The May 2017 MKE Creatives featured Yessica Jiminez, a local illustrator. She stated up front that she did not have a whole lot to say regarding her process or where she intends her work to go, but instead wanted to let her artwork speak for her. What we did learn about her though, is this: she was trained at MIAD, graduating three years ago; a lot of her work has to deal with how she identifies herself – as Latina, as feminine, as feminist; she’s quite pleased to have been recently accepted into the Pitch Project at Brenner Brewing (not far from our hosts, Anodyne Coffee) – as she said, “I have a decent-sized studio now – I can make BIG works!”
While a lot of artists find continuity in their work through general themes, or preferred media, Yessica has discerned that she particularly enjoys working in series – rarely making a stand-alone piece, but usually a small series of work that stand together to express an idea. A few of the ideas she’s explored recently are: women in the MKE hip-hop scene; self-portraits dealing with self-love, body-image, and her decision to stop shaving; her evolving thoughts and feelings on organized religion as contrasted to her own developing sense of spirituality, and “what would the Disney Princesses look like if they were modern rights activists?”. Currently, she’s working on a series exploring imagery of “Mother Nature.”
++++
This month had a good turnout, and as always, the variety of professions represented thrilled me. In attendance were: an admin-aid/event planner, a house DJ, an audio engineer/voice-over professional, an animator, a tech consultant for small bizs/productivity-coach, the founder of ZipMKE, a writer/editor, a graphic designer, a creative biz marketing consultant, a storyteller/toymaker, a CPA, a theatre marketer/farmers’ market manager, and me – a photographer!
Stay up-to-date with MKE Creatives HERE on FBook!
Next meetup is June 7, with Tactile Craft!
