We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Bloomfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?
When I think back about every job where I have experienced the most passion, joy, pride & excitement, there was a greater risk involved, a step into the unknown. I remember my high school swim team friends convincing me to bodysurf for the first time with the agreement that if I was able to catch a wave then I would try out for Newport Beach Lifeguards with them the next day. I caught that wave and consequently showed up for the tryouts. I was hired as a lifeguard as a very sheltered 17 year old, so my whole life evolved drastically resulting from the many new expectations and challenges. (I was fortunate to have the guidance of my supervisors and lifeguard family.) Everyday felt like I was taking a new risk and was thrilled by the adrenaline of the experiences. I fell in love with bodysurfing and I remember being out in the surf and saying to myself, “The bigger the wave, the better the ride”. Taking a risk is like catching a bigger wave as I have to have faith that if I open my mind, “listen” & stay committed, that I will evolve and hopefully I’ll succeed. It is scary and fulfilling at the same time. I found peace in this cycle and loved that summer job so much that I gave substitute teaching a try as a winter job. Being that I considered myself more of an artist, I was surprised by how often I was complimented by math students for my different approach to explaining math concepts. To the surprise of everyone (including myself), I took the “bigger wave challenge” and got my teaching credential & Master’s degree, to teach math. Once I was hired, I was faced with a whole new type of risk, preparing myself daily to be “on stage” and explain Algebraic concepts to not so motivated 7th thru 11th graders. I was consumed by the daily challenge of making the abstractions of Algebra more visual, interesting, and memorable with goofy sayings, images, colors and shapes. I worked long hours and through my weekends, constantly recreating myself and my lessons, trying to improve and capture more student successes. While it was an exciting challenge, it had its costs as it began showing itself as stress. I began to realize the downside of taking “risks” can also lead to potential failure and the stress of the job began to affect my physical health. Eventually my doctor insisted I slow down and amplified her warning with biopsies. And so I added to my saying, “The bigger the wave, the better the ride or the greater the fall”. I followed her advice and reluctantly took a medical leave. I found myself at home, alone and somewhat lost, until I started painting again. The feedback I received from friends inspired me to paint more and share on social media. I enjoyed painting, seeing my family and friends and revelled in being outside in daylight hours but I was troubled by my lack of purpose and challenge. I felt a bit stagnated by the simplicity. Though I was struggling with the mundane aspects of painting, when the day came for me to decide whether I would return to the classroom where I felt purpose, my awareness of balance in risk became an important factor. The long hours and commitment required to touch more lives as a teacher was the equivalent of catching a bigger SHOREBREAK wave. There is no cushion or support, as a teacher so I wanted to find a wave of risk where if I made an error, I could land in deeper water with a less damaging impact. Ironically I wasn’t completely sure that I had chosen a safer type of wave until I posted that I would be retiring from teaching and starting Art by Bloomy as my official new career. I was relieved by the response I received within 48 hours of my post. I received an offer to do a mural, a t-shirt design for the Junior Lifeguards and a few graphic design projects for a new company. It was a warm welcome into my new business. I will always vividly recall my first day painting that first mural, and the newness of painting on scaffolding 6 ft high, trying to figure out what part of the wave I was trying to paint, with the biggest smile on my face. I had found my happy place of balanced risk, and I was growing again. Every risk I took along the way, got me one step closer to the job I have and love today. I am grateful.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

As mentioned previously, my journey of taking risks led me to find the courage to become an artist. My art style also evolved on that same journey. Over the years I spent lifeguarding and “watching the water”, I studied the movement and form of the waves and then tried to capture them on paper and canvas. The colors in waves became an interesting study after the first time I flew over Kauai and saw that majestic blue ocean. I did not know colors THAT vibrant could exist in nature. From that moment forward, I gave myself permission to have a little courage with the vibrance of the colors on my palette and my art changed forever. Since then it has been fun playing with the fine line between intensifying colors to embellish the beauty of an image, without making it look too “cartoony”. Recently, I posted a painting of a lifeguard tower in West Newport and was blown away by the attention it received. I am now trying to figure out the formula that struck so many more people than anything I had previously done. My current conclusion is that the subject is a familiar iconic spot. Consequently, I am in an experimental phase, trying to paint iconic ocean related landmarks. Unfortunately, in order for these spots to be recognizable, often a structure must be present which is usually man made, and has STRAIGHT LINES. (Straight lines are my nemesis.) I know eventually I will find a way to love them, but I am currently struggling. I have been staring at one of my paintings of a Huntington Beach lifeguard tower in the sunset, for weeks, trying to figure out how to make it look right and those dang straight lines are most of the battle. It isn’t a failure but it is not a success…..yet. It is just there reminding me I need to grow.

