Interview with SD Voyager Magazine

http://sdvoyager.com/interview/life-work-jennifer-burns/

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Burns.

Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been a creative person. A crafter, party planner. So getting into Art or painting specifically seemed natural. I was looking for new ways to create and spend quality time with my youngest daughter.

 I wanted us to create something that came from our souls. Not just something for the day and then went into the trash. We were finger painting and I really like the way the paint felt on my fingers. There was a peaceful flow. I found myself thinking about my own childhood and how I would have loved to have finger painted with my own mother. I began to think about what I had written that day and for me, there was this opportunity to release what I was feeling inside. So, that is where the Healing Art by Jen name came from. Combined with my creativity and my own journaling that I have done for over 20 years writing my Memoir, I found that painting became my own therapy. Coming from an extremely tumultuous and abusive childhood, I needed some kind of an outlet. But therapy where you just talk to a therapist wasn’t working for me. I needed to do something physical. I began to explore other ways of painting and had found Liquid painting. I loved it. It was very freeing, peaceful, you never knew what you were going to create. But my pieces seemed boring to me. The design on the canvas just wasn’t enough. So I began embellishing my pieces with Shells, rhinestones, driftwood etc. Then one day on Youtube while trying to find the best adhesive for my embellishments, I found Resin!!! It all changed for me that day. I fell in love with what I was looking at. I was absolutely determined to figure out how you create gorgeous colorful paintings with resin. I also love crystals and collect them and so when I came upon agate/geode resin paintings, I was hooked. So what you see today is my interpretation of agates and geodes. I try to make the sparkle and allow my current state of mind to be displayed but in a beautiful gorgeous way. When I look at my pieces, they speak to me. They make what was awful and horrible in my past turned into something amazing and gorgeous.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My life has been a series of chapters. Each decade seem to display a new set of obstacles. But my own personal obstacles. I have always journaled and that kept me sane. It allowed all the things that were spinning in my head a place to land all the while raising three kids and being married. And always allowing myself the outlet of creativity, I had never felt this kind of release, freedom and control from what I felt inside until now. Each milestone, my kids, were making would seem to trigger me. And I am such a positive and optimistic person, I found this to be frightening and for the first time, I felt like I couldn’t control or handle everything as well anymore. But I forged forward like most of us do in life not really addressing my triggers. My advice for anyone struggling with the day to day because of your past is to deal with each trigger as it comes. Really ask yourself what is the lesson being presented in front of you? The trigger is to allow you to release your fear, anger, paint, hurt. I avoided this and just bounced along in my super bubbly way. That only hurt me later. If there is something that you do, that helps you to deal with triggers or life obstacles and it is a productive or creative opportunity take it. I have learned you have to feel the pain, anger, hurt all of it in order to release it. I combine it with my Art and it is set free and made into something new.

Please tell us about Healing Art by Jen.
I hardly call what I do work. I love it so much. I pour all of my emotions and feelings into what I do. I sketch out but sometimes the inner me takes over and a piece comes out completely different than I had expected. I know there are a lot of people that paint and use Resin and crystals. But if you look at all of our pieces side by side, you can see very distinct differences. I would like to think that when you see my pieces, you feel something. I am so happy that my journey has brought me to this place in life. I have never taken a single art class or anything. I just love to experiment and allow the emotions and feelings to be on display.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
My advice for anyone is always trust your gut. Your intuition is your guide in this life. I don’t see enough people trusting it. The more you engage that part of yourself, the more skilled you are at navigating yourself. Believe in yourself. No one can give you what you really really need. You are the only person that can truly lift yourself up. Be inspired by your own self. If your looking to try something new just go for it. You have nothing to lose.

Contact Info:

• Address: Oceanside, Ca
• Phone: 760-415-1096
• Email: HealingArtbyJen@gmail.com 
• Instagram: @HealingArtbyJen

     
Image Credit:
Jennifer Burns