Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Manders.
Hi Jake, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been an artist my whole life. When I was a child, I was obsessed with Legos and building structures out of whatever material I could find. After college, I started my first teaching job working as an art teacher for students ranging from kindergarten through third grade. That is where I first started working with collage as an art medium. At the end of the day, I would sweep up the scraps of paper the students left behind, then would work on abstract collages inspired by the artists I would show the students. Today I teach art at the high school level, and spend my time as an artist collaging photographs of places and people from my life. I sketch the image out on large Masonite or cardboard, then fill in the shapes with recycled scraps that I’ve cut out and collected. I tell people that it’s like putting together a puzzle that you design. For as long as I’ve been making art, I’ve been making music as well. I play guitar and harmonica and have been writing songs for over twenty years. I feel lucky to be able to follow my passions, create art and play the music that is meaningful to me and others.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Over the years, I’ve tried many styles of art. I was really into abstract art and junk mixed media art but I have sold very few pieces over the years. I realized that I was making the art for my own artistic output and wasn’t taking the audience into account. Since I’ve started working from images of recognizable places, it’s been much easier to market and sell the artwork. I also started making prints of original works and those have been very popular. Through my years of making art, I feel like I have finally found my niche in the current style I am creating.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Some people call me a renaissance man. I am an artist and an art teacher, but I’m also a musician and play with several groups around town. I was taught to pursue many dreams and that life is about balancing your passions and responsibilities. For me, I think everything I do is related and feeds into other aspects of my life. For example, teaching in front of a class is similar to playing guitar and singing at a bar. My art is influenced by my students and other places I spend my time. I love making art from recycled materials but the art I’m most known for would be the collages. They take many hours, sometimes years to finish, but when complete, I know I’ve put that time to good use.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was very shy but I had a great imagination. I was not a great student and had a hard time paying attention to the teachers’ ramblings; instead, I loved to daydream and doodle. I find it interesting that I’ve been a teacher for 17 years and yet can still remember my early self struggling so much at school. I think that is why I have compassion and care for the kids that struggle in my classes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jakemanders.com
- Instagram: jakemanders.art
- Facebook: jakemandersmusic&art
- SoundCloud: jake-manders
