Meet Jazmin Jude | Horror Artist and Illustrator

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

Hi Jazmin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind success I would say is having a strong connection to the people who enjoy your work. For me, I love to hear people’s different interpretations of my work and what it means to them. It’s like a nice bonding experience and it allows me to see my art in another point of view. Also having a genuine appreciation for those who buy my work, when I go out vending at an event I always try to let people know how thankful I am that they took their time to stop by. When someone buys a piece I always try to get their name and get to know them for a little bit if they have the time, we will have a chat and it gives me a chance to get to know this person who admired my work. I also think being persistent plays a huge role in being successful, I think back to so many times I wanted to throw in the towel and give up, and now Im so glad I didn’t because now I wouldn’t have made all this cool art! If you let go of being perfect and the idea that its going to be this flawless and effortless plan, the process may be easier and you’ll build something great and have fun at the same time. I think success means a lot different things to different people, though for me right now it means being happy and feeling fulfilled with what I am creating. I wake up, and I want to make weird creepy art, so Im going to go and do that. That is who I am and what I’ve always wanted to do. Making art brings me joy and makes me want to do it all over again the next day. If you are honest with yourself and with the things you want in life and how you want to spend your time, that will drive you to success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what set’s me a part from others is the fact that the type of art I make is what you wouldn’t expect by looking at me. Im always pretty bubbly and happy most of the time, so when people see the art I make, they are sort of taken aback and shocked. They always ask me “why do you make this?” and I recently came to the conclusion that this may be the healthiest way to show the world a darker side to me or the sadder parts that Im too afraid to show. I’ve struggled with depression my entire life since I was 8 years old. Making this kind of work is my way of telling everyone that there is something very heavy within me and I don’t know how else to express it. But here is a picture of a sad ghost girl. Thats me.

I am most proud of how far Ive come, so far. There is still so much art that I want to make and stories I want to write. But right now I am definitely proud of what I have made, as well as graduating from art school, which was a huge dream of mine. I am proud of the people that I met through my art, the people that have told me that my art has moved them in some way. Right now, I am excited for my first book of short horror stories! I have been drafting up a few stories along with some illustrations. It has always been a dream of mine to write and illustrate a book, so this process has been an absolute learning experience but I know I will end up with a collection of stories I will always love. I am also excited to do more vending events where I can showcase my work and meet other artists!

My professional path was not easy, Ive had to deal with a learning disorder, deep bouts of depression and an unpredictable home life. But, my love of art always kept me focus and the life that I want to live and the only life I envision myself living. Ive learned that you need to have confidence in yourself, I never did have confidence when I was growing up, Ive always had people around me who made me feel like I wasn’t capable of what I wanted to do. It made me sad. I started to build my confidence and trust in myself that I can do what I’ve always wanted to do, I would start to challenge myself, allow myself to fail and try again. This changed my way of thinking and the way I thought of myself, I made friends that were full time artists and that has inspired me to put more work into my craft to hopefully one day be a full time artist as well. Ive learned to just be persistent and that time goes by incredibly fast. To act now and don’t wait to get permission from anyone, because no one will give that to you. Just give it to yourself and go out and do that thing you’ve always wanted to do.

I would like the world to know, that It’s been a long road to get to where I am but I am glad to be here and I hope that my works brings you some sort of happiness during any darkness you may be going through.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would first suggest hanging out in Santa Monica or Venice, I would convince them to rent some roller skates and we would skate down the bike path. Then would take them to get some fish and chips on the pier after that we would make our way up on PCH to The Getty Villa to see some beautiful art. Id end the day with us having dinner at my favorite Dim Sum place called Bao Dim Sum in West Hollywood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shout out to my mom! She is the reason why I make art, she is the person who introduced me to the world of art and allowed me to create and express myself. She has always been my number one supporter (as well as my dad). She bought me my first set of acrylic paints and once made a studio space for me in our living room! She supported my dream of going to art school and always gave me pep talks for the days when I wanted to give up or when I was just sad about anything in general. She made sure our home always had books and art around, this helped shaped my creative mind and a desire to make art. Being around books all the time made me want to get into publishing, thus leading me into wanting to become an Illustrator. I truly wouldn’t be the artist I am today if it wasn’t for her, so thank you mom, I love you!

Website: https://www.jazminjude.com/

Instagram: @jazmin.jude

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazmin-salas-212812172?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Youtube: NightHaus

Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JazminJudeArt