Smart Humans: Jenni Grover

Photo by Alix Kramer

I'd like to introduce you to Jenni Grover.

Jenni is a wellness coach for creative folks, and a wonderful quilter. I just love her generous spirit and compassionate approach to creativity.

I first connected with Jenni through the social networks. I came across one of her articles about quilting and physical wellness, and I was like, “Holy crap, she wrote this just for me!” You can read more of her articles for SuzyQuilts here, and learn about her coaching services on her website.

I highly recommend following her on Instagram and LinkedIn, and reading her book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness.

Jenni was gracious enough to answer some interview questions for me. Enjoy!

What's your favorite hour of the day, day of the week, or season of the year?

My favorite hour of the day is morning, around 7:30am, when I've been awake for a couple of hours and done my yoga and had breakfast. There's a moment then when I feel strong and ready for the day, and I love that feeling!

My favorite day of the week is probably Friday. I love the anticipation of a weekend spent doing fun things! As a self-employed person who works from home, it's critical that I set boundaries for work and not-work.

My favorite season, hands down, is summer. I'm obsessed with gardening -- I have a big organic veggie and herb garden in our backyard, and I've planted hundreds of native perennial flowering plants all around our house. Summer is when it all explodes and it's beautiful. I adore sharing food and flowers that I've grown because it feels so magical, and helps me connect with my community. And I love making exuberant bouquets to give people all summer!

What do you empower people (including yourself) to do?

Through my work, I empower people to learn about themselves in deep and unusual ways. The result is that they understand better how to take care of themselves, to advocate and work for change. My clients feel empowered to make big life changes and experiment more.

Through the way I live, which is driven by truth, I empower myself to honor my past and step into a healthier present and future. I come from a family that skews truth, and growing up I always knew that was unhealthy. Today, I feel able to recognize my reality, which leads me to accept it and then take positive action.

I've come to this path through a few steps:

1. Becoming a journalist at age 16 and continuing to do that work even today, which is all about truth-seeking. And about connecting with others.

2. Through 25 years of learning to live with multiple chronic illnesses. That process required me to accept some really hard things, and to get creative with how I live.

3. By exploring trauma therapy in recent years, I've been able to shed a lot of physical damage that came from my childhood and early adulthood. That has changed my mental and physical health in huge, wonderful ways!

So as I do this work and take these actions, I'm learning more and more how to be my own best advocate. And by being vulnerable and sharing my experiences, I'm empowering other people to do self-advocacy work as well.

Photo by Alix Kramer

When people come to you for help, what's the number one question you hear?

Almost all of my coaching clients come to me with a desire for a more fulfilling creative life. They want to know: How do I get comfortable with experimentation? How do I get courageous about showing my work? How do I make more time for my creative pursuits? How do I manage health issues so I'm more able to follow creative passions?

What they're usually really asking is: How do I learn to believe in myself?

...Because when you believe in yourself deeply, you get braver about being "weird." You stop caring what others think. It becomes automatic to prioritize your art. You will feel comfortable making changes that empower you to be more creative.

So while I don't usually tell people they can come to me to learn how to believe in themselves again, maybe I should -- because that's the real thing they want and need help with. :)

What's something that people get wrong about you or your work?

A lot of people think a coach is someone who is just your cheerleader, or someone who gives you advice or directions to follow.

But I'm a wellness coach for makers! Wellness needs are as diverse as humans are, so I don't have a program of advice or a list of directions I can give out. And makers come in all shapes and sizes, too.

So my coaching is highly personalized. I guide each client through a learning process so they can uncover their true needs. Then together we come up with strategies that help them make lasting inner and outer change.

And yes, I'll be their cheerleader! But I'll also be so much more.

If you knew you'd be wildly successful, what would you try today?

I would be a painter! I took painting lessons as a kid but wow, I was not good at it. But I love the feel of a paint-filled brush gliding across a canvas. I would love to get messy and splash paint around and make a masterpiece.

Maybe that means it's time for me to try painting again?!

Photo by Alix Kramer

What's something you love to make?

I love to make quilts! I love every step, from choosing a pattern to gathering fabrics to assembling blocks to quilting it and hand-sewing on a binding. I love every step. (Okay, I actually hate basting a quilt. But that's a short step!)

Quilts have become so much more to me than just fancy blankets. They're a source of connection with others. They've inspired periods of service (I was president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild for a time, and I'm about to rejoin the board.) They are a delight for my senses. They are challenges to be worked through, problems to be solved. They make amazing gifts that the recipients treasure. They give my home life and comfort. And they're packed with memory and history!

I'll be making quilts for the rest of my life.

Where should we go to learn more about you?

Head to coachjennigrover.com to learn more about how my coaching works. Connect with me on Instagram for education and silliness. And check out my series of self-care articles for makers at SuzyQuilts.com.

Jenni, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Want to be interviewed for my Smart Humans series?

Send some information about you and your work to sarah@sarahatlee.com.

Still Life Paintings at Magnolias

Manhattan. Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 30 x 30 inches, 2015 by Sarah Atlee. $1,800 For purchase inquiries, contact Ro2 Art at (214) 803 9597 or visit this piece on Artsy.

