Check out Jaclyn Mona’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaclyn Mona.

Jaclyn, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My life is a bit wild, just like my hair currently is (it’s like a lion mane at the moment) but I’m learning how to tame it by grasping every opportunity to be creative and collaborate. Between balancing multiple jobs, academics, and family, I owe a huge thanks to the ones who started me on my journey of creative collaboration to the Drop Dance Studio back in Tucson. Nearly every day, I walked into classes with the brightest of lipsticks and craziest of lashes. After science classes or a hard day at work, I’d sit in my car and just “paint” my face before dancing. There was never a time during practice where I didn’t have a full face of glamour going on… My dance director and all of the staff there gave me such a judgment-free space to get crazy, so I just kept going! (Not to mention I hate sweating so I needed to learn how to make the makeup stay perfect no matter how difficult and how long some training days would go.)

It’s been extremely tough, trying to balance everything, but I have made it a point in my life to pursue the things that fulfill me while still being able to serve others with my work and my art. If it means “painting” my face and capturing it through the camera then even better.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
“Stay hungry, stay humble,” is the motto my dance team back in Tucson holds- one I apply in all that I do. This means, before I create something, I learn. I research all that I can before going into a photo shoot or creating a makeup look. Therefore, everything I do and everything I put out into the world must have a purpose. An example of this is from a recent collaborative photoshoot where there were about 40 photographers and several models in an abandoned warehouse. The theme was grunge-punk, and so, not only did I spend hours looking at pictures for ideas, I read the history of the terms, where this style came from, etc. I wanted to learn everything I could in order to recreate it in my way. My goal was to walk in that shoot and stun everyone. And I did. You can see some of the end results below!.

To sum it all up, I am a student that is hungry to learn all that I can, constantly expanding my personal understanding of the world through modeling and makeup artistry. In short, collaboration through ART is a story that is always unfolding. It is simply a matter of using the tools around us to be able to tell it.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
A challenge I see for today’s artists is two things: first, finding that balance as a creative and a professional. Art is incredibly personal so it can be a bit difficult to draw boundaries within oneself, to be able to step back and create for oneself and not the world.

A personal example of this is when I was still doing behind-the-scenes hair and makeup for runways and fashion shows, my vision of art was slowly drifting away. When I stepped in front of the camera, I found creative control again and dared to take risks along the lines of my artistic vision that can and is moving me forward. I have a certain image I want to put out there, so I am still learning to trust in the process. If I can break the big things down for myself, then I can certainly help others do so too. And finally, the second challenge I see facing artists today is learning to prioritize time. This is a big one. Through many conversations, I’ve learned that artists such as myself have so many ideas but so little time to make them grow. But if one can learn to prioritize how they use it then things will naturally fall into place.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can check out my work though my Instagram page: @Jaclyn_Mona_1 as that is where I post my main stuff. Like and share what interests and inspires you from my page!

You can also find me and my dance team (Drop Fam) on YouTube: thedrop520 or even just typing The Drop Dance Studio or The Drop Fam in the search bar. Again, Like and Share! 

Contact Info:

• Address: 716 E 46th St, Tucson, AZ 85713
• Website: https://www.thedropdancestudio.com/
• Phone: (520) 971-8020
• Email: JACLYNM130@GMAIL.COM
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaclyn_mona_1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDrop520/

Image Credit:
Hair/Makeup/Photography by: @Jaclyn_Mona_1, @Neilpetersfotografie, @fulephoto, @adelynphotography, @rogerferrera

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