Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Brink.
Hi Jackie , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Early in my career, I worked in union film and television in costuming. That experience taught me to work creatively under pressure, with limited resources and within a collaborative environment. It also deepened my understanding of how objects, clothing, identity, and story can communicate things that words cannot. It also provided context for understanding the world we live in and how are daily lives are influenced by media and how that shows up in mental health counseling.
I later worked as an art restorer, which made me question the idea that art needs to be precious or returned to some perfect original state. I became more interested in art as something we live with and something that can hold evidence of use, damage, history, and change, and potentially become a vehicle for healing.
Today, as both an artist and a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, my work lives at the intersection of creative repair and psychological resilience. I collect broken, discarded, or forgotten objects and reconstruct them using a process inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending with gold. Rather than restoring them to a previous ideal, I introduce surreal elements, distortions, and contradictions in order to reflect the nonlinear and unexpected nature of healing.
My repairs are intentionally imperfect, irreverent, and sometimes absurd, because healing can feel that way too. I am drawn to the way our core beliefs, which begin forming in childhood, influence how we interpret events, relationships, and our own worth (Fenn & Byrne, 2013). Glue drips, seams don’t line up, and additions may make no logical sense. These are not mistakes; they mirror the reality of healing with whatever resources we have available.
Looking back, costuming taught me about story and transformation, restoration taught me to see value in what has been damaged, and counseling is giving me a framework for understanding resilience and healing. My art brings these experiences together, exploring the possibility that repair does not have to erase damage. Instead, it can make the evidence of what we have survived visible, meaningful, and even beautiful.
Reference
Fenn, K., & Byrne, M. (2013). The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. InnovAiT, 6(9), 579–585. https://doi.org/10.1177/1755738012471029
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?
The road to where I am today has not been smooth or linear. Being a mother has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life, but it also meant balancing my own creative and professional aspirations with family responsibilities. Returning to school as an older adult has required me to rediscover who I am and what I actually want, while navigating the economic uncertainty of changing careers and following passions that do not always offer a clear or secure path.
For nearly ten years, I experienced a significant creative block. I had originally been a traditional oil painter and repeatedly tried to reconnect with painting and with the part of myself that wanted to make art. Over time, I began to understand that the block was not simply about creativity. It was connected to complex trauma and deeply ingrained beliefs about what I should be doing and what was considered “good” or legitimate art. I was often looking outward for permission or validation rather than exploring my own desires.
Breaking through that block has meant giving myself permission to make work that is personal, playful, imperfect, and unconventional. It has also meant questioning the idea that art needs to fit a particular definition to have value.
In many ways, this mirrors the objects I repair. They are not returned to a perfect original state; they carry their damage, adaptations, and unexpected changes forward. I am beginning to see my own path in the same way. Resilience is not necessarily about finding a smooth road, but about learning to adapt, listen inward, and create something meaningful from what we have.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work sits at the intersection of art, repair, and mental health. I create surrealist, kintsugi-inspired sculptures from discarded, broken, and forgotten objects, transforming them into strange and often playful forms that explore resilience, trauma, identity, and healing. I also practice traditional kintsugi using Urushi, the Japanese lacquer traditionally used.
What sets my work apart is that I am less interested in restoring objects to what they once were and more interested in exploring what they can become. My repairs are intentionally imperfect and sometimes absurd, incorporating unexpected growths, distortions, and elements that challenge the original purpose of the object. I see discarded materials as carrying histories, much like people do. Damage does not have to be hidden for something to have value. I also want to challenge the modern perception of what art is supposed to be and create a space where art feels more accessible, approachable, and connected to everyday life.
This perspective has become increasingly connected to my work as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling intern. I am currently exploring perfectionism through sashiko, the Japanese art of fabric mending. The repetitive process of stitching and reinforcing damaged fabric has become a way for me to explore the desire to repair what is broken, while also questioning the belief that everything needs to be fixed or made perfect.
I am most proud of navigating different careers, raising a family, and finding my way back to art after a nearly ten-year creative block rooted in trauma. As a former traditional oil painter, I spent years trying to make the kind of art I believed I should make or that would be considered “good” art. Understanding the narratives I had developed through my experiences allowed me to begin letting go of those expectations and move toward creating from a more authentic version of myself.
Ultimately, what sets me apart is the combination of my experiences in art restoration, film and television costuming, contemporary sculpture, traditional repair practices, and mental health counseling. I approach art as something we can live with rather than something that needs to be precious or perfect. My work asks what happens when we stop trying to erase damage and instead allow it to become part of the story.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
For me, the most important resources are not necessarily apps or books, but people, community, and humor. Having my own therapist has been an important part of understanding myself, working through old patterns, and continuing to grow. I also rely heavily on close relationships with people I trust and can relate to. Especially in the current moment, having a strong community feels like some of the best medicine, and one of my greatest sources of inspiration.
Humor is also incredibly important to me and is probably my favorite coping mechanism for life. I find that being able to laugh at the absurdity of things can create space for perspective, connection, and even healing. I am inspired by people who embrace that kind of humor, including Miranda July and Danny McBride, as well as stand-up comedy in general. Good music is another constant source of inspiration, especially artists like Kacey Musgraves.
My creative practice is another resource. Making things, working with my hands, repairing objects, and allowing myself to experiment gives me a way to process experiences that I cannot always understand through words alone. Therapy, community, humor, music, and creativity all help me stay grounded, curious, and connected to what matters.
Pricing:
- https://www.artsy.net/artist/jackie-brink
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jackiebrink.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drimbus_/
- LinkedIn: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/jackie-brink-gilbert-az/1779047
- Other: https://www.artsy.net/artist/jackie-brink
