in the studio with Jeanne Oliver

Jeanne is married to her dream maker, Kelly, and the mother to three funny and creative kiddos.  She home schools her children even though she has tried to get out of it a few times.  You can often find her hiking in her state of Colorado, making creative messes in her studio and finding an excuse to have another cup of coffee.

She speaks and teaches all around the country and sometimes she even gets to cross the pond.  She was told that she needed to find that one thing but she doesn’t like listening to directions so she embraces many loves and that has given her a sweet mash up of family, art, decorating and fashion.  Connecting with women and sharing that each of us has been creatively made is one of her passions.   The Lord is showing her each day to trust in him.

I love seeing how other artists set up their creative space. Can you tell us a little bit your studio?

My studio was originally the dining room of our home.  For many years my studio space was located in our unfinished basement and this felt dark, separated from the rest of the home and not inspiring.  Our children are still young and it is important to me to keep my studio in our home for as long as possible.  It was my husband that really pushed me to take the dinning room space and make it my studio.  This space was rarely used and the light was perfect. Here we are many years later using this space to its full potential!  I love that I can be creating in my studio and still be a part of what the rest of the home is doing.

What inspires you? What motivates you to create?

I am inspired by vintage fabrics, interesting conversations with friends, walks through an art museum, thought provoking books and any time I can get outside and spend time in nature.

I am motivated to create by ideas I collect in my journal, sketches I am working on and sometimes even just color combinations that I need to put to canvas. I can leave a conversation with a friend with a deep need to create.  Sometimes there is no motivation and I need to just spend time in my create space and find my motivation and direction.

How do you organize your creative schedule?I wish I had an easy answer to this question.  So much of what I do is the business side of my creativity and what we have built.  I can get frustrated sometimes that I don't spend as much time in my studio as I would like but that is just the phase of my life right now.  This has made me change how I look at my creativity. I try to look at my whole life as a creative act.  This really helps me to see everything from how I cook a meal, put our home together, how I love on our children, a walk in the sunshine and even sometimes when I put paint to canvas...as my creative acts that I get to do each day.  

What is a typical day like for you?I wake up early before everyone else and spend those few hours going through emails and handling the business side of Jeanne Oliver Designs. I keep a tight schedule and work hard to stay on task each day so I also have the free time I need and want to be with my family and to also find time for all of the creative parts of who I am.  I try to make our days as beautiful as possible by the foods we eat, the music playing, the flowers scattered around our home, the candles lit, the books we read and the art we make. I think people are often surprised how hard I have to work to get time in the studio. I love to create but I am really seeing that my time with these three beautiful children is going faster than I am ready for and they usually win for my time.  

What are you working on right now?I have some amazing retreats coming up this year and much of my time has been creating art, reading books, and creating prompts and curriculum for the students. I have also been having a blast working in abstracts and I am excited where that is going.

Want to connect with Jeanne?

Creative Network
http://jeanneoliver.ning.com/
Blog
http://jeanneoliverdesigns.com/blog/

Shop
http://www.jeanneoliverdesigns.com/pages/shophome.htm

"In the Studio" is a new feature here on the blog where I share a glimpse into friends and fellow artists and crafters spaces. If you are interested in submitting your studio to be featured, send me an email at alisaburkesubmissions@gmail.com