We had the good fortune of connecting with Jarrett Holbrook and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jarrett, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
For me, risk taking is about pushing yourself to achieve the things you’ve always wanted or felt a calling to pursue. I have always felt a calling to pursue art and music and trying to develop a successful career in either of those fields is not easy. Getting a degree in music was something that I had to really push myself for, with no great prospects of finding work after graduating, which was really difficult to deal with mentally as I was going through college. About halfway through my degree I found my way back to painting and started really getting back into it, accepting commissions and developing some personal works as well. This is what really pushed me to finish out school, so I could finally have the time to pursue both of my interests fully.
What got you to where you are today in your career?
Getting to where I am today with my art has been a long journey, and starting at a really young age I began to take interest in drawing and painting. The school system I grew up in thankfully held art in relatively high esteem, but I had some great art teachers throughout my education. I still remember in primary school making Japanese style prints with fish and making paper kites with them, and doing paper collage and textile weaving.
I was always fascinated by everything that I could try in the art classroom, and when I got to high school I took all the art classes I could manage, even AP studio art my junior year. I eventually decided to go to school for music, piano specifically, but I never gave up on pursuing art as well, and I have been so grateful for all the support I have received in both fields!
Other than what I learned in public school, I am self-taught, and have spent lots of time over the years watching videos and looking at other artists work to find new techniques to practice, and I believe I have started to develop my own style even through my commission work.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are some great biking/running trails in the city including the Riverwalk, Flat Rock Park, and the Fall Line Trace trail which are all really fun and well maintained. I would also check out the latest exhibitions at the Bo Bartlett Center, Heritage Art Center, and the Columbus Museum, along with several other art galleries in the downtown and midtown area. Then I would definitely check out Fountain City Coffee to get the best fresh roasted coffee in the whole wide world (imo) and then check out Banks Food Hall and all the great restaurants along Broadway.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank the arts community in Columbus, GA as a whole for being so supportive of local artists like myself and so many others who have been given opportunities to show their work in great spaces like the Bo Bartlett Center and Heritage Art Center, along with so many other wonderful studios and galleries in the city.
Website: www.jarrettholbrookart.com
Instagram: @jarrettpharrett
Facebook: Jarrett Holbrook Art