Voyage LA is an online publication featuring local artists and other interesting attractions around Los Angeles and Orange County California.
They interviewed Janessa Bookout about her journey as an artist and entrepreneur over the last 25+ years.
You can find the full article in the Hidden Gems series at the top of their homepage as part of the Orange County collection.
Or… lets make it easy and you can just click the button below
I was surprised to find it was actually pretty well written and I would say it is also accurate and insightful.
Being an artist is a unique and fulfilling experience, but it can also be challenging and filled with self-doubt. Being an artist means having the ability to create something from nothing, to take an idea and turn it into a tangible piece of work that can evoke emotions and inspire others. It is a process that requires dedication, hard work and most importantly, a love for what you are doing.
Being an artist is not just about creating beautiful things, it's also about the journey of self-discovery. As an artist, you are constantly pushing yourself to explore new techniques, styles and mediums. This can be a daunting task, but it is also an opportunity to learn and grow as a person. The process of creating art is a reflection of who you are as a person and it helps you to understand yourself better.
It's important to remember that as an artist, rejection is a part of the process. Not every piece of art you create will be accepted or appreciated by others. It's important to have a thick skin and not take rejection personally. Every artist has faced rejection at some point in their career. The key is to learn from it, and to use it as motivation to improve and create better work.
One of the most important things for an artist is to find their own voice, their own unique style. This can take time and a lot of experimentation, but it is worth it in the end. When you find your own voice, your work becomes more personal and meaningful. It's also important to remember that your style will evolve and change over time, and that's okay. Embrace the evolution and continue to push yourself to grow as an artist.
Being an artist is not just a job, it's a way of life. It's a constant process of learning, growing and creating. It's not always easy, but it is always rewarding. Whether you're a painter, a musician, a writer or any other type of artist, always remember to stay true to yourself and to never give up on your dreams.
Check out this awesome article about me and my many businesses in Canvas Rebel Magazine:
Okay… so technically it’s an ebook, but that’s still a book! It’s still in the final stages of editing but I’m offering a pre-release discounted price for friends and family.
My ultimate goal for writing this book is to save you some time, money and unneeded stress as you build up the courage to take your next big step as an artist.
Well it’s true! I love to read the old fashioned way, as in printed words on paper books.
So Here’s 5 Reasons to Read More and a bonus book list I put together to help inspire my artist friends with some of my favorite books that helped me long my path.
Education : I never want to stop learning!
Inspiration : Reading the right kind of books often inspires me to take action or consider new perspectives or develop new strategies for success.
Digital Detox : They say the blue light from our constant screen usage is not just bad for our eyes but also for our brains, sleep and health, so I try to unplug about 30 minutes to an hour before bed and books are a great way to do that.
Quiet the Mind : When I find myself caught up in that late night brain chatter that keeps me awake, I often find a reading break is a good way to stop the never ending cycle of thoughts.
Stress Reducer : Life is full of stress, and that is the root cause of so many problems (mental and physical) So I find time to unplug from the chaos as a part of my self-care.
It’s okay if you’re not an avid reader, you don’t have to read massive amounts to get the benefits. I honestly believe just a couple pages or maybe a chapter at a time is a great place to start.
Daily meditation books can also be a nice way to start the day if you’re not ready to commit to a whole book right away. Just add a little reading to your self care routine and see how much it can change your life for the better.
Not sure what books would be a good place to start?
Don’t worry, I got you covered there too… Check out my book list on my affiliate page… Lots of good reads there for you. Just click the button below and find some words of wisdom for artists and entrepreneurs. I will earn a small commission from these links so I do appreciate your support.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I built another side business during Covid.
It was born of necessity, when my local coffee shop closed permanently during the pandemic of 2020. I was a regular there to the extent where most days (if there was a line ahead of me) the baristas would ask if I was having my usual and they would already have my drink ready by the time I got to the front of the line.
Either my partner or I, or both of us would be there daily. When the world closed down at first I sacrificed going out for coffee and tried every option for coffee at home, just short of buying an actual espresso machine because I knew they were expensive, messy and overkill on energy use for a single shot of espresso.
Then the world started opening back up and we were so happy to return to our local Coffee Bean coffee shop just to hear the landlord had raised the rent and they were being forced to close that location.
