Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Yasmeen.
Jade, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Where I am today comes from my early childhood — watching both my mother and father draw and paint on the patio of our house in Tampa, FL. Watching, imitating others and learning different subjects has always been a strength of mine and I just continued to mold it into something I wanted for myself. I made the conscious decision to take art to a professional level in 2015 while I was two years into college majoring in Elementary Education. I took a long break from school for this reason, but I do not regret it one bit. The pay-off of dedicating time and effort into a craft that may or may not work out to my advantage is incredibly risky! But it’s honestly the risk and adventure I needed in 2015 and it still gives me chills thinking about leaving school and how my parents reacted when I told them I wanted to focus on art. I mean, I had a scholarship and my parents invested so much into me being a school-teacher, but I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. It fills me with this warm sense of exhilaration knowing that it’s all a fun game and nothing is guaranteed.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first started out four years ago, I often complained about the workload. I felt like since my parents created art, then I could just magically create amazing art with ease. At that time, I wished I didn’t have to worry about colors not mixing properly, having to adhere to deadlines, personal relationships falling apart due to my career obligations, or sacrificing other great opportunities for art. What made me realize that this career was right for me is that I began loving the idea of the difficulties mentioned earlier coming my way. As artists, we’re constantly on this rollercoaster of emotions that keeps us creating. I love it!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I paint with oils, but some of my work you’ll see done in pen, pencils, Copics, etc. I specialize in portraits, mainly highlighting the beauty in people of color or women of every background. In every single piece, I try to capture every detail, giving the painting a three-dimensional effect. I’m most proud of my progress as a young artist. The amount of detail I’ve incorporated into my works of art over the past six months alone have been leaps and bounds from where I used to be, what I thought was a presentable piece of artwork. I love giving whomever it is that requests a piece of work from me that same loving quality — from the pores in someone’s face to the packaging wrap it’s shipped with. Everything I do is done with dedicated time and love!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Without question, the proudest moment has to be when I met my favorite artist and his fiancée. It was the first time I came to visit Los Angeles earlier this year and I often tear up thinking about the experience. This artist who I’ve been looking up to as a role model for many years now is here in the flesh in front of me! Looking at all of his artwork up close and personal as opposed to viewing it online, to be at one with all of the hard work and time that went into the masterpieces in his home was a very humbling experience for me. They both were so welcoming and loving, it will always be a monumental memory for me!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @jadeyasm
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