Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Gleason.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always been very creative & crafty however it wasn’t truly until 2013 when my marriage ended that I began to embrace my identity as an artist. At the behest and council of a good friend of mine & published photographer, Dean Zulich, I enrolled in the Art Institute of VA Beach that just so happened to be a short block from my new home. It is there that I fine-tuned my overall artistic skills & discovered the unbridled & infinite creative possibilities of Photoshop (& other digital medium). While in “arty school”, I was the only photography student creating the type of work that has now become my “signature.” Oddly enough, you could say my aloofness & my desire to be unique actually pushed me out into the limelight of my peers. I am not one who likes to draw attention & yet my desire to also be different from the rest oftentimes sets me apart… go figure… lol! I was too shy to call & schedule models to pose for me for class projects, so I learned to photograph myself using the skills & techniques in the lessons – plus, I had some previous experience on the other side of the lens. I also made friends with students of the graphic design & animation majors so I could implement their skills into my work as well. & naturally, I threw in some of my “crafty skills” when creating props, headpieces & wardrobes… This also set me apart.
While I was there “for the grade”, I found my mission was more of a cathartic nature, to lay out all of the pieces of Me & see how they fit back together again. As I began incorporating myself more & more in my projects, I began to truly “put myself out there.” I was living close to the bone & baring it all, body, heart & soul as I used my artwork as a healing modality by creating metaphorical ambiguous images based off of my own personal journal pages. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the beginning of my passion for Art Therapy & in walking what is referred to as “a healer’s path.” I graduated in 2016 with a BFA in Digital Imaging (with honors). Since graduating, Life has moved me around quite a bit – I have moved 8 times since 2016 between Virginia, Georgia & Ohio. I can definitely say that my “gypsy spirit” has helped me to get my work seen by a greater audience & introduced me to forums overseas. My artwork has been exhibited locally, regionally, nationally & internationally & has been published in several web-based & print publications. I am also gratefully represented by Stravitz Sculpture & Fine Art in my hometown of Virginia Beach, VA.
The life events causing me to relocate so often beginning with my divorce to now, have also transformed my “inner landscape” & have strengthened my spirituality greatly! This has had a tremendous influence on my artwork as I still continue to use myself in my work & to create from a very personal space, but also from a space of a more spiritually awake being, creating intuitively from images I gleam while in meditation or on walks in nature (forest.) I now turn my attention more outward toward helping to heal others rather than solely focusing within. My focus is more on the healing abilities of art in general with more of an emphasis on Addiction Awareness as can be seen in my ongoing Addiction series; a visual opera with the key players being the Addict & the Loved Ones of the Addict and supporting role played by the substance/addiction itself. As this topic gets very weighty, I switch themes to those of a more ethereal & whimsical nature. I also now incorporate Sound Healing with my art shows as I have found that the two healing modalities work very well together & help to anchor in the meditative experience.
The most recent & most influential shift has come as of late in which I recently went through a very profound Spiritual experience & have since decided to make a hard pivot in all parts of my life, including my name, home, & branding to live a more authentic life. To live more fully in my truth. So that being said, I am no longer Jennifer Gleason of JAG Artistry & have rebranded myself to be Yuli Anun of Yuli Arts, Healing Heart + Soul through Art + Sound. TaDa! (website still in progress…. ugh!)
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Divorce, constant relocation & sudden unexpected changes & shifts, relationships with alcoholics + addicts & their effects on me through their habits, their death & subsequently in my own personal journey to sobriety, loss of all material possessions except my personal wellness, my artwork, camera gear & computer…, spiritual awakening during quarantine in almost complete solitude – the only person in contact was a shaman who did a soul retrieval to help heal some of my deeper soul wounds (mind-blowing), & now making the firm decision to claim my power & step into my sovereignty & make a solid & stable life for myself through healing others with art & sound – living a more authentic & fulfilling life
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Inspired greatly by nature & my strong connection to Source, I create intuitively from “messages & visions” received in dreams, meditation & walks in the forest. All of my artwork begins with photography but then after that, the process all depends on the final image that is in my head & the logistics on how to create it. I am a bit of a renaissance woman which keeps my process evolving. Primarily, each of my images is comprised of multiple photographs including self-portraits that are composited together with a myriad of digital effects & artfully blended with textures, giving my work a painterly aesthetic. Depending on the vision, I may call upon innate talents in fabrication as needed to create various props, headpieces, wardrobe, & art embellishments.
Some I have created in past projects include islands made of wooden matchsticks, armored chiropractic spines, red stands of DNA fortified by little wooden manikins, & honeycomb made from toothpicks. This helps to sprinkle in a sense of whimsy to an otherwise weighty subject matter. Once the piece is captured in camera & created through digital media, it gets printed with archival pigment inks onto fine art cotton rag paper & is dry-mounted onto hand-aged wood panels. The edges are then sand beveled & then hand-embellished with clear acrylic gel medium to further emphasize their painterly qualities & to infuse each piece with the frequencies of love & healing energies through the laying on of hands as well as the absorption of sound frequencies of crystal singing bowls tuned to 432Hz & various other instruments.
I now unite her two loves, art & music/sound, to provide a more immersive & personal experience for the audience through holding events at wellness centers & in homes around the Atlanta area. The positive meditative experience as well as the infused energies of the artwork are anchored & integrated into the participants for a longer-lasting healing experience.
After reflecting on how I can turn my artwork and talents into a form of service to the community, I have also begun creating Lasting Memories Portraits. The customer has their choice of 1 of 2 different options.
1) I can use an existing favorite photograph of a special moment with a loved one (living or deceased) to create a commemorative piece of artwork. This would include basic photo edits & custom artwork around the image
2) I can create an ethereal intuitive piece to portray the essence of a dearly departed loved one. We would sit & talk about their special memories & prominent personality traits or characteristics. They would also provide me with photos to base an image off of.
Afterward, I would go into my sacred meditative space where I would channel my guides who would provide me with the image to create. (example: I did a test with a photo of a friend of mine who passed away in college – this was before digital cameras so I only had a print to work off of. I thought about my friend & what she loved & her personality. She loved children & all things musical – especially singing & writing music. I then went for a walk in the forest (Haynes Bridge Park) & intuitively heard, “carousel.” Once I got to the car, I Googled Carousels Near me… there are only three in Atlanta; 6 Flags, Zoo Atlanta & 3 MILES FROM MY LOCATION at North Pointe Mall!! I quickly went & snapped some shots of the carousel & off I went to create. I also Googled the spiritual significance of carousels to make sure I was on point with her essence & also for a deeper meaning.
“Carousels and merry go rounds can symbolize the wheel of life… and thus the symbolism of the Means of transport [the means of ecstatic flight].”…
“The ride goes round and round in concentric circles. Moving rings and spheres – with a centrally lit pillar, – celestial pole – usually beautifully lit, which is symbolic of the power from which the wheel of life is driven – God and the Intelligences.” This meaning helped to create the final image.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Healing through service & community through collaboration.
Pricing:
- Lasting Memory1 from $150
- Lasting Memory2 from $250
- Original Mounted Artworks from $350
- Open edition prints from $65
- Limited Edition Prints from $120
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yuliarts.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/j.gleasonphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yuliarts333
Image Credits
Arian Goldstein (deceased)