Right around the same time I got a randomly miraculous email from my favorite coffee brand, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, offering wholesale discounts on their specialty products for small businesses working from home. I had just started using a Keurig that I didn’t really love, but I figured a wholesale deal on pods could be a good option for our small business “home office”.
That’s when I stumbled on of the world’s best kept secrets…. The compostable paper pod. They don’t even offer these in the Coffee Bean store or anywhere online, but they are Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf brand coffee, package in 100% compostable “soft pods” so I was so excited to try them.
I thought I was ordering compostable k-cup style pods for my Keurig machine, but when the order arrived it was a bunch of strange little puck shaped teabags that did not work in my machine. I was first of all disappointed and then mostly confused, wondering “What ARE these things?” so I called my sales rep.
She explained they are not compatible with the Keurig or Nespresso machines, but they actually sell various brewers for these pods. Most of them are big fancy touchscreen machines with all kinds of bells and whistles, but they had one very simple machine that turned out to be incredibly affordable. The BevBar brewers are commercial grade pressurized brewers made to perform like an espresso maker for luxury hotels to use for in-room brewers and upscale offices use in their break rooms.
I ordered a machine immediately and it was truly love at first sip.
This was the summer of 2020 when I had my first frothy delicious espresso roast coffee brewed in my BevBar machine with a Coffee Bean Espresso Roast paper pod.
I was astounded to experience such incredible barista quality coffee, for such a reasonable price. My partner, friends and family all agreed it was incredibly good and I slowly began selling the machines and pod kits to friends and family by request because they were only available through my wholesale account.
I embraced my love for these products and hired a graphic designer friend to help me brand my new company and together we built a proper e-commerce website. my new business was fully developed online and I launched the full website fiftyskies.com by spring of 2021.
As I have continued to share these products with friends near and far, I have built a loyal base of return customers with many word of mouth referrals. I even got some sales from my organic social media and google traffic being directed to my online coffee shop. I have barely stepped a toe in a coffee shop since then and I pay less than $1 for what used to be $4 and now is up to $6 or $9 at many places.
Now, as I sit here in 2022, I’m staying busy with my online business and local pickup orders. I’m so grateful to have this small business. I can personally remain frugal on my coffee budget during this time of inflation and uncertainty without compromising on quality. I can also share this amazing product with others and change their lives for the better.
I am proud to offer such a great product that I believe in (and use daily) to offer better options for delicious coffee that is convenient, healthy, eco-friendly AND affordable.
Seriously. This coffee and tea system is better than anything I have found and I can’t wait to share it with you. Check out the website fiftyskies.com and use discount code HELLO10 for 10% off.
Well… here’s a list:.
#1 Coffee is life and I believe somewhere close to 90% or more of my waking life is fueled by caffeine, my studio time and general creativity included.
#2 Life requires money, and having a quality product I love to share is a great way to support my lifestyle as an artist. I don’t count on my artwork to feed me, I feed my art career and use it as my personal therapy. Side hustles allow me the financial freedom to create what I want, when how and why I want to. It allows my art to be a meaningful process rather than a mass produced product.
#3 Having a connection to other people is always a good thing, it’s important to get out of my bubble. My office, my studio, my home…. I love it here, but I can lose days or even weeks at a time to the bubble life and coffee is great product to use to connect with others. I love meeting up for a coffee talk or tea time visit with friends. I also love to share my coffee and tea with new people at live events, and it’s so rewarding when other people love it as much as I do. The ultimate compliment for me is when other people want to bring Fifty Skies into their own morning routine and make the decision to join my FS tribe.
#4 I have realized the importance of our morning routine and truly believe the good life begins with great mornings so I take pride in sharing what I consider the best morning secret ever. Start your day on a good note with Fifty Skies for a no stress, no mess morning, and the good vibes will flow.
#5 I named the business Fifty Skies after a statement I came up with on a drawing as a kid… I drew a picture and wrote in the clouds “I Love You Fifty Skies”. It became a personal motto throughout my and I still use it regularly with my closest friends and family.
Fifty Skies basically means “I love you infinity” and I sincerely hope you love our coffee and tea as much as we do. So please don’t be shy, click the link below and give us a try.
