Meet Jade Sturms | Designer & artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jade Sturms and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jade, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned from starting my own business is presence. There’s a certain level of surrender that’s required when you venture into the unknown, unpredictable territory of starting a business. One of the trade-offs is that you can lose the sense of embedded consistency, stability and predictability that many of us grow accustomed to when working for someone else. For me, this felt scary in the beginning. It’s one of the things that made venturing out on my own feel risky and intimidating. It took a lot of inner work to feel okay with this feeling of the unknown, but now it’s one of the things I value most about working for myself. My business has encouraged me to be present and focused on what I have going on in the current moment, rather than attempting to manage and control how things will unfold in the future. To find comfort in being grounded in the now instead of using precious energy stressing about the outcomes and unknowns of tomorrow. This lesson has translated into other areas of my life. I know that I can’t expect to have control over anything except for what I’m doing in the current moment, and surrendering to that fact has been healthy and meaningful in the way that I live. Of course, a healthy degree of awareness and planning for the future is integral to a successful business. But for me, surrendering to the lack of predictability is a crucial component in enjoying the experience of working for myself.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m proud of the eclectic and diverse range of offerings that have come to characterize my freelance practice over time. My ever-changing roster of projects always feels dynamic and interesting because I specialize in a pretty wide variety of skills within my creative practice, from branding and identity to mural painting and illustration. I think there can be a lot of value in a more focused, specialized approach. That being said, I’ve found real joy and growth in using all areas of my creativity to my advantage in growing my business. In the beginning stages when I really needed to establish myself and build a client base, I adopted an ethos of saying yes. Unless the budget was blatantly unfair, or the project did not resonate with me whatsoever, I said yes to almost any remotely interesting inquiry that landed in my lap. This allowed me to gain a wide range of experiences early on in my business. It also gave me the opportunity to do a great job, and in turn, inspire my new clients to share their positive experiences working with me with their colleagues, which played a huge role in growing my business. This mentality lead me down a path of growth that eventually landed me in a position of being able to act with more discernment when taking on new project inquiries. I don’t think this ‘always say yes’ approach is necessarily always sustainable for the long-run, but for me, the mindset of openness to new experiences that came with that mentality helped me establish the dynamic, eclectic business that I run today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Portland, and I love sharing my love for the city when friends and family visit. One of the best parts of living here is the easy access to nature, so a day trip to the gorge or to the Oregon coast would be a must. I would also bring my guest for a long walk at Mount Tabor, and to the Pittock mansion viewpoint, which both have amazing views of Portland. Taking the arial tram up to the OHSU sculpture garden is also a great and interesting way to take in the city views.

To me, a main attraction to Portland is the amazing food scene. For lunch, I’d bring my guest to Homegrown Smoker in Saint John’s, followed by a walk around the nearby beautiful Cathedral park. In the evenings, some of my favorite bars with patios and great food include the Bye and Bye, Bar Bar, and the Sweet Hereafter. Eating a big meal from Yuan Su, an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant, and Van Hahn, and all vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant, would also be a must.

Nucleus Gallery is near to my heart. They have amazing and inspiring gallery shows, and I’ve met countless wonderful artists and friends while attending their weekly Drink and Draw events over the years. They’re located in the Alberta arts district, which is a great area to walk with friends. After that, we’d hop over to nearby Mississippi street and visit Worn Path, a wonderful little shop owned by a friend of mine, followed by sushi at Uchu down the street, and then watching the sunset at the Bluffs, a popular green space nearby that overlooks the river and the trains.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I started my freelance business, I was surprised by just how crucial the support of my community was in my ability to succeed. I expected word of mouth and referrals to make up some percentage of incoming work, but I had no idea just how foundational that type of support would be for my ability to build a client base. If it weren’t for the countless friends and former colleagues who believed in me and wanted to see me succeed, I would have had a much more difficult time getting my business off the ground. I want to shout out my local community in Portland, which is made up of lovely people from all different areas of my life who come through for me time after time, whether by sharing my work, or suggesting my services to others when they hear of opportunities that fit my offerings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Website: jadesturms.com

Instagram: gasp.yikes

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadesturms/

Image Credits
Ian J Whitmore