Meet Jenny Ovalles | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Jenny, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Fantasy and Sci-fi have been of my favorite inspirations so naturally I lean towards those genres in my fashion. After my last job, I decided to take a chance on myself and opened an Etsy shop for Pernicious Designs. I began by selling J-fashion clothes and accessories. I also loved selling in person at conventions! Meeting new people interested in my work is always one of my favorite pleasures! I cannot wait until we can start attending more places to meet more people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been very creative from a young age. I taught myself from a young age how to draw and being creative is something in my soul that I cannot begin to explain it. However I never received any kind of support from my “family” even at a young age. I was not allowed to be myself and was punished and shoved into a box to make others around me happy. Any signs of creativity, hopes and dreams were immediately crushed by the reality the adults around me lived in. I was always told by “family” that being a creative person meant being sad, cold and broke. Self doubt, anxiety and depression took over and I began to get worse as the years went by to the point where after high school, I had to break free and leave the toxicity of it all. I have not spoken to any of my “family” since and it has made me realize that time waits for no one. I was finally free and could become my own person, provider and cheerleader. I was finally able to flex my wings! Since then, there has not been one single day that I do not draw/design something and even if it is a doodle on a post it note, I will find myself inspired and have to get it out of my head and into the real world. My chosen family have been there for me since then! We are 4 women coming from similar situations bound together by a strong bond of admiration, support and love. A little after moving out on my own, I saved enough to pick up a basic sewing machine at Walmart and taught myself to sew. I also picked up jewelry making along the way. Day in and day out, any time that I was not at my job, I was at home working on my craft. I began to gravitate more into cosplay and Japanese fashion so sewing became a habit. I was making costumes with my friends in no time for conventions and to attending the Ren Fair every year as it was a tradition to dress up. I opened up my Etsy shop in 2016 to sell handmade clothes and accessories. After trying out somethings and leaving others, I started to fall in love with resin art. I used the medium to enhance what I already knew and started to make different accessories for outfits. At the same time, I began to sell at conventions after years and years of anxiety filled doubts. To my surprise, surprise, people loved my work! I was so excited! I got to attend a few conventions and was doing very well at meeting guests, talking and selling my crafts! For the past year, I have kept up as much as I can with online orders and social media but I cannot wait to finally go back and meet more people to share my passions with! I have recently began to stream on Twitch and am hoping to start a YouTube channel to offer my knowledge to those wishing to learn. I want to teach and cheer people who feel or felt the same way I did. To show them that if I can do it and deserve to be happy for it, so can they.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
OK! I have not gotten out so much recently due to global events but pre Covid19 and I am a fan of food… Friday we would start off mornings getting breakfast at the Liberty Café in Coral Gables. Best waffles and the food is super yummy! Then we would have to stop by the side window at La Carreta for some Cuban Cafecito to get our hearts going 110mph. Next, one of my favorite spots is the Alice Wainwright park tucked between Vizcaya and the Rickenbacker Bridge. Go fly a kite at one of the most scenic parks here! For lunch lets go to Al Carbon with their delicious stuffed burgers on Coral Way and 27th Ave. On Friday night, we can go to one of the best arcades down in Kendall, Arcade Odyssey and go old school retro games! Saturday, we can get some breakfast at Massa Bakery in the Gables, the Croque Madame is one of the best way to start the morning. Get comfy shows and lets go thrifting at Flamengo Plaza in the NW. They have so many stores to thrift from especially the Red white and Blue. After, we can cruise into Wynwood and take allll the pics! Quick stop at Kush for some yummy food. After freshening up, can head back down to the Gables and party at The Bar and someway end up at the Denny’s a block away for those late night munchies. For Sunday we get our breakfast to go go at local Publix, do not skip out on a chicken tender sub for lunch! Anyone from here will tell you not to go to Miami Beach, nah, were going up to Hollywood Beach for the day. The got the most chill, clean, not too crazy beach I have been to so far. Plus when we get hungry after all the swimming, we can eat at the Hollywood Beach Brewery right on the boardwalk! To finish off the weekend, lets go hang out at The Mighty on Coral Way and 27th Ave for one of the most chill bars down here. Then finally, as always, comes Monday and I sure hope you had a great weekend!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the people in my life I can call my family, I do not think I would be where I am. Me and my best friends have known each other for 10+ years and they have helped me through some really rough times. They have offered so much support in any way they could provide. I also meet a wonderful person who encourages me to pursue my dreams and lucky for me, he became my husband. Without my family, my crew, mi gente, I do not know where I would be.

Website: https://perniciousdesigns.wixsite.com/mysite

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/perniciousdsgns

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perniciousdesigns/

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

Image Credits
Isabel Castro Jose Rovira