P.S. Our products always come with a satisfaction guarantee so you have nothing to lose… I also offer free demos to my local folks in/near Huntington Beach, CA so you can contact me directly to schedule a coffee tasting or email me questions at info@fiftyskies.com for details.
When the world shutdown happened in March of 2020, our lives were forever changed.
We all had to adapt in many ways to so many changes. My partner and I personally had to figure out how to carry the weight of our 2 small businesses and family home after I was laid off unexpectedly by both of my regular paying clients in a single day. We were both questioning the future as we wondered who will spend money on artwork or surfboards during a global pandemic.
Now the first week or two was when the real initial shock hit as we all just did our best to bide our time and stay calm as we committed first to stay home for “2 weeks to slow the spread”.
I'm sure I did much the same as anyone else may have done. I watched WAYYYY too much news and cleaned my home voraciously. We stocked up on basic necessities, hunkered down and did our best to stay positive while the world shut down around us.
Thankfully, as it became apparent the lockdown would not be ending anytime soon, one of my former clients asked me to resume managing their website I had built them remotely so they could continue running their business online despite their physical location still being closed. Who knew skills I learned in art school would actually be of use in pandemic era lockdown?
Even with that one small blessing, it still kept me at less than half my usual income so I had to figure something out quick. Luckily I had years of experience handling depression, stress and financial hardships so I wasn’t completely helpless.
I always thought my “fallback” career would be my experience in restaurant service, but as we all know that was one of the industries most hurt but the shutdown, so that option was off the board.
I didn’t turn to drugs or alcohol like so many sadly did. Instead, I turned to homeopathic treatments, new age philosophies, meditation, spirituality, religion, therapy, online education and of course, my first true love… Fine Art & CREATIVITY!
I spent a good amount of time in my art studio working on a painting but as the COVID shutdown continued on with the conversation of “essential” work, I began thinking about what I could do to help. By that point it was about mid April 2020 and the mask mandates began to roll out nationwide.
With years of experience working with foam and resin, I was no stranger to working in masks and respirators of all kinds. I didn’t know much about making masks, but I figured I could figure it out. So that is what I did. One thing I did know was earloops suck and disposable anything is always a bad idea idea so I did my research and designed my own variation of a functional yet comfortable reusable mask.
And that’s what I did for a while… I made masks. Specifically, I made bandana style fabric masks, with filters and adjustable straps. First I just made a handful for myself, my family and a few close friends. Then when I posted a few pictures online I was surprised to get requests from SO many friends across the nation. Suddenly I had created a whole new full time job making and shipping my handmade custom masks.
It was getting so busy I needed help from my family as I had to put the items online, first on my artist website and later on my etsy site. In fact I still have a few on clearance there… feel free to check them out HERE.
My first few masks were made out of tie-dye bandanas so I began getting requests for tie-dyes as well, so my house became a ridiculous arts and crafts factory as my whole family pitched in to help with making, packing and shipping orders of fabric masks and tie-dyes across the U.S.
Suddenly I was feeling SUPER essential and almost overworked by the amount of orders coming in.
I got busy enough to even hire a seamstress friend of a friend who had been laid off from the costume department at Disney, so I was even helping to support other artists who were on hard times.
Now beyond the stay-at home mask factory “craftiness” I also had years of experience as a business owner, gallery manager and website builder so it took all of my skills combined to actually turn it into a fruitful endeavor. In addition to selling these masks online, I also reached out to many friends and gifted masks to people who I knew were on hard times.
I sent dozens of masks out as gifts to my fellow artists, musicians and restaurant service professionals who I knew were struggling through the restrictions placed on their main forms of income. I couldn’t help in any major way with financial support, as I was struggling myself, but I knew I could spare a few masks here and there. Knowing if nothing else I could use them as a tool to reach out and say, “Hi, I’m thinking of you, and you are not alone, we truly are in this life together!”
I am hoping this mask mandate reality really is over now with a few exceptions, when it is required or appropriate, but I am also proud to know my creativity and business experience was able to help support myself and my people in such a strange time.