Are you in or about Dallas, looking for the perfect cup of coffee? Look no further than Magnolias Sous le Pont. And while you're there, enjoy a gathering of succulent still life paintings by Sarah Atlee!

Put this on your calendar for next year (and every year): September 29 is National Coffee Day. Magnolias celebrated this year with a day of music, art, and endless cups of that heavenly brown nectar. They were also nice enough to interview me about my work and process.

Still Life will be up at Magnolias (map link) through 7 January 2017.

Artsy Shark Interview - Welcome, New Readers!

Go There Got Here, ink and colored pencil on Stonehenge paper, 6.5 x 6.5 inches, 2012 by Sarah Atlee

I am thrilled to be featured on Carolyn Edlund's Artsy Shark blog. Click here to read the interview and learn more about my process and techniques.

Did you arrive here from Artsy Shark?

Welcome! I'm so happy you're visiting my website. I recommend you browse the Images section.

I bet you'll find something you like here on the blog, too. How about a few tags to get you started: language, creativity, tools, sketchbook.

My most-read post explains how to make an acrylic gel transfer.

Last but not least, I would be honored to have you as a subscriber to my quarterly newsletter. I'll keep you up-to-date on exhibitions, news, and new website content. The signup form is just to the right.

Thanks for visiting!

WordPress Tip: Hire Jason Ormand

LIÁN TYPES »Reina« No.1 | white on black by Flickr user arnoKath. Click image to view source. Jason Ormand knows that great design makes the world a better place.

Sarahatlee.com has been on the air for eleven years. It's gone through many design iterations, some that I created myself, more done with the help of web design pros.

Division of Labor

In recent years I have learned that I am not the person best qualified to design and maintain my own website. I could learn to become so, but I already have a job as a full-time artist.

Turning sarahatlee.com over to professional web designer Jason Ormand is one of the best investments I have ever made. Jason shares my penchant for clean, elegant design, and he has a fine-tuned understanding of how people interact with the web.

I asked Jason to tell us a little more about what he does for a living.

When people ask, "So what do you do?" how do you answer?

I’m a Web Designer and Front End Developer.

How did you get into this business?

In 2007, Windows “automatically fixed” an external hard drive that I used to store all of the photos from my various adventures while I was in the Navy. Windows reformatted my hard drive and I lost 4 years of photos. Later that same day I was installing Linux on my laptop. That snowballed into an insatiable thirst for all things computers. I was building websites within a month.

What do you love about good design?

Clarity. Making a web site aesthetically pleasing while staying laser focused on the primary goal.

What do you hate about bad design?

Failure to communicate. If visitors are confused, it’s very unlikely that they will succeed at their task. If their task was to buy something from you or find your contact page, you lose.

Do you have a dream job, other than this?

This is my dream job. I love what i do.

Dude, are you for hire?

Yes. I’m currently accepting new projects. Interested parties can go to JasonOrmand.com/contact, where they can find the various ways to contact me.

Thanks, Jason.

Typo: Words and Pictures, Friday 02.26.2010 @ OKCCOCO

Birdhouse (In Your Soul), acrylic on masonite. Click image to view source.

This Friday night, come on down to the okcCoCo and see the group show Typo: Words and Pictures.

When: Friday 02.26.2010, 7-10 pm. Where: Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, 723 N Hudson Ave (map link) Who: Marilyn Artus, Sarah Atlee, Bryan Dahlvang, Kris Kanaly, Christopher Lee, romy owens, Josh Reynolds, and Cassie Stover. &c: Light refreshments will be served. Family-friendly, free.

Erin K. is interviewing some of the artists in the show, and I thought I'd share some more detail by answering her questions here.

What is the purpose of this exhibit?

Typo is a group invitational exhibit exploring the collision of text and imagery in two-dimensional art. I put out a call to artists asking for work incorporating hand lettering, graffiti, advertising, typographic design, or any other combination of words and pictures. What we got is work in a variety of media, approaching this idea from many different angles. This show is at the Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, at 723 N Hudson in downtown OKC, through the end of February. Why are you participating in this particular exhibit?

I wanted to put together a group show for the okcCoCo's unique, vibrant space. This is a place where freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other creative professionals come to work and share ideas. Showing art here adds to the lively dialogue among creative thinkers in central Oklahoma.

Was your piece created specifically for the show or is this part of your creative style?

I have been interested in lettering as a visual tool for most of my life, so I often incorporate text into my paintings. The two works that I put into the show, Undies and Birdhouse, are from 2005 and 2007, respectively.

I love how when letters are added to a visual composition, they become a visual element in addition to conveying meaning through language. To emphasize this transition, I often paint text in a way that is intentionally unreadable. I hope viewers will appreciate the letterforms as much as the other shapes and textures in the work. Plus, if someone is trying to "read" my painting, then they'll stand in front of it for just a little longer than usual.

Why do you think people should attend this exhibit?

People who come to this show will not only enjoy the work by some of my favorite local artists, but also learn about the okcCoCo and all the great things we have to offer here. (Folks can also learn more at www.okccoco.com)