Meet Jazzlyn Rainey | Fine Arts: Painter & Owner of Jazzy Drew It LLC

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

Hi Jazzlyn, why did you pursue a creative career?
I chose to pursue an artistic creative career in the fine arts because why would I not? Most people like to downplay the arts and its artists because most people aren’t in tune within themselves or the arts due to a lack of understanding. However, I feel I gravitated more towards a creative/artistic career in the fine arts because being an artist has allowed me to freely express myself without having to use my actual voice. I chose art to express my voice as well as create one for those who feel they aren’t heard, whether it’s in society as a whole, their classrooms, or even households. I choose to continue my artistic field through my collegiate education in the fine arts every day that I go to school and attend Howard University because every day is a new day for possibility, networking, and inspiration. The world of art is so vast, with many different pathways to build a career not only through art but also through the world of film, education, architecture, digital design, and fashion. I chose art so that I can try and change the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is a reflection of me, there is no one set style or way for my work or me to be shown or presented. It is the foundation of which my work is built upon as well as the foundation of where I come from, that my work is inspired and I was able to get to where I am today professionally. My work spans from inspirationally vibrant historical portraits with powerful messages to quiet and serene landscape works that transport your mind and soul, or playful youthfully inspired works that hold an expression. My work is diverse, just like me because I have grown up in numerous places, yet my heart has always stayed where I was born and raised. (San Diego, California) I’ve experienced many blessings and hardships in trying to find myself as a young Black woman in a world where society does not want to know us, nor us to truly know ourselves. It has not been easy at all. As nothing ever is for Black women however, it is through my experience as a Black woman and having a creative mind that I am able to create works of art the way I do. In all teaching me the power of an artist because the power we hold is unmatched, but it’s all in what you do with it and how you choose to use that power through your patience, character, vision, and voice. I want the world to know that I paint to tell the stories of the unheard, the voiceless, and those who look like me but never get the true representation of Black greatness they deserve to see. I paint for my community and the young black girls who grew up just like me, feeling uncomfortable in their own skin because of the lack of fair representation through the media always excluding the people and stories that truly matter. Jazzy Drew It is not just a brand or me capitalizing off my craft as the painter Jazzlyn Arielle Rainey, Jazzy Drew It is a vessel for all creatives to be inspired and tell their stories.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To be completely honest I am a homebody unless I’m at an art show or out with my family however If I could plan a whole day to show a good friend of mine around the city I would take them to all of my favorite spots. Which includes taking a hike to sunset cliffs to get a view of the ocean and then a stroll on the beach. We would also definitely go to downtown San Diego to check out some local museums, galleries, and cafes. We would of go say hi to some of my family because every time I’m back home I have to visit my family in southeast San Diego and then get some really good Mexican food and agua frescas while looking over a view of the city that raised me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out all the Black educators who have taught me from Pre-k to 12th who work hard to make sure their Black & Brown students of color don’t fall short in the American education system that was built to leave them out. Especially the Black educators who pushed me to graduate from Paloma Valley High School and attend a University that would inspire me to be greater than I am through my culture and community. ( Dr. Antoinette Miles, Orell Colbert, Chime Ikeme, Marshall Palmer, Roslaind Hamilton, Dennis Raymond, Jennifer West and Ms.Lily Rollins.) I would like to shout out Howard University and its educators in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts who push their students each and every day to go beyond and break barriers as Black Students in the Arts. ( Former Dean. Phylicia Rashad, Assistant Dean. Denise Saunders-Thompson, Tammy Mccants, April Carter, and Kathryn Coney Ali, as well as others). I would also like to shout out the NAACP for making sure stories like mine are pushed to be heard and seen by mainstream media who choose not to recognize or represent Black people positively in the media. And last but most definitely not least I would like to dedicate a shoutout of gratefulness and gratitude to my family but most of all my father Arthur Rainey. He has been and continues to motivate me in all of my educational and artistic pursuits and stands by my side with an endless amount of support, wisdom, and love.

Website: https://jazzydrewitllc.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://jazzy.drew.it.llc

Other: Jazzydrewitllc@gmail.com

Image Credits
Aky Moralez, Star Bourgoyne, theeyeofsyzygy