Then, as the pandemic had seemed to subside for a bit during the summer of 2020, I was even able to participate in a few local outdoor pop-up events. I was able to reconnect to my community of southern California surfers and beach people as Dave and I shared our handmade crafts with the public who was brave enough to venture out to Hippie Fest in Huntington Beach.
I also developed another side business I could manage from home, so I would never be in the same predicament again of losing all my income in a single day due to conditions that were out of my control.
I will explain more about that in my next blog.
Until then, please feel free to reach out directly to janessa@janessabookout.com if you ever have any creative projects you can use an extra hand (or brain) as I am still open to freelance gigs of all kinds.
P.S. did I mention my tie-dyes are available on my etsy shop too? CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW
Spring is here and we have a lot to celebrate!
We survived another winter and it’s time to come out of our caves. I know I have quite contently stayed to myself for this past hibernation season as I have been diligently working on so many projects so I have some news to share with my people here on the blog. I don’t want to overwhelm you so I will just work on one subject at a time here… lol!
First of all, we officially formed a new charity, Operation Stoke in the late fall of 2021. We have been giving out surfboards and stoking people out with surf trips, original artwork and/or live music experiences for decades. Now we are legally acknowledged as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so we will be able to share the stoke on an even bigger scale. Our ultimate goal it to create therapeutic healing for others as we share the stoke that saved our lives. We have already helped many folks who have survived some extreme hardships like cancer, military deployments and physical handicaps.
You can learn more about our history and mission statement at www.operationstoke.org (yes, I am the executive director, I wrote the bylaws AND I made the website too).
You can also follow @operationstoke on social media and/or sign up for our email list on the website to be automatically entered in our first giveaway happening later this month (4/20/22).
You can always contact me directly at operationstoke@gmail.com to directly donate funds or merchandise or sign up to volunteer. We also have branded merchandise including hats and stickers for sale to help support the cause.
I personally will also be donating a portion of all online art sales from janessabookout.com, while my coffee company ( fiftyskies.com ) will be donating products for events and giveaways.
Let me know what you think, do you believe in the healing therapy of surfing, action sports, music, art and travel?
If so, how would you share the stoke to brighten someone else’s life?
How much good can we do together? Whatever you do, just make sure you share the stoke too.
Anyone who knows me knows I am an eternal student, perhaps a little on the nerdy/perfectionist side. I want to know it all, do it all and get it all right. I want to do good work and live in the light.
That is a noble and seemingly nice idea but what does that really mean? There is a certain distraction in learning new things that keeps me from focusing on what I already know, which doesn’t allow me to develop and work on anything to the point of true mastery. It’s the “Jack of all trades, master of none” concept that keeps me spinning my wheels in some ways… But it also helps me draw conclusions across many seemingly different subjects.
The concept that keeps coming to me in all my many areas of study is the “light”.
When we are talking about art, my first true love, I had to learn how light interacts with and reflects off our subject matter. Light reflection effects various colors in painting, sculpture or even interior design. Then the science of photography or video exposures is all about light. We even need to study the gallery lighting for display of any artwork or performance and even our studios require proper lighting to get things right.
When we get into the world of technology and computer screens, they are emanating blue light which we must beware of and even protect our eyes with special glasses so as not to disrupt our brain chemistry.
If we seek to learn about the science behind health and nutrition we find that sunlight is of upmost importance for our metabolism to help our bodies understand we are not stuck in a winter famine with little to no sunlight, which can cause our bodies to store fat as a protective layer.
Sunlight is also the ultimate life force of our planet, not only keeping our planet at the proper temperature to support life but also the photons that feed each plant through photosynthesis is one of the main elements that become our food. Whether we eat plants directly, or animals that eat plants, we are literally all eating sunshine in various forms up the food chain.
We can take the concept of light another step deeper into the realm of religion, spirituality and mysticism. Almost every world religion or belief system has some concept of God, angels or “energy” as a central power in connection with the light.
The light is often a symbol of goodness while darkness may symbolize the evil forces, but we must acknowledge the duality that is present in all of our existence. We cannot know light without the dark, we cannot know day without the night. Same goes for man and woman, pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow.
