Rising Stars: Meet Jeanette Bergstrom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanette Bergstrom.

Hi Jeanette, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a family with six sisters and we all have been creative and loved making things I think I always wanted to be an artist. In my college dorm, I was jealous of the art students who were up late working on their projects but I had the limiting belief that I couldn’t imagine how creating art could be a “real” career. So I chose to play it safe and graduated with a Graphic Design Degree from Cal Ploy University SLO. I have loved my 20 careers as a Graphic Designer, Art Director and ultimately a Creative Director. However, some major life changes happened within a few years of each other that had me reevaluating what was important in my life.

Here’s what happened to me that made me rethink what I was doing with my life. . . In 2019 I had been diagnosed and underwent treatment for tonsil cancer. Then the pandemic hit in 2020 and about six months after that I was laid off from my 20 years career as a creative director. These major life changes had me doing some extensive mindset work and soul searching until I finally said to myself “What am I doing? Why am I not painting? No more excuses!” My soul was demanding that I paint, create, and bring joy to my life and share it out into the world. I was forced to break free of the corporate grind, my own limiting beliefs . . . and began to create.

Now that I’m painting, what feeds my soul and inspires my pieces are the sense of play, the love of nature, the beach, and swimming in the ocean. Art will influence the energy of a room and our experiences are portrayed back to us through art, so my intention is to imbibe my paintings with my full authentic self, so it connects with people not only on visual but energetic level through honest art.

I’m a female professional in her 50’s who is finally answering what her heart has been calling her to do for years. I’m just beginning this second career in life and It’s slow going. I’m still doing freelance Art Direction work to supplement my income but I am the happiest I have ever been. I just keep taking small steps every day towards my goal of being a full-time artist. I am currently painting abstract landscapes, seascapes and abstract expressionism and feel like I’m just beginning to explore my true identity through my art.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The major life changes I had to go through to get me on my current path, I am thankful for but some of the most common struggles many artists and creatives face are. . .

1. Mindset – that you are not good enough
2. Limiting beliefs – you can make money as an artist
2. Expectations – success should be happening faster than they are.
3. Comparison to other artists – I’m not as good as them they already own the market
4. Time management – balancing the business side of art with the creating time and making your art

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create original paintings and prints of abstract landscapes, seascapes and abstract expressionist paintings. While I’m still developing and exploring my true identity through my art, I find the more joyful and free I feel when I am painting the happier I am with the results. I paint from memories, imagination and photographs.

What inspires my pieces are the sense of play, the love of nature, the beach, and swimming in the ocean. Art will influence the energy of a room, our experiences are portrayed back to us through art, so my intention is to imbibe my paintings with my full authentic self, so it connects with people not only on a visual but energetic level through honest art.

I’m collaborating with other artists through online art groups and I’m partnering with a fellow artist doing an IG live podcast twice a month. We talk about what it’s like to be an emerging artist, our wins and struggles and is called “If this canvas could talk”.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The downturn in business that the pandemic caused and the changes it made in people’s lives had us all taking the time to reassess what was important in our lives. What would bring joy back into our lives?

I spent the time working on my mindset and daily meditative writing practices which made a huge difference on how I was looking at my life and what directions to take. I learned that you have to spend time doing what you love a little bit every day. Don’t wait or put it off doing what brings you joy even if you spend as little as ten minutes a day on it.

I made the commitment to take twenty minutes a day to work on my art business. If it wasn’t painting, I would work on emails or social media posts, but committed to that amount of time. On days I was distracted or couldn’t get started, all I did was set a timer for the twenty minutes and somehow by setting the timer and knowing it was going to go off it motivated me to start. Then when the timer when off I stopped what I was doing for that day. Making this commitment was all I needed to move forward toward my goal of being a full-time artist. We all can spend 20 minutes a day working towards something we want or doing something we love and see how it will change your life. Don’t give up!

“You can’t lift a thousand pounds all at once. Yet, you can easily lift one pound a thousand times. Tiny, repeated efforts will get you there” – @marcandangel

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeanettebergstrom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanette.bergstrom.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.bergstrom.art
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jeanettebergstrom

Image Credits
Jeanette Bergstrom