Collection of the Heart - How It Started

Hi! My name is Jaynee, and I am an artist. 

Now while that's not my typical way of introducing myself, for the purpose of this website, it's fitting. If you met me in person it would sound more like this...

"Hi! My name is Jaynee, and currently I am a full time student gaining my Bachelor's in Health Science and also full time working at a plasma center." Then, should the conversation progress, I would go into my big goals that at times seem impossible. 

If I went more into depth, my introduction would look more like this... 

"Hi! My name is Jaynee. I am an artist, a baker, a traveler, a poet, a writer, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a Christian, and I am always looking to learn more about anything and everything." 

My life has always been pretty chaotic, but I wouldn't have traded that chaos for anything. Before I was 10, I had moved 3 times. By the time I turned 20, I had moved half-way across the world, twice. In those 10 years of living overseas, we traveled across SE Asia at least 3 times, and traveled to numerous other countries throughout. 

All of these travels have been pre-empted, of course, by the desire to travel, but mostly because it's where I believe God has called me and my family to be at any given point in time. I love meeting new people, learning about new cultures, and creating countless memories that I could never gain anywhere else. 

I've gone through a lot of trauma in my life, too. For a long time, I didn't understand the emotions I held inside until one day the memories began appearing. Sparing you the details, my art often tells the stories that my words will not - if you can look deep enough to read the story written within. 

Since I can remember, I have used art as an escape from reality. If you ask the people that know me well, when an idea strikes it means that they will see me when it has been completed. I drown the world out, focused only on the canvas in front of me. Since I can remember, it has evolved from simple cartoon animals up to what you see here. I can confidently say that I am proud of what I created, and not have any doubt in my mind about the beauty in it.

For me, art is not about the money, or the attention, but the union of surrounding people in recognizing that you're not alone in what you're going through. It's seeing these feelings that are so common, yet so unspoken, put onto a surface that creates a visual representation without having to make a sound. Between poetry, painting, and writing, I have been able to open up my heart in a way that feels freeing. I want to share my experiences in hopes that I may inspire, or give hope to others - just as other artists have done for me.