Who is Samantha Jane?
Hey friends, Samantha Jane here. Since you’re here you probably want to know a little bit about me. Product of the 80’s born and raised in a small town outside the little city of Fort Wayne, IN. I currently reside in Fort Wayne and have enjoyed watching the recent growth boom, it’s the “little ‘city’ that could”. Art has been a part of my life from the time I could hold a pencil. With a lifetime of experiments and skills I want to be able to share that with other artists, all skill levels.
My mission is to support the global art community by teaching, learning, and creating.
Art from a younger me, around high school age, when I started taking my own artwork seriously. My skills have since improved!
Backstory
One of my earliest memories of being an artist was being at a restaurant with paper placemats and asking my mom if she had a pen in her purse so I could draw. I was around kindergarten age, so 5 or 6? Looking around the room for things to draw, I grabbed the glass ketchup bottle sitting on the table. Carefully tracing the edges with my eyes, I tried my hardest to translate what I was seeing to the paper. When I was finished I sat back and was impressed with my little self that the image on the paper did in fact resemble that ketchup bottle. It was nowhere near perfect but I was proud at all the details I had spotted and tried to include. I remember thinking to myself that I could draw and I could now label myself with that fact.
My mom was always finding creative things to keep me occupied because I was an only child. She was a creative person herself. She decorated our house with the latest style. She enjoyed sewing. We went to basement sales for fabric, shopped JoAnn for patterns. She even let me try to sew a few things and in high school she helped me make a basic quilt. My mom had always had the desire to learn how to paint flowers. I think subconsciously that has stuck with me and I secretly find comfort in achieving her dream for her.
Art class was always my favorite. In high school we had a presentation on SCAD and I remember entertaining the idea of going to art school and making a go of it. But I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it. It was out of state, and my parents had just split up so I wasn’t sure how we could afford it. Pipe dreams. Maybe in another life I would have found a way to go. In my early years of college I took a drawing class for non-art majors. I’m here to tell you that one class changed my life. It taught me how to focus on negative space and draw what the eye sees, not the shapes that the brain imposes.
I’ve had friends that have been to art school and have shared some of their styles and techniques with me during art nights together. If you’ve never had an art night with friends I highly suggest it, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist. It can be so cathartic sitting around with friends chatting and being inspired by what everyone else is creating. If you’re unsure about hosting one yourself, see if there’s a painting studio near you. Several storefronts in my area do speed painting classes (the ones that an instructor guides you to paint a landscape in an hour) or that let you paint pottery. There’s a store here that even lets you create you own candles and that counts too! Being creative taps into a curious part of the mind. Sometimes even doing your creative hobbies lets you break into flow state (I’ll talk more about that in a journal post).
Inspiring Others to Embrace Art the Life
Over the last 10 years I’ve taken workshops and watched lots of videos. I may have an addiction to art supplies as I can’t stop buying them, and I also kinda horde them- looking to change that. (Mantra to self: art supplies are meant to be used.) I know what art does for me and I’m hoping to inspire others to take on art as a hobby, no matter what skill level. Doing artwork is therapeutic. If you let go and let your mind get lost in the art project you are doing. Coloring pages, drawing doodles, painting pictures, knitting, crocheting, woodworking, whatever your craft, if you like, do it. Experiment too! You never know what you’ll fall in love with next. I’m here to support that. Stick around, hang out a while, and discover something new. Happy creating!
Here’s What’s Happening Now
Head on over to my journal to stay up to date on what’s happening in my art life. Check out my YouTube for tutorials, creative challenges, product reviews, and more! On Instagram you’ll find the projects I’ve been working on. Find me on Facebook to see what I’ve been up to. Want to take a piece of me home with you? Artwork can be purchased on my shop, Instagram, and Facebook! See you there!