The Awesome Art of Anjeanette

Anjeanette Illustration is vibrant both as an artist and a person. Her paintings use both the traditional and digital mediums to produce something akin to the imaginative promises of a comic book adventure, while her photography seems to catch that moment at the inhalation of being started by beauty. All to say, Anjeanette has something goin’ on! The artist shared with the Brophisticate a bit of her story, some thoughts on developing as an artist and her own struggle to learn to live with the final product of one’s creative process.

Brophisticate: You have a very recognizable style. How long did it take you to get the point that you felt something like ‘Ah! This is what I do and this is what I do well!’
I struggled for years to develop a style. I researched, I practiced, I tried so many techniques and mediums…and then sometime this past year I realized all my work had a recognizable quality to it that was not the result of any of the labor I had put into it! It got me thinking because as I look to painting from as far back as High school it was there. Certainly there was a lack of technique or sophistication (not that I am sure I have so much sophistication now) yet there was something ‘so me’ about everything I paint and…maybe I never should have tried so hard to find it.

I guess what I am saying—and I am no writer here so bear with—is that part of you always becomes a part of your style. One can look at a drawing or artwork and have a sense of ‘when’ era wise it was created. Maybe those styles develop because of our involvement or lack with the world we are in, and many are in fact started by trendsetters who are oft flattered with style adoption. Certain styles are very trendy now, and some can come and go. We are inevitably influenced by all that is around us and I feel like never before has art as a passionate career been so widespread. I doubt anyone can ever really totally copy another artist, it will never not have a part of oneself in it.

I remember a great print graphic design magazine called Step-by-Step that always fascinated me. I love seeing the creation process and enjoy the step by step myself more than I actually enjoy the artwork after completion. I love journals, unfinished work, preliminaries, notebooks. Often in museums I pass by finished work kind of quickly, which embarrasses me to say, in search of the occasional first draft sketch accompanying a retrospective. Or I get really excited about a certain line or a one inch square area in a 6 foot painting ha ha! Look at this part! This brushwork RIGHT here! [With my own work] I tend to lose interest in a completed project or just would rather rework and do more that frame it.

When you began doing art, did you initially imitate other artists’ styles?

I have had so, so many experiences of coming up with an original idea- only to see one or three other artists post the same content in their style the same day! We didn’t plan it, it is not a current event related theme, it was not for a themed show, and in many cases we do not even really know each other. Then I have been in so many themed shows with a specific idea and not ONE artist made the same image….how does that happen?

How do we make original art? There is nothing new under the sun, and art is not created in a vacuum I heard that growing up a lot! So if that is true all we can bring to the painting is ourselves. Being influenced by another creation is also really wonderful provided you acknowledge and give credit where it is due also- thank them. I have been livid to tears feeling ‘copied’ when it was unintentional and then had zero reaction to a flagrant and direct copy where an image was printed with my logo cropped out. I made a little typography piece featuring one of my photos with a cute personal message of inspiration-and its currently all over Pintrest and Facebook with no mention of me and in fact with the quote attributed to another or credit claimed on the photo. Ouch!

I can say this being a creative person myself but most of us are tortured by self-doubt, sensitiveness, ego, procrastination, etc. Is this something you deal with as well and if so, how do you beat it? I ask this because you seem to me to be very prolific or not held back by anything that I can see.

I doubt absolutely everything. [But] I find as I get older I am gentler with my self-criticism. I find it is harder to get true constructive criticism as well, and this makes growth really tough. I am endlessly frustrated that what I envision in my mind is not precisely what I was able to create. I see problems and areas for constant rework in each painting, and it would and has driven me nuts trying to fix it.

Just a gentle reminder- artists we should build each other up. Encourage each other! No one way of making art is the only or best way. Critique of each work on a case by case basis is fine- belittling one form that is not your preferred method, name dropping, and bragging makes the value of only your OWN work go down. Maybe even introduce yourself to other artists and find out why they like different methods or mediums, be willing to learn about alternative styles etc. We could rule the world if we worked together instead of tearing each other down.

Do you remember the days before social media? I ask that because no doubt because of the internet, all kinds of artists that would never be accepted by the galleries and establishment crowd pretty much become as much or more successful as they want or choose to work at it. How has social media aided both the commerce of your work but also given your confidence a shot in the arm?

I do remember a time before social media! A short time after graduation I ‘moved’ from my college town in Savannah, Ga and hit the streets of NY via Brooklyn for a few months with my fresh portfolio, samples, and postcards. I was instantly depressed. At that time people were only interested in a certain style, which is how styles go. It just was not my particular style it seemed. I heard a lot of ‘could you draw happier’, and ‘we are looking for cheerier work’ etc. I did not realize my work was especially dark, but it certainly was not polished or sophisticated enough for what I was pursuing.

Social media really takes some of that anxiety away, for good and for bad. So much is being put out every minute that I can ‘show’ art, and if its terrible its over pretty fast! I cannot base my making on the ‘likes’ though, dangerous game, to make art dependent on others approval. In a commerce way, I cannot say it has drastically aided me. I get the occasional commission based on another work show but find that there seems to be a lowered value for it.

What social media has [certainly] done is bring art to people who in years many past may have said they don’t like art, having only been exposed to specific classical or popular trends in galleries.

I’m only a casual fan of art history but one of my favorite things is when artists put secret messages, jokes, codes or Easter Eggs in their work. Ever done that yourself?

I am a huge fan of Easter Eggs and hidden messages—I used to do this! And I will not tell what ones brawhahahahah! Visit my online gallery wink nudge. I am a huge fan of letterboxing and geocache, so I have left treasures and free-range art here and there.