to continue working out because i’m doing what I love!

4. What is your most favoritist part of your career?

I love that I get to sit on the floor in my yoga pants and draw while other people are sitting at their desks, wearing high heels and blazers! I love making my own schedule, getting to take time off whenever I want to/need to (for example, I never have to get time off for the holidays approved by a boss, because I AM the boss!) And quite honestly, I just love that I get to make stuff all day. It’s such a luxury.

5. What’s your biggest dream, & how are you moving forward towards it?

My biggest dream is to become a well-known designer, like Jonathan Adler or Orla Kiely. I want to create things that make people happy and feel good, and to have them available worldwide. I want to have my designs on all kinds of products and have my own shops around the world! I’m creating a detailed vision of what I want my dream career to look like, researching manufacturing, and I’ll be exhibiting at Surtex this coming May. I’m also learning to believe that it’s possible to have wild success in my life! I don’t think it can happen if I don’t believe that it can, so this is a big first step.

Related posts:

1. Grown-Up Gigs: Website Designer/ Food Blogger/ Artist/ Greeting Card Designer!
2. Grown-Up Gig: LEGO Artist
3. Grown-Up Gigs: Improv Everywhere

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