In my favorite poem,  Desiderata, a line reads, “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” I have increasingly found faith in that line, with each new struggle. I don’t really feel entitled to have success so in turn, I don’t see any of this as a failure but simply a longer delay until I feel a sense of gratification. Every choice I have made has brought me closer to where I am now, and I am pretty excited to be an artist. Now I am just trying to stay open to what next steps the universe will present for me to explore. Those steps may involve patience, research, recreating, tenacity, and even realizing I need to reanalyze and explore another direction.

Having my murals planted “out in the wild” of the community is truly exciting and beneficial to my growth as an artist. Whenever I happen to drive past one of these obnoxiously giant paintings, I can’t not feel inspired to keep learning and evolving. Someone let me paint their wall. That is such an honor to me and truly fills my heart with joy, to know someone believed in me enough to let me paint their wall. I still am processing this with disbelief and gratitude.

What do I want the world to know?
I would just say I am open to ideas, suggestions and considerations for how I could use my art to give back to the community or help with a cause.


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

  • Ride bikes down the river path to the bike path along the beach and ride north, toward Warner. Stop at each beach bar for a drink or snack and enjoy whatever band is playing.
  • Pick up steak breakfast burritos at Epic Burrito
  • Rent stand up paddle down around Newport Harbor or Sunset Beach.
  • You have to check out the Fun Zone on the Balboa peninsula and take the ferry across to Balboa Island and walk around & tourist souvenir shop.
  • Get Ahi Poke Bear Flag
  • Breakfast  at Eat Chow in Costa Mesa or Newport
  • Get a chicken taco at El Campion in Costa Mesa. One taco is actually equal to two. Make sure to get their guacamole, too. Great price for what you get
  • Park at Ridge Park and hike through El Morro to the beach, then hike to Beachcomber for sunset dinner and cocktails. Uber back to the car.
  • Pack overnight bags and bikes and take an Amtrak down to Solana beach. Bike around town and explore. Go to Belly up for some live music.
  • Stop in San Juan Capistrano and eat at El Adobe. Make sure to order the guacamole. They make it in front of you and with your input. Make sure to walk up the street to Swallows Inn to get a drink or at least hang out for a bit and enjoy whatever live band is playing and people watch.
  • See the band Party Foul in Laguna if you love good 80’s music.


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I have a whole lot of gratitude so the list is long.

I feel like the community around me has been opening doors for me since I started lifeguarding so I am grateful for my entire Newport Beach lifeguard family which has taught me to be my best self, to act with courage and welcomed me into the ocean playground to practice all the skills they have taught. For all different reasons, some stand out mentors that influenced me in many different positive ways are Reenie Boyer, Don Burns, Jim Turner, Mike Halphide, and Brian O’Rourke.

I want to thank Lori O’Neil for her great leadership when I was a math teacher. She taught by example and showed me that when things get really stressful, that is the best time to find a reason to laugh. She was the master of this. Julie Bentwood Rahmatulla was my barometer my entire teaching career and I can never thank her enough for always being straight with me.

Thank you to Stacy Pomeroy at Sur la Mar and Casey Moran at Legend Coastal for graciously selling my masks and calendars, when I was just getting my feet under me, with this business. The fact that they were willing to sell my products was a HUGE confidence builder. Huge thank you to the Costa Mesa Arts Commission for welcoming me into my new business and selecting my art for a utility box. I am so grateful that Brandy Sick connected me with the Electric Bike Company to do my first mural. And a huge thank you to the Electric Bike Company for taking a chance on me and supporting the growth of my Art by Bloomy business. Everytime these businesses have been willing to support my art in some way, I generally feel baffled and honored by the opportunity. Thank you to Artie, Alex, & Aaron and Balboa Realty for letting me paint a mural on their building as well as Don Ayres III, for the chance to paint the mural next to Bo’s Bagels. Murals are such a great way to get my art out there and a constant reminder to me that I CAN do whatever I put my mind to! I am so thankful to Dana Peterson for introducing me to the mural project at Wilson Elementary. It fills my heart that I can be involved in a project that is giving back to the community!

So many of my friends have supported my business & encouraged me along the way. Jessica Ruby has been a constant think tank and has encouraged me to try new things throughout my process. She was tenacious in convincing me to sew masks with my artwork on them, to sell, kept on me until I set up an Etsy shop, she was encouraging and very honest on what I was doing great and where I could improve. I have to give her credit for kicking me out of my comfort zone and into the exciting world of trying new challenges, beyond painting on canvas. I am having a blast! ( If I have to pick just one, it is Jessica.)

Website: www.artbybloomy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/artbybloomy

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByBloomyStore

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