Today we’d like to introduce you to Joan Aylward.
Joan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had a creative streak. An ability to draw/paint. My mother noticed this and put me in private oil painting classes in the 4th grade. I pretty much decided then that I would go to Mass College of Art and I did. That was a no brainer. I believe everyone is born with something that they are naturally better at than someone else. Whether you hone that particular talent or skill professionally or use it personally is up to you but it’s definitely there. I ended up majoring in Photography for lack of better direction and had a manual camera I didn’t know how to use.
Photography classes taught me so much about composition and light. After graduation, I got an entry lab position developing wedding pictures then I ended up a studio manager for a commercial photographer. Where I never really had the passion to be a photographer, these were good learning experiences to take with me but not artistically fulfilling. Next I was an office manager at a gallery on Newbury St, once again in the art field but not creating. I did not expect or even picture myself to be making my livelihood as an artist, ever.
When my son was small, I taught myself calligraphy and started a small business addressing wedding envelopes from home. This opened my eyes to the world of typography and fell in love. After a few years divorced, and now needed to pay the bills- got a waitressing job and stayed in the industry for 20 years. Chalkboards became popular and I would be the one to write specials and such. The last server job I had was at a restaurant called Sam’s on Boston waterfront. They had floor to ceiling chalk walls as you walked in with chalk for guests to use. I would write our Cheese Specials and Oysters and started really getting into fonts and designing these to be especially attractive. I started studying fonts and letters. Paying attention to advertisements. The thing I love about typography, packaging, design, chalkboards etc. is the power of the font. It can express an era of time. Virtually every decade has a look in typeface. Vintage, modern, art deco etc. It can convey a subconscious feeling. All this and current research has a direct effect on my how I approach each and every job now. At one point the owner suggested I do some chalk art for when we had private events. I would show up early, make a Welcome wall or the clients’ logo or whatever they wanted, make a few bucks, stay and serve the party. This was super exciting making a little extra cash drawing letters for the events. One day in my off time, I was drawing something and the GM and chef from another restaurant walked in and thought I was a “chalk artist”. Didn’t even know there was such a thing, but they wanted me to make some signs at their place. ChalkBOS was born. I made some business cards, word caught on and I started taking jobs on my off day from serving. The restaurant closed and I was laid off, but now able to take on every chalk job that came my way. Eventually enough so that I didn’t have to look for another waitress job.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Somewhat of a smooth road in that I’ve been lucky in the connections I’ve made through some of my jobs and they have led to many others. Somewhat bumpy in that I am completely self-taught in my craft of hand lettered chalk signs so any tips or tricks that I use to complete jobs, I have learned from trial and error along the way. Anytime someone asks me to do something out of my wheelhouse, I always say YES and figure it out! Being a freelance artist of course is unnerving in the fact that you never know where the next job is coming from or when. Because I’m lucky to be so busy and always working on multiple projects at once, trying to design and come up with unique and creative ideas constantly is challenging but the best problem to have as a full time artist. My brain works overtime trying to keep up, even when I sleep! If I’m not on site working I’m home, doing research, drawing, or billing and answering emails.
I’m extremely fortunate in the amount of clients I’ve worked with in the past 2 years from restaurants directly to liquor distributors to direct brands. Some include Ketel One, Boston Celtics, Keurig coffee, & Converse,
ChalkBOS – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a hand letterer. I make chalkboard signs for (mostly) bars and restaurants all over Boston and beyond. I hardly use actual chalk, I use a chalk ink marker which works well for me as it has more staying power and can still be removed for updates and changes if need be. The signs I make are everything from menu driven info to more art pieces that stay or highlighting liquor brands through distributors as a form of advertisement. What I’m know for I believe is my “style” which I would describe as super neat and clean. What I’m proud of as a self-employed chalk artist is the relationships I build with my clients. I try to be as casual and easy going as possible so that we can collaborate ideas and bring the client’s vision to life. What I’m proud of when approaching a job is that I want the design and typography to not only fit their brand and look like the sign belongs there but also help that business sell their product. To me it’s the finishing touch on a restaurant that the owner cares enough to hire a professional to make their signs pop and be noticed. My process is typically I visit the site to get a feel for their brand, gather content info and board sizes, get a feel for the vision if any. At home I research design, type, and begin sketching layouts. This process can take many hours or days. After an approval from client I can book a day to complete. I visual the finished product on the wall for placement from the sketch ( some things may change on site), measure out lines and lightly sketch in info to make sure it fits properly then letter with ink. Tools I use on a daily basis are a level, T-square, white pencil, kneaded eraser, and paint pens.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m extremely proud and flattered when someone likes my work enough to send me out of town or state to work. I’ve been to Washington DC, NH, & Nantucket so far!
It’s also pretty cool when someone recognizes my work. My art is being showcased in this little niche area of temporary chalk art and it’s kind of awesome for people to follow my journey on social medias and appreciate it for what it is. I’ve done all sizes of lettering jobs from small signs to up to 40′ of wall space. Latest proud moment was painting a mural at a job placement company highlighting their values. Challenging but came out great and my client was happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: chalkbos.com
- Email: jaylward19@gmail.com
- Instagram: chalk_bos
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