Meet Jennifer Owens | Conceptual Artist/Animator

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

Hi Jennifer, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I connect risk to fear. You cannot allow fear to control your actions, so why not take a risk and see what happens? As kids we take risks with the people we meets and the life choices we make as we turn from child to young adult. We don’t know where the risks will take us – but hopefully in the end we come out the other side as adults a more well-rounded and reflective person of both ourselves and the world around us. I chose to go back and earn my art degree after 20 years of being out of school. Without taking that incredibly huge risk on myself, I wouldn’t have discovered a love of video editing, sound design, and animating. I now have the ability to pursue an art career in film and television.

As an artist, I take risks when finding work and during the experimentation process of creating. I am taking risks by exploring a new material; how it can be manipulated and changed or a new way to shape an already familiar material. You never know what great connection you will find when working with others which can grow a good network for you in the long run. Without taking risks, I am unable to learn about people, life, and myself, and if I am not learning constantly – not just about art but life – then evolution is not possible. I think that risk taking can be the best form of education because you are learning from real life experiences. Through experimentation I have created some works of art that are my most favorite pieces I’ve ever made and have met people I would not have otherwise known without taking a chance and speaking to someone new. You “never know until you try” is one of the truest statements out there!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am most proud of the fact that as a young person I took risks and landed art gigs before any formal training. I used to skim the gig section of Craigslist and that is how I landed my first art job. Putting myself out there landed me a repeat client who had me create work for his children as well. Any outlet I find is worth pursuing in a chance I can gain long-term clients and connections. This includes participating in local art fairs or attending art events to network with other artists.

I am most excited that I was able to graduate college with honors and gain tons of new knowledge because I truly never believed it was something I could achieve. In the process, I found a new artistic venue in editing video, designing sound, and moving my 2D work to a 3D/4D platform.

It is never easy to do what you love because it takes a lot of hard work – trial and error. I cannot stress enough how much faith in yourself it takes to do what you love. Faith in yourself can be a fragile thing to hold onto, but don’t forget, YOU CAN DO IT; whatever it is you want from life, you just have to be willing to invest in yourself.

I think one of the most challenging things as a professional can be working with other people who do not understand the creative process so they just expect you to pluck an idea from their head right away. Sometimes as artists we get lucky and find great people to collaborate with, and other days – not so much. To overcome this, it takes patience and understanding. On the flip side, it takes strength to know when to walk away from an over demanding client who you can never seem to please or tries to get work for free. Know what your time and talents are worth. A way to avoid complications is to write contracts, have stipulations to protect yourself in that contract, and research the client ahead of time so you can go in to your first meeting with a solid foundation of what they are about so you can present ideas they will relate to. Learn to accept criticism and don’t take it personally. Great art is never created on the first go. You will have many iterations before it all comes together so don’t be too hard on yourself when you first start out. Something I learned the hard way.

I want the world to know that I believe animation can be silly with a serious message and can be one of the best ways to convey ideas to the public. If I can change just one person’s perspective in a positive manner, then I have made a real contribution to society. I love what I do and I have fun doing it.

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.
I love Colorado and have grown up here most of my life. For entertainment – I love Sancho’s Broken Arrow for its hippy vibe and chill atmosphere. The people that hang there always seem to welcome strangers. I have to mention Red Rocks because it truly is one of the best places to see live music and you cannot beat the scenery! City Park is one of my favorite places in the city to picnic because in one area during the summer, you can hear all the monkey’s howling from the zoo across the fence.

For culture I suggest The Museum of Outdoor Arts for their art experiences like Natura Obscura, or the DAM for their European collection. They have one of my favorite pieces, The Family of Street Acrobats: the Injured Child (La Famille du Saltimbanque: L’Enfant Blessé). 1873 by Gustave Doré. They also hold Keith Haring’s Alterpiece which is another favorite of mine.

For good eats, I would take someone to The Mint downtown which is one of the best Indian food restaurants in the city and Annie’s Cafe for its atmosphere and awesome Bloody Marys.
I always take people for a trip through the mountains, whether for camping or just a cruise…Turquoise Lake is near and dear to my heart. For a magical experience, you can’t beat wandering the forest to discover Isak Heartstone – the troll of Breckenridge.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family deserves most of the credit for my ability to pursue my dream career in art. My father has always managed to manifest items I needed like easels and paint supplies, despite us never having a lot of money. My parents were always the ones taking me to see live drawing sessions from visiting Disney animators at malls and providing my first Bob Ross painting kit as a young kid. Without the help from my mother to watch my son, I would never have been able to go back to school and do what I’ve always wanted – be a professional artist in a major industry. I am extremely lucky to have such a wonderful support system with people who recognized and fostered my talent as both a child and an adult.

I also have to give credit to my friends, who helped me realize I could go back to school and succeed. One of them said, “You’ve wasted a lot of time not doing what you love, so why not use the time you still have and go after your dreams?
Either way, the same time is going to pass.” This really lit a fire in me.

I have to give a shoutout to many of my professors at RMCAD who allowed me to explore my weirdness and challenged my thought process of what art can be – no matter how absurd. They helped me to refine the skills I already had and pushed me out of my comfort zone so that I could create in ways I never imagined before. Even learning about history helped me make connections I lacked without that formal education.

This may sound silly – but Shia LaBeouf’s motivational video “Just Do It” had only been out a couple years when I saw it and after watching it countless times, and hearing him say, “Don’t let your dreams just be dreams,” and watching the passion in his delivery, it hit me. He was absolutely right. Dreams don’t have to be unattainable and I really can reach them. As long as we are willing to work hard and never stop reaching for what we truly want, dreams can come true. I think we lose that ideal as we age into adults and get lost in the daily grind.

Website: www.thoughtbubbleanimation.com

Instagram: @thoughtbubblearts

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-owens-91126b131

Other: https://vimeo.com/thoughtbubbleanimation