Meet Jasmin Cage | Painter, Woodworker, Baker, & Maker

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

Hi Jasmin, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My artistic career is comprised of such varied undertakings, it seems that without the risk of attempting something new and/or unconventional, I’m unmotivated to create. We’ve all heard that a successful artist is one who has one singular and recognizable style. That always rubbed me wrong. Taking nothing away from artists who have found what works for them and ran with it, for me, for me it felt like setting up camp at the first mile marker. Who knows what I’ll discover about myself unless I push to explore new ideas, styles, media, etc.? To date I’ve found joy and success painting on every imaginable surface; some favorites include metal, drywall, shoes, and ball caps. I carve and burn wood, create textiles and sew garments, I make clocks. I’ve even found success creating cookies, cakes, and sugar flowers. Each new endeavor is a risk. I’ve been a decently skilled portrait painter for years, so why use my time and resources developing some brand new skill set, maybe even risking injury in the process? Why not?
 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I don’t really like the term “self-taught” because none of us exist inside of a vaccuum, but I went the unconventional route of trial and error with my work as opposed to taking classes or attending art school. It was difficult, more so than it needed to be. A lot of my decision to go that route was was born of pride, and if I had it to do over I think I may have gone the academic route or sought out mentors. Reading Austin Kleon’s fantastic book Steal Like an Artist taught me that gleaning inspiration and ideas from others is not only not criminal, but unavoidable and optimal, and that influence doesn’t detract from my creativity or skill. I’ve also been stubborn when it comes to self-promotion. I think I used to consider all things computer related somehow “beneath me”. I’d refer to myself as an analog girl in a digital world. Most of the work and services I’ve sold has been thanks to word of mouth. I’m trying to do better in that respect, so thank you Shout Out for asking me to talk about myself online 🙂

Since I produce such a wide array of artistic products it’s difficult to focus on where to market my goods and services. Moving forward I’d love to work with interior designers and product designers. My work is colorful and seems to make people happy. I did a mural for a The Gaia Center for Embodied Healing in Nashville. That was a great project and I’m happy to know that, day after day, my work is used to create an atmosphere which fosters healing. I chose all of the colors and images I used with that in mind. It meant so much more than just “looking cool”, my heart was in it for the people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A dream Memphis day out would start with breakfast and coffee from City Silo in East Memphis, followed by a tour of the Civil Rights Museum downtown. Then we could head over to Crosstown Concourse for a while, go crate diving for some deep cuts at the Listening Lab, checking out whatever Crosstown Arts has to offer this week, and grabbing another coffee from French Truck. Then maybe an AA meeting at Came to Believe in midtown, where I’ve met some of the greatest folks on Earth. After that a class at The Yoga Kickback in Southaven MS, or if it’s warm and it’s happening, a free outdoor yoga class at Tom Lee Park while catching the sunset on the banks of the Mississippi. Oh yeah! we skipped lunch- probably due to all of that coffee- so we’d pick up some dinner to go from Plant Based Heat or Shroomlicious Meals, stop by Black Lodge to get a weird indie film, then back to my place to put our feet up and enjoy a dessert from my own kitchen.

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?
There are 2 books which come to mind as invaluable to me in my artistic process; The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, and The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Reading and rereading these books offered me the perspective necessary to push past the opposing forces which had dogged my every step for as long as I remember. I was an escape artist, running and hiding from hard work, my past, and my greatness. These days I still feel the urge to retreat, but I’ve learned to get curious about source of that impulse, and the exploration of those urges is where I find my greatest inspiration.

Website: www.jasmincage.com

Instagram: @jasmincage