Jess Valoris
What are your thoughts on…
Launching a career as a full-time visual artist. What are you most proud of? What was scariest?
I am most proud of trusting myself to lean into my strengths, and not be scared of moving into a learning space. I had been working as a youth facilitator for almost 15 years and felt very experienced and confident in that work. I got a lot of affirmation from my peers, colleagues, and the young people I worked with. I knew the landscape, the ecosystem, the language, and how to navigate that space powerfully. So moving into the arts, where I didn’t have those tools or any formal training felt intimidating… even still. I’m still learning the lay of the land, and charting my own path. I am intentional about asking for support and invested in a creative coach to help me through the journey.
The kind of art you’re doing now. What are you working on? What is most exciting about it?
I am currently building a body of work called Black Fugitive Folklore. It consists of a series of mixed media sound installations that lift up a cosmology of Black fugitivity. I’ve been immersing myself in the study, spiritual ritual, and artistic practice around the lives and legacies of Black ancestors who practiced fugitivity. I am exploring the intersections of Black fugitivity, flight, and practices of petit marronage; in the hopes of understanding how they can inform current movements for liberation. How can we imagine liberation through a metaphysical analysis? How do small acts of freedom, integrated into our ways of being, actualize larger movements for liberation? How do we carry the lineage of petit marronage through the current political moment? How do we practice liberation? The installations will create a sacred sensory space to experience and honor the wisdom that our ancestors have to offer us as we navigate the space between slavery and liberation.
Dealing with hesitation and fear when starting a new project. What tends to come for you? How do you manage it? What advice would you have for others who might be experiencing the same thing?
Woo sah! Good question. I was just talking to a friend of mine the other day about struggling with fear and doubt. He offered that fear is an indication that we are approaching an area of growth or a learning edge. If we can start associating fear with our own personal development, it becomes a little less scary, and a little more worth it. Lol. I’ve been making a commitment to myself to make art every day, even if it's something small. For me, being in regular practice, that is not tied to a project or performance or deliverable, allows me to trust myself more when I am feeling called to explore a more specific idea. I also work more intuitively now… moving a little slower, doing A thing, and then listening for what feels like the next step. In that way, the artwork guides the process. My same wise friend also shared with me that our brain is not the source of our creativity, our consciousness is. For me, that means that my creativity is in my awareness, my way of being in the world, and with myself. So if I continue to practice mindfulness: stating my intentions and creating behaviors aligned with those intentions, I can trust that what is supposed to emerge creatively will.
On the future of your work? What are you looking forward to and how are you preparing?
So many things! I have landed my first artist residency at Halcyon Arts Lab in Washington DC. It’s the first time that I’ve had a studio space, and it's been a real game-changer for me. The space has allowed me to dream bigger in terms of what I can create while I am here. And this opportunity is helping me to learn more about the local arts ecosystem and meet curators and institutions who can support my art and my practice. I’m also starting an apprenticeship with a local carpenter/wood-worker, so that I can strengthen my skills in that area. Most of all I am excited about having the space and resources that allow me to make and build and dream, and excited to engage and celebrate my community through Black Fugitive Folkore.
LINK: https://www.jessicavaloris.com/work/black-fugitive-folklore