We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Ream and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I have always been drawn to the arts – for as long as I can remember and always had hopes of making it into a career. While I explored a number of other options in my twenties, I was still constantly painting or drawing and working on building my portfolio. Then, when I was 27, my father passed. It kind of hit me differently then, that if I should be dealt the same hand he was and pass before I was 60, that my life was essentially half over – so how did I want to live the second half? If I only had thirty years left live, would I regret not taking a chance on myself, on my dream of being a full time artist? Because at the end of the day, if I failed, I could always find a job doing something, so why not just go for it? That was 5 and a half years ago and I haven’t looked back since.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

My mixed media work shifts between three bodies of work: abstract paintings that explore the mental landscape to give physicality to emotions that are otherwise unnameable, fiber-based abstractions that focus in on the collision point between human kind and mother nature, and abstracted portraiture that ruminates on the muses that exist within each of us. Along side my paintings, I have created an extensive collection of handbound books.

My work has taken on many forms over the years and it’s only been recently that I’ve felt I’ve settled into a consistent theme of exploration within my work. There have been what felt like many false starts and fast shifts and honestly, there’s been a lot of ‘bad’ art made. But that’s one lesson I’ve learned: that sometimes you just have to be okay making bad art to get to the good stuff.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Since this magazine is about Atlanta, I’m guessing you’re asking about spots in Atlanta. Since I’m a Columbia based artist, I can only give highlights of Columbia. A few of the spots I’d take a friend would be to the NoMa Flea Market or the Soda City Market. We’d probably grab a coffee at Indah or Drip Coffee, grab lunch from the Mad Chef Eats food truck and take a stroll along the River Walk.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family. One thousand percent they deserve recognition for where I am. My parents were always encouraging! I was never once told ‘you should be a doctor or a lawyer…’ or ‘Don’t be an artist, there’s no money in that’. They were always 100% behind me and have always been my biggest cheerleaders.

My husband deserves credit as well. When I started talking about taking the leap and quiting my 9-5 to pursue it, his immediate response was to go for it. Even when the financial burden has mostly been on his income, he’s never once wavered in support. I know without a doubt that he’s always in my corner and that means the absolute world to me. I’d have probably given up a few times if not for his encouragement.

Website: Jessream.com

Instagram: @jessream

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