Artist Kelly Lynn Jones on building an art career after bankruptcy
This week I wanted to share a past episode of The Side Woo about LA-based artist Kelly Lynn Jones. In short, Kelly’s story is about a life course correction and the success she found after bankruptcy.
I was really inspired by Kelly’s story and asked her to come on The Side Woo to talk about how in 2018 she made the decision to file for bankruptcy for her store Little Paper Planes, which was a super cute boutique on Valencia Street in the Mission District of San Francisco. It came as a bit of a shock to those on the outside and I was really impressed by how transparent Kelly was while going through this challenging time that many would look at as a failure.
But instead, Kelly saw it as a chance to change her life. She and her family eventually moved back to LA where she grew up, and began recommitting herself to her art practice. Three years after returning, Kelly’s first solo show in LA sold out at The Pit, affording her the chance to pursue her art more seriously than she had for a decade since graduate school.
What I learned from talking to Kelly, and Liz who also runs a storefront, is first, that I don’t want to do the same. And second, not succeeding at something is information and not a character flaw. It’s so easy to see our lack of success as a sign that we are doing something wrong, or perhaps are failing as humans. But what it can tell us is just that something isn’t aligned and it’s time to start asking questions.
I had a career coach tell me that the first question to ask when something isn’t working should be about the motivation behind your projects because if that is not aligned with your true values and desires then nothing will go smoothly, no matter how hard you work.
Take Kelly’s example. She started a small business because she liked art and beautiful things. She thought it would be a creative enterprise and to some extent the creation of the storefront and the launch were. But, once that was over, she found that her job description had changed to that of a retail salesperson.
I loved the building out process. It was really collaborative. Owl Cave, this bookshop, was a part of it. It was such a fun time and I don't think I really realized that, oh, I'm gonna be doing retail. So after the big party, which was so much fun, the next day I walked past [the store] because I wasn't working that next day and I was like, oh, so that happened. Now I’ve got to do this.
I think this statement really pinpoints not only the difference between fantasy and reality. But also it highlights the importance of figuring out which parts of your vision of success really appeal to you. How do you really want to spend your time?
I have seen this problem outside the arts when I worked as an Executive Assistant for a CEO and Founder of a start-up. He was a brilliant coder, good writer, and good at building up a company in terms of having a smart business plan and growth strategy. What he was not, was a good manager. And as his business grew, his role required more and more managerial skills from him, leaving him less time to do what he enjoyed. He worked himself into a role that he really didn’t like so he was unhappy and to be honest kind of a jerk.
I have read this is really common, which is why startups are so intense to work for. Also capitalism. It tells us that growing and constantly being promoted is better. Meanwhile, many of us are actually happier working on a smaller scale and getting our hands dirty.
I honestly think Kelly was lucky to fail out of the retail business. Had she succeeded in the conventional sense she would have never had the chance to be a rising art star. I can think of so many examples in my life where I have been frustrated by roadblocks or jobs not working out only to have it mean that I could make more time for my art and not climb the corporate ladder.
The most significant example was a role I took at a large make-up company. I worked for about 6 months for two product development execs. The glamor of the company and the mostly-female workplace really appealed to me. I was going to be like Ugly Betty, rising through the ranks and paying off my student loan debt. But the reality of it meant that I spent 7 hours a day on spreadsheets and Outlook Calendar. I quickly became miserable and stifled by the lack of creativity. And I had no one to blame but myself.
We ended up mutually parting ways which felt so hard and included a few bouts of ugly crying in front of my Marc Jacobs-clad French boss. (Quel horror.) But it led me to the life-changing decision to become a nomad, and travel to artist residencies all over the world for the next 3 years. (A story for another time.)
Is there a time when you embraced failure that led you to a positive life change?
Show Notes
RIP Little Paper Planes - from the Mission Local