The Artist

Since I was young I have been exploring different mediums of creative expression in the world of hand crafts. From making clothing and jewelry, to weaving, bushcrafts, forging, woodcarving, and clay. I have always felt allured by traditional crafting and the process of making things from scratch. This being a large part of my inspiration, along with my own intuition and innateness. My inspiration has now grown to include the influence of asian arts, with the exploration of my Chinese roots.  My ceramics signature is my Chinese name written in script ( 琳), given to me at birth by my grandmother, meaning "Beautiful Jade".

In my years I have experienced a lot of time living with strong waves of anxiety and depression, which I've come to see as a gift that has connected me to the deepest level of passion in my art.  It has been a form of healing, expression, growing, and meditation.  Creating with my hands is a vital and indispensable part of my life, and every material I use is it's own eccentric guru.

This is something I am greatly passionate about.  The healing nature of arts and wilderness on the human psyche and mental health.  It came clear to me that connection is what keeps us alive, or perhaps, wanting to live.  So I told myself to do the things that make me feel most connected and alive.  And there were some primary things that were/are the most prominent connections to life for me.  Nature, crafts/creation, social relation, and the rock and roll essence.

Now onto wilderness...

I was raised with a strong connection to nature and outdoor adventure, along with support toward inner strength and practicality.  I grew a self-reliant mindset that wanted to learn to create as many things myself as I could. Leaving home, I travelled with minimal belongings. My interest in wilderness survival and rewilding grew vigorously.  Living in the bush, the jungle, forests, off-grid in the dry country, and in the mitte of concrete cities in these years up to now, practicing crafting skills with whatever resided in my environment.
Rivers my showers, clay my stove.

I have had so many incredible teachers and inspirations by my side from all over the world.  Thank you to you all.

I focus on merging practicality and aesthetic. Minimalism and materialism. The organic and the urban.  Combining different mediums, materials, and elements. Learning from the land, from the people, from the ancestors.  Allowing myself to evolve in new and unexpected ways. Doing things for the love of the process and the connection to self, others, and nature.  Putting all my deepest love, passion, and meaning into these works.

Thank you for being here and sharing this journey with me.

With my love,

Jenna // 琳