Tell us a little bit about yourself and your brand.
I'm an artist, illustrator, and surface designer. I've worked as a textile designer for some big brands and shown my paintings in galleries around the country. I just moved back from San Francisco after 9 years and am now actually living and working out of the New Jersey Bayshore, right across from Manhattan. I love living here with all of the coastal woodland nature and skyline views, it inspires my work so much.
What inspired you to start your brand or craft?
This is what I've always wanted to do. I went back to art school when I was 26 because I knew I needed to find a way to thrive on my passion. I genuinely enjoy marketing and delivering my prints and original artwork to the warm, encouraging people who buy it.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
Jessica Violetta is actually not my legal name. I couldn't use my birth name for brand visibility because it is the name of a character in a popular movie series. When you googled me, she would always be the one to come up! So, being Italian, I chose to research some names of native Italian flowers and landed on Violetta. It works out well because I can keep some privacy with my legal name and be proud of the brand identity I've chosen.
What does an average day look like?
Wooh! That's a fun question because I never get to really tell anyone about this. These days, I generally wake up late because my husband still works west coast hours. But first I like to go for a run on this beautiful coastal trail nearby, then take my time showering and doing some home tasks and eat. Then, I alternate the order of this but, I split the bulk of my day between painting in my studio (listening to music or podcasts), fulfilling any online orders, making/posting social media content, and running errands (post office, supply purchases, and doing voice journal recordings of any thoughts or new ideas while I drive). I also love to sit on my computer and work on digital mockups or moodboards of upcoming ideas or design plans. Around 7pm, my husband and I cook or go out (more often than we should) and then relax and watch tv. I often get a second wind around 9pm or so and end up working some more on the peaceful, experimental stuff.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Getting to really lean into my personal style and aesthetic, envisioning ideas or moods that come to me and translating them into something I find beautiful. I love the feeling of building a world around me that reflects who I am.
When you’re creating do you have a person in mind?
Usually myself. And I used to try to imagine what certain people would want but I find that the more I create for myself, the more genuine it is and honestly the less guessing I have to do. There are enough people who seem to share the same interests and style as me - and I love that.
When was your business founded and how has it evolved over time?
I have been making artwork since I was a kid so it has sort of organically evolved into a legitimate business. But I would say I started treating it that way seriously when I graduated art school in 2017. Freelance clients started to pop-up seemingly out of nowhere and I would just look around and say "oh! This is for real!"
Are there any challenges that you’ve had to overcome?
So many challenges. I put a lot of content on my TikTok channel that has to do with the obstacles I've overcome as an artist in this society. It is probably the hardest career to have taken seriously, especially financially. But I came from a middle class family so my mindset was always that I had to make my own money. That has clashed a lot with my inner dialogue as an artist, it just doesn't always fit into the mold of capitalism. But by clearly defining my values and priorities, I found that the most important thing to me is to get to make the art. I've built everything else around that and I'm very happy now.
What is one piece of advice you have for a female entrepreneur just starting out?
I have several: Be realistic about your financial parameters and set very clear goals. Make a big-picture outline (a legitimate business plan is great) and then take tangible baby steps toward it all. Don't compare your vision or your progress to others. Always check back in with your dreams and objectives and edit your whole world to help you hone in on them.
Let us know where we can follow you. Feel free to share any news on upcoming projects.
Yes! Please follow me on instagram: @jessica_violetta and TikTok @jessica.violetta - my husband and I just bought our first house (so so soooo exciting) so I'll be focusing on that and not doing any major art events for a few months. But keep up with my socials for regular art and print releases!