Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazzlyn Rainey.
Hi Jazzlyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I have had a passion for creativity, including fashion, photography, and the art of cinematography because I’ve always loved just going to the movies for the experience since I was little. However, I didn’t really pick up a pencil or a paintbrush until the 6th grade, when they started enforcing art, music, and physical education at my elementary school. I remember picking up a pencil to draw one of the Olsen twins from Full House because that was my favorite show growing up and I was unable to make her look as realistic as she did in the reference that I chose (even though I was a 6th grader with no training what so ever in the arts; who just started drawing for about a week). So, from there, I started drawing every day during my regular classes and my art class, during my lunch, during recess, and whatever I didn’t finish, I took home to finish, and I was hooked. I would say if it wasn’t for my strong will/determination to pursue detail in my drawings along with my overachieving will to never just be ordinary, as well as the American education system. I don’t think I would have fully submerged myself in art and gotten into drawing. However, that is where I started drawing. I don’t remember exactly when I started painting, but I know that it was sometime in 8th grade. Yet I didn’t start taking painting as well as my art seriously until my junior year of high school when I took AP 2D art and completed my first art portfolio that received a score of a 4 as well as got me into my dream HBCU Howard University. In my senior year of high school, my dad (Arthur Rainey Jr) and I filled out the paperwork needed to turn my art into a real business with custom art printed merchandise as well as custom art on canvas made by me. Since I was already creating custom paintings for people in and outside of school, with the rest being history and my story still continuing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When you’re in the business/industry of art, it is never going to be easy or smooth because that is just life. I have faced numerous challenges as well as struggles in trying to build my career as well as business in arts as a young Black female artist. People are not always going to understand my art, my messages through art, or even me as a young black artist trying to empower other young black creators/artists through needed representation in the arts and in the Black community. However, that is okay because the struggle and journey it takes to create/own something worthwhile is just as important as the success of when you create/own it. When you believe in yourself, your work, and what you do more than anyone around you, that is the greatest success because no one can take that away from you. However, when it comes to art, the biggest struggle is time and people, especially when you are doing a painting/work for a show or in the process of organizing a show with an audience and the artists. The art is never the problem because people will interpret the work as they will.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My name is Jazzlyn Arielle Rainey, and I am an 18-year-old self-taught artist, entrepreneur, and creator who has been painting and drawing for the last 8 years. I was born in San Diego, California, but have lived in a multitude of places due to being in a military family; however, I now reside in Washington, D.C. I attend the number one HBCU (Historically Black College/University) in the world, Howard University, to major in Fine Art/Painting. I am also a member of the NAACP, a 4-time gold medalist in their Act-so (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) competition for painting and drawing as of 2022-2023, and have been awarded by my black city as a young artist and youth trailblazer as well as by the NAACP nationally for my activism through art.
I create art to own my own narrative. Through my art, I define my own story as a young Black female creator in order to visually narrate the importance of my people through positive representation. I serve visual concepts that I see through my reality and create them into something visually understandable and easier to digest on canvas or paper. Most of my art is focused on my emotional experiences as a young Black woman through Original semi-realistic and abstract works. I just recently started my official Art business, Jazzy Drew It LLC, in 2023; however, I initially got into art, drawing, and painting in 6th grade through the elementary school I used to attend in Lemon Grove, California. Through my Art business, I’ve displayed my art during events such as the NAACP North San Diego County MLK Breakfast, Blue and Gold Gala, hosted paint nights, as well as painted and designed custom backpacks and clothing for non-profit charity events. I also helped curate and be in the 2023 French embassy sustainable fashion/art show, and I have displayed my work in Miami during Miami Art Week and Art Basel for Bison at Basel with my school, Howard University. What sets me apart from other artists/entrepreneurs in my field is my creative ability to put my experiences and projections as a young Black woman with a strong but fluid message into physical creation and representation. Something I am most proud of is the community that surrounds me, as well those within it who help me achieve my goals while supporting the work I do in every way.
My brand, Jazzy Drew It LLC, is an Art Business. However, the message I have always portrayed has always been bigger than just Art. Jazzy Drew. It is a vessel for Black stories, energy, imagination, creativity, and passion to be seen, heard, and thrive. I am learning to carry myself, my work, and my business with a sense of pride and dignity because of the younger Black girls, boys, and children who watch me and relate to my story too well. I want them to know what positive Black representation looks like because there is so few out there, especially in mainstream media. I want the young Black Girls who relate to me as well as the young Black boys and other children of color to know that anything is possible when you work for it. So, chase your passions and execute them well because you do not know who may be looking at you nor who you may inspire to aspire next.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned along my journey as an artist is the art of patience when it comes to art as well as people, along with learning that what is meant for me will not pass me. As an artist who is devoted to the craft, I have learned that nothing will be close to perfect or come out exactly how I would like it to on the first try. The art of patience, which is ever-changing in all forms and not only applicable to art and painting, has taught me how to accept things for how they are as well as how they may form and change. As many opportunities as there are for artists (because there is a great variety) whether broadly known, local, or underground I have learned that I may not be able to be a part of all of them. This has taught me that even though I may not be in every show, exhibition, magazine article, or event, the value of my art, as well as me as a person/artist, does not diminish or lessen. “What is meant for me will not pass me” is a saying as well as a lesson I have heard and relearned many times throughout 2023. And will possibly continue to hear again as well as relearn because of the many steps, levels, and challenges that occur in the business, industry, and my career that is Art.
Pricing:
- All shirts are $35
- All hoodies are $50
- Vinyl Prints range between $5-$40
- All 16 x 20 Canvas Prints are $100
- Any original works vary in price depending on size, time, and detail.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jazzydrewitllc.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzy.drew.it.llc/
Image Credits
Moralez.picz
Star Bourgoyne
theeyeofsyzygy
thrujayyseyes
