Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazzlyn Rainey
Hi Jazzlyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I would love to say I’ve been an artist all of my life and that I was born out of the womb with a palette full of paints and some brushes. However, that is not my story. I mean of course most kids grow up drawing and coloring, however, I didn’t take an actual art class until I was in 6th grade at my middle school in Lemon Grove California. As most people know the American public education system isn’t the best and the arts taught in those schools can be even worse. Due to the lack of funding provided to support the idea that art can be a successful career outside of teaching it, but let’s not get into that ;). I started being introduced to art in the 6th grade while playing sports because I was an athlete before I was an artist. However, once I started drawing I never stopped. I hated being bad at things, so I had planned to become a master of the arts in the 6th grade and practiced every chance I got. During my lunch and recess, I watched YouTube, drew, and ate (because I am self-taught), and that carried out until high school. I was always drawing, my teachers had to tell me to stop because I would draw, watch YouTube, and work on their assignments all at the same time in class. I wasn’t able to get into another art class until my junior year of high school when I took my first AP 2-D art class at Silverado High School. Before that I was still in sports from, winter, fall, to spring and summer. More so because it gave me and my sister something to do while my parents worked but also because it was a good way for me to be active and lose weight as a child (again the different story for a different day). However, I had sprained my knee in middle school and it started to lock in and out of place as it healed. I learned to maneuver around it and play sports a certain way with my knee. One day I was in a game of basketball (as I was trying out for my high school softball team the year after COVID) and my knee locked on the court. I ended up falling on it and chipping a piece of my kneecap on the court and from there, my knee has never been the same. After that I dove more into my art my junior year, especially since it was an AP art class and I had never created work for a portfolio before. I scored a 4 on my AP art exam after submitting my scores and went back to school in California. Where I excelled in an average art class due to my new school not offering AP or college art courses (like they did for, English, math, and science). I graduated high school getting accepted into Howard University for my B.F.A as an Art major and never looked back.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, when people assume that I just “color all day” that alone is a struggle within itself. No, my journey as an artist has not been smooth, especially as of late since I have taken on an opportunity to expand my studies and study art abroad in Rome, Italy for my spring 2025 semester with Howard University. My journey as an artist trying to build a career in art lately has started to become even more challenging, especially if I am comparing now to the past projects I have taken on through my artistry. However, if you ask for growth you are going to be tasked with challenging hardships that challenge your ability to learn and grow at your fullest capacity. In coming back to Howard University as a second-year B.F.A student, I was not only extremely challenged but pushed the limits of experimentation and exploration within myself and my art. My mindset after coming back after everything I had done in my first year was “How do I outdo myself now?”. Even though I was still pushing myself and my work the summer after my first year of college because the “Howard Hustle” spirit doesn’t just leave once you step on and off campus. I never fully gave myself a break and I pushed myself to continuously bend until I broke going back into my second year of college. I didn’t know it at the time but I was burnt out. Now that I am dealing with the repercussions of pushing myself so hard through the fear of never doing enough because I know I can always do more. I feel that was one of my most challenging struggles yet. Where do you go as an artist when you can’t turn to your art the same way you used to due to not loving it the same way anymore? With that, I have not only faced but am in the process of figuring out my biggest challenge yet which is getting back to doing the work I love the most with my friends, family, and community that I love the most in California.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is Jazzlyn Arielle Rainey and I am a 4 time local Oceanside, CA gold medalist in the NAACP ACT-SO competition for painting and drawing as well as a 2 times NAACP award recipient locally and nationally. I am now a Sophomore at Howard University, however as of my freshman year, I was able to show my work at the French embassy, sit on a panel discussion with Stacey Abrams representing Fine Arts as the only freshman on the panel. Create the monumental 50 years of Hip Hop painting for Howard Homecoming last year with (Sacha Reid & Skyler Henry). With us creating the powerful 100 years of Howard Homecoming mural for Howard’s HUAA this year. I have also painted works for celebrities Phylicia Rashad and Rico Nasty and was selected to redraw a mural during Black History Month for Vice President Kamala Harris. I also own and run an art business Jazzy Drew It LLC where I paint, create, and design original paintings. Drawing, custom work, and merchandise. I have shown work in Los Angeles, CA, Hawaii, and Miami Florida for Art Basel (With Bison at Basel), as well as in Washington D.C. As an artist who paints my preferred medium of practice is acrylic paint, however, I started with drawing with graphite on paper. Something I am most proud of is how far I’ve been able to go only being 19 with all that I have been able to accomplish and overcome. With the resources of those around me who care enough to support me and my journey to becoming a successful full-time international artist. I feel I can name many things that set me apart in my artistry as far as my journey and story as a 19-year-old Black, Female, Artist/painter from the West Coast. However, rather than try to set myself apart I feel it’s what I do that brings people together. In which I do this all for the culture. For my people who understand what it is to live a life like mine coming from where I come from. (San Diego, California)
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
A favorite childhood memory of mine is the time my sister, my mom and I built a snowman outside of our front yard. Now I know you are thinking, “Jazzlyn how did you build a snowman in San Diego California WHEN IT NEVER SNOWS”. However, my dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot with one of those places being North Carolina during the winter time. Building that snowman was one of my favorite childhood memories not because of the snow, but because we used a real carrot and put my dad’s marine uniform on it. My dad had been deployed at the time in Afghanistan and I was in either first or second grade at the time, so it’s honestly surprising that I remember that day. But I do because it was such a unified moment of pure warm family love that will never leave my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jazzydrewitllc.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzy.drew.it.llc/
Image Credits
(@Starbourgg_) (@Morlez.picz) (@theeyeofsyzgy) (@eyemaniphotgraphy)
