Jan Riggins shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Jan, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My garden! I had been so busy the last few years working a day job and building my art career in the evenings and weekends, that my vegetable and flower beds were, unfortunately, completely neglected. When I transitioned to art full-time, I was able to manage my time in a different way and prioritize things like my garden. Each morning and evening I excitedly hurry to the vegetable garden to pick newly ripe tomatoes, eggplants, or peppers. I’ve been building a library of new recipes to incorporate the fruits of my labor! It’s been a new and unexpected joy in my life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a 3D (anamorphic) street and mural artist. What that means is I focus on creating public art that plays tricks with your mind. What might look like a strange and distorted image on the ground or wall magically morphs into a 3D image when viewed through a camera at the correct location. I started developing this skill during COVID and have managed to join a fairly niche field of artists. It is a tight knit group and I love traveling across the country and even internationally to participate in events with these amazing artists and then using those skills to create fantastical art for my clients.
This is my first year as a full-time artist and I’m going through all of the stresses and struggles of running a business, but enjoying the heck out of life while I’m doing it!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I had a colleague from my corporate days that was incredibly supportive of any of my art endeavors. She commissioned me to paint her dogs and referred friends to me as well, always sharing my work and providing words of encouragement. She told me that I was going to make a name for myself in the art world, but I would always laugh it off, never seeing how I could forge a path amongst so many amazing artists. I kept creating (because who can turn it off) and eventually stumbled upon my path with 3D street art. I had a knack for designing and chalking/painting 3D images that ended up opening a door for me that I never knew existed.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
In 2024, I started really focusing on my art career and stepping back from my corporate job of 25 years. I continued working part-time in the office, usually 3 days a week, and fulfilling art jobs Friday-Monday. I was exhausted but exhilarated…the inundation of art jobs was intoxicating and I dreamt of the day that I would have the courage to leave my corporate job. The ease of getting jobs and creating art gave me the financial confidence to finally take the leap in January of this year. Then reality quickly set in and I had to face the fact that I did zero outreach to build a pipeline of prospects and clients. I thought that what happened in 2024 would happen again and the jobs would just come to me. I spent January and February in full panic mode as visits to my website plummeted, requests were non-existent, and my bank account quickly drained. I turned to my sales and marketing skills from my corporate job as fast as I could…but as anyone in sales can tell you, that pipeline takes a while to build! To help stave off the anxiety, I completed a free mural and art on my driveway. Thankfully, my outreach started to pay off and March brought work! I’ve stayed steadily busy since then, but have been diligent with my outreach efforts. I am determined that I will not have another dry-spell at the beginning of the year and have been diversifying my offerings and outreach to mitigate that season. I feel that this abrupt introduction to owning a business at the beginning of my full-time journey is helping me build a much stronger foundation than I would have.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I feel like I’m always behind on this…I think of a fad as something that you can jump on short-term, but that is spending time and energy on something short-lived. How do you identify what is worth investing in, that is a foundational shift? I feel like I struggle to see and understand these types of trends, so I have found peace in moving forward with what I feel is right for me. I will continue to develop and invest in what interests me and in what I find joy and peace in doing. Hopefully that will align with foundational shifts, but if not, I really believe that eventually I will find my way.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I could, I would turn off the worry and anxiety and enjoy every moment. I’ve made a lot of changes in my life to lead me in this direction, but the thoughts are constant. I often feel like anxiety is what is driving me in my life and my career, but I think that’s an oversimplification. Maybe anxiety is what feeds the energy I need, or maybe it’s hindering me. I’m doing what I can to mitigate it and enjoy the new life that I’ve created for myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.janrigginsart.com
- Instagram: @janrigginsart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jan-riggins-art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janrigginsart
