Meet Jared Winslow | Artist

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

Hi Jared, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
So far in my life, I’ve had a pretty strong relationship with risk taking. I like to think every big decision I’ve made since college has had an element of jumping into risk and the unknown, and hoping for the best. Some working out, some not, and one unexpectedly leading me to find my love for photography. Towards the end of high school, like a lot of people, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was that I liked creativity and expression. I went to a community college to take my gen eds and try to find my path. I found myself sitting in the back of my lectures, drawing, day dreaming, and writing. I’ve always been an observant person, fascinated by human behavior, so I thought psychology would be my path. I also thought that would be a path that would help people, while also being a path where I would earn a steady income. I quickly realized that that wasn’t for me after realizing the amount of schooling it took. A friend recommended I look into a tech school instead, since that style of hands on education might’ve been more up my alley, and they were right. I found graphic design as a career path, and while I decided on a whim, having no prior knowledge of design, it sounded like it was a good fit. Little did I know while studying graphic design, a required photography course would open up this world that I didn’t know existed. Had I not gone to a tech school instead and followed a feeling, I probably wouldn’t have discovered that the way that I did. From there, I started developing more of a healthy relationship with risk, struggling with social anxiety, I’d force myself to go to events to make connections that would help build my creative network. Time and time again, after a series of being terrified but still diving in, it would pay off. Going to tech school, joining a leadership program in my state, moving to the city from my small town, having a few gallery shows so far, starting a youtube channel, and now, considering a move to nyc, my ultimate dream. We’re trained to think the unknown is a scary place, but I think the unknown is the key to us living the life we’ve always dreamed of. We just have to take that leap, and trust that the universe ultimately has our back.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For work, I’m working remote full time as an animator and video editor, thanks to my graphics, multi-media, and web design degree. With that degree, I also have a clothing brand that I run out of my apartment called pvdluv. It’s a brand that shares the love for my city of Providence, Rhode Island, and it’s community. This city has had an immense impact on me not only as an artist, but also as an individual as well. Besides that, I’m also a street photographer, which is where my heart and passion lies. I’ve always been a curious observer, loving to search for the beauty in the mundane, which has lead to this genuine pursuit of photography. What once started as an unexpected hobby, has since turned into so much more. For me, going for a walk with my camera has been my favorite way to escape, reconnect, and express myself. It’s therapeutic, and has almost become a spiritual practice. Struggling with anxiety and social anxiety, my camera is my way to reconnect with the world around me and ground myself. When I first started shooting, I was drawn to capturing scenes of people who were alone, who looked like they were deep in thought, because in them, I’d find comfort in my own isolation. I then moved onto capturing my city and it’s beautiful architecture, and then injecting my emotion and feelings into the way I edit my photographs, giving them a moodier, desaturated tone to reflect how I was feeling in the moment. I always want my viewers to feel an emotion, any emotion at all when they see my work, because I’m always searching for emotion when I’m out making photos as well. As mentioned in the previous box, I found photography by stumbling upon graphic design as my career path. And believe me when I say, none of this was easy. Being anxious, indecisive, overthinking and dealing with imposter syndrome, I’m extremely proud to be where I am today after an endless pursuit of healing and self improvement. I want the world to know, that fear isn’t a bad thing. The unknown is a beautiful place, that is actually the gateway to get us to where we want to be. If we have a feeling about something, that gut feeling that’s telling you to do something, follow that feeling. Because even though you might not know where it’s leading you, that feeling has a plan for you.

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.
My city of Providence, Rhode Island, isn’t a big one, but it’s a city that is jam packed with character and charm. First, I’d tell them to plan their visit during a week where a WaterFire was happening that weekend. WaterFire is a beautiful art installation of fire that runs through the city along the river. Between the carefully curated music, the smell and crackle of the fire, the performances, and the fact that there are thousands of people, but everything is so calm because everyone’s enjoying the atmosphere. WaterFire is definitely a must see when you visit. Next I’d say in no particular order, we’d have to get takeout and bring it to Prospect park at sunset, which has the best view of the city skyline in my opinion. On a Sunday, I’d take them for a walk along the pedestrian bridge for another beautiful view of the city, and also stop at the Providence Flea which is a huge market that happens along the river every sunday. If they were a photographer, I’d take them on my route downtown through the city for a photo walk, or a handful. We’d absolutely have to get Xaco Taco for dinner, visit madrid bakery in the east end for coffee and the best patries, coffee and breakfast from nitro bar, breakfast another day from broadway bagels on the west end for the best bagels. go to the RISD museum, there’s always some fun art event happening at the WaterFire arts center, and more. Another great thing about our city is that it’s close to a handful of other cities. Boston, MA is a 30 minute train ride, and NYC being 4 hours, day trips could be made from that as well. Since Rhode Island is also called the ocean state, we could take a 45 minute drive to Newport for some amazing ocean views as well. So much to do!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First off, my mom for raising me with an open mind, and the ability to understand that everything happens for a reason. My good friend Jay Davani, for so many reason, but especially for seeing something in me when I didn’t. I’d like to thank the organization WaterFire Providence, specifically Peter Mello and Laura Duclos, for the endless support, encouragement, and opportunity they’ve given me to show my work and develop as an artist/professional. My college and professors at New England Tech, for equipping me with a wide variety of creative skills to explore and expand. Anthony Tomaselli, for his advice, and giving me the opportunity to show my work in his space. It truly meant a lot to hear that he saw something in my work, when I’ve just been doing it for fun for so long. My therapist, Rachel Kelly, for helping me overcome a handful of barriers that have been keeping me stuck and small for so many years. Also the book, “Claim your Power”, by Mastin Kipp, for starting me on a journey to find myself that I didn’t know I needed.

Website: https://www.winslowj.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winslow_j/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRyccQhqV3uPVIxy71-nuQ

Other: https://www.pvdluv.com/ as well for my clothing brand website