The Westchase Artists Society has a very diverse group of members, if you haven't already caught on to that fact by reading our monthly Artist of the Month posts. We hope that you enjoy learning a little bit about our members and what makes them tick. For the month of October the Westchase Artists Society's Artist of the Month is none other than Jennifer Joyner. So without any further delay, here's Jen's interview:
Question: Tell us a little bit about yourself, affiliations, personal stuff.
Jennifer: I majored in English and minored in photography and theatre at the University of Tennessee. I studied with Baldwin Lee, a student of Minor White and Walker Evans. For most of my life, I have juggled three main loves - creating photography, writing poetry, and acting. Photography has always been with me, through everything. I've moved with my family from Florida to North Carolina and back to Florida again, holding "real world" jobs as a retail manager and as a corporate paralegal.
Question: Apart from creating art what do you do?
Jennifer: I'm a mom to two wonderful boys, Cason and Hayden, ages 9 and 7. They make me laugh - constantly reminding me not to take myself and life too seriously!
Question: What first made you want to become an artist?
Jennifer: I started acting and writing in 5th grade, and began photography in 7th. I always felt happiest when I was creating in some way. I think it was recognizing that I had a voice and could share my view of the world if I chose to.
Question: Describe your creative process
Jennifer: I try to photograph the truth of a subject, be it a person or a landscape. I also look for interesting shots out of the everyday things people may not notice. I once took a really interesting shot of a trashcan in Central Park.
Question: Top 5 books, movies, songs, groups, websites
Jennifer: Book - A Death in the Family, by Janes Agee; Movies - "Manhattan" "Breakfast at Tiffany's"; Groups - U2, Seal, Sarah McLachlan, Sting; Websites - http://www.humanesocietytampa.org/ and http://www.stjude.org/
Question: In 10 years I'd like to be...
Jennifer: Writing and photographing during the day, acting at night, and solving the world's problems in my spare time!
