Meet Jenny Wilde | Photographic Mixed Media Artist & Designer

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

Hi Jenny, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking, for me, is an essential part of the creative process. Every blank canvas offers a chance to succeed or fail. By pushing beyond the known limits of materials, technique, skills, an artist is always taking a leap of faith to try to create something they have never made before, not knowing the result. The artistic personality is therefore drawn to taking risks in ways others are not. We know that without risks, there is no progress. Without taking that leap, you cannot soar. Having known the rewards that can come from the leap, I define myself at least in part by my willingness to take risks in all aspects of my life. This leads me to trust my instincts, say yes to opportunities that feel right even if they seem crazy, and to blow up the known path every now and then just to see what lies beyond.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been an artist by nature, but finding time and energy to devote to art while raising a family and working a day job to pay the bills has certainly been a challenge throughout most of my life. I try to seek out ways to use my creativity in the particular moment I’m presented with, even if these moments are sometimes small and perhaps seemingly insignificant. Because of this, my definition of my art is somewhat nebulous and often changing. Ultimately, I consider my biggest artistic contribution to be my particular sensibility – a poetic vision and an unusual view of the world. This sensibility is informed by nostalgia, history, and memory as expressed through the physical objects around us. My most exciting venture currently is opening a booth at AG Antiques in the Heights, where I will be blending my photography and mixed media art with a selection of antique and vintage objects that can hopefully create joy for the customer while also expressing my specific vision as a blend of art, form, and function.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hardy and Nance Studios is definitely required visiting. This artist-owned and operated space is defined by its sense of community and the possibility of art as activism. (I must admit my own bias – I have held studio space there for close to 5 years now – but I promise it is worth getting to know.) Houston is also home to so many good bars and restaurants, though visiting these is a challenge during our pandemic times. I highly recommend checking out some of our local breweries, such as St. Arnold’s and Platypus.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother believed in me with such force that it was impossible for me to doubt. From my earliest memories, she told me I could do anything. And her belief made it so. I have taken so many leaps in my life that defy tradition, logic, normal rules of how things are done. People always respond to these moments with a mixture of shock, confusion, shaking their heads. But my mother gave me the confidence to trust my instincts and be unapologetically myself. Even when I make a mess of things, I pick myself up and find a whole new set of opportunities on the other side.

Website: jennywilde.com
Instagram: @jennywildephoto
Linkedin: Jenny Wilde
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennyWildePhotography