Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Winnett.
Jill, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Captured Creations [By Jill W] is my own self-started business as a hand-lettering artist and local photographer. The journey started out when I least expected it to. For so long, I always used to get into my own head with these silly thoughts of “not having a real passion” for anything that was super interesting. As we often find ourselves doing, I was comparing myself to others on what they were doing and the direction of their lives. I was always that friend who was constantly taking pictures of people, sunsets, skylines, or a random tree that I would try to claim as being “artsy”. I painted here and there, but the pieces mostly got dusty in the attic.
It wasn’t until my first niece & godchild, Adriana Elena, was born. She quickly became my (adorable) little guinea pig leading me into professional photography, which in turn, followed with custom design crafts and hand-lettering work. In the last few years, I was able to recognize that I have been living with this creative passion for so long, but just didn’t know how to embrace it in a way that felt right for me.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
If I am not shooting behind the lens, I am likely wandering the aisles of Home Depot or Michael’s to kick off my next project order. My main focus is custom home decor and wedding decor/signage as well as many more crafts including prints, frames, canvas boards, homemade cards, itineraries/invitations, globes, and more. My favorite projects are those made of wood — I’ve been fortunate enough to have a generous Dad who shares his workbench (and time) with me. And by shares, I mean, he takes on the role of cutting the wood pieces exactly to size with his giant power saw! From there I am able to sand, stain, and begin the hand-lettering paint process.
All pieces have been custom made and they are ordered specific to the client’s needs and desires. If you explore my website & portfolio, you will see that I do not have stock items or set pieces ready to order. If someone texts me with a last minute order request, I am always doing my best to make it happen and produce a quick turnaround time. The same goes for photoshoots — I have loose & flexible guidelines for my sessions and I provide as many of the photos as I can back to the clients. Almost 90% of my clientele has been through word of mouth marketing, and for that I am thankful. I think these efforts help me to stand out as a small business and is the reason why others are willing to shop local with me.
It is truly a gratifying space to be in when I can personally provide something for someone that is very meaningful to them.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Always stay inspired. In a world of art and culture, we are so lucky to have endless motivation and inspiration quite literally at the tips of our fingers. I am constantly supporting and exploring other artists on Instagram. As for lessons, we each have our own to learn and at our own time. It is difficult to not compare yourself to other artists and it’s inevitable to sometimes feel as though there is infinite competition out there. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is the person you were yesterday because you are only getting better each time.
Don’t ever limit yourself and what you can offer. When I first started out, I named my business “Jill W Photography” never thinking that it would come to be anything more. I’ve just recently renamed to Captured Creations by Jill W as a way to embrace even more of what I offer and the creations I can make!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I will always post my most recent work on Instagram @CapturedCreationsJW and Facebook. My main portfolio lives on my website www.capturedcreationsjw.com which is where clients can place a request of service or order. My business has been built around the continuous support and promotion by others on social media. It’s amazing!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.capturedcreationsjw.com
- Phone: 617-828-4352
- Email: jillawinnett@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/capturedcreationsjw
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/capturedcreationsjw
Image Credit:
Captured Creations [by Jill W]
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