It is the contrast that shows us the power of one in comparison to the other. That is why we must come to terms with the darkness as well. We cannot shun the less than perfect “dark” sides of ourselves and expect to feel whole. We also cannot wallow in that darkness and expect to feel anything other than depressed.
Much like all of nature, we humans must also find balance. We must embrace the darkness while it is here and then rejoice when the light of dawn returns once again as it always does. We must see the hardships and yet celebrate the small steps that will take us beyond those struggles.
We are not victims of the darkness. We are survivors who are meant to balance the dark when we shine our light. We overcome each difficult situation to make us stronger, smarter and better equipped for whatever the next challenge may be. We may need to help others with the lessons we learned previously, or use our past experience to figure out a new solution when unexpected problems arise.
Whatever struggles may present themselves, I am convinced we are here to tap into the power of the light within each of us. We use this light force to transform and ascend.
We may do so through expressing an art form or being mindful of our nutrition. We may use our religion or meditation to tap into our inner light. Whatever your preferred technique may be, if everyone seeks balance in their own life, they will eventually help uplift others around them, sending vibrations out into the world on an exponential level to help balance our entire universe on some levels we cannot fully comprehend.
We are not slaves of the planet earth, we are warriors of the light here to do something special. We are here to balance the forces of darkness by shining our own light from within.
So…. How will you shine your light today?
It’s already October and I find myself wondering where the year went… well… Let’s see.
I built a new business this year. I found a great product and developed a whole new site.
That’s cool. Check it out at fiftyskies.com
I also continued to build a charity with a group of wonderful people and we JUST got notice of our approval from the IRS as an official 501(c)(3).
That’s even cooler. Check it out at operationstoke.org
I finished a painting I had been working on for 3 years. that’s available here on janessabookout.com
I made a lot of fabric masks and whats left of them are available on my etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop/janessa511
I am continuing to work on an online Yoga Teacher Training with Authentic Movements and preparing for my third Ohana Kava mountain retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Oh, I also quit smoking too (HOORAY).
Now that sounds like a lot already, but I still have more to do… watch out world, here I come!
Next up… get in shape, finish my book, and then continue to build my empire online and make moves for an off the grid compound someday.
Anything is possible.
I will do the work and continue to build my faith. Smalls steps each day will get me where I am going eventually.
What small step will you take today?
I have been thinking a lot about gratitude and patience this year.
I think those may be the biggest lessons of 2020.
This has been a year of never ending bad news that seems to get worse by the day. From the virus, to government mandates, financial hardships, or political and cultural divide… it seems everyone is complaining about something they feel they cannot control.
That’s why I turn away from the spectacle of mainstream news after a quick check in. Those are problems I cannot control.
That’s why I don’t engage with bickering on social media. Those are mostly people’s opinions, another thing I cannot control.
That’s why I’m writing this blog post instead of posting a meme for popularity or making snarky controversial remarks.
I would prefer to connect with my people directly, and express openly what is in my heart.
That’s why I don’t scream at these problems. I do see them, but I’d rather dream of solutions. I’d rather remain grateful for all that I have and how far we have come. I try to cultivate patience for attaining all that I still want to achieve.
I think I first learned this long ago as a child of a single mother with limited resources… a lesson from the Rolling Stones no less, so go ahead and sing along with me if you know the tune:
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need”
I know it seems trite at a glance, but really, it is solid advice. I have been disappointed more often than not when I focus on getting what I want, the way I want, when, where, and how I think it should happen. That’s when I get frustrated, depressed or even angry at the world.
That’s never good, and only tends to make me feel worse without accomplishing much of anything.
But then I can shift my perspective to look around me and find the beauty and wonder in all the amazing things I already have. I can use gratitude as a daily tool to appreciate all the people, places and things that make my life what it is today.
I can dream a better dream for the future, but I do so with patience, understanding, and an undying faith that things WILL work out some way, some day, exactly as they should. It’s not that I give up and wait for things to fall out of the clear blue sky… No way. I just keep working on what I can control in my life and somehow things usually work out even better than I could have planned.
That’s how we leave room for magic to happen instead of living life like a spoiled brat with a list of demands. Someone once explained it to me like this…
Imagine God (or the Universal energy you identify with), as a loving parent who gave you some toys (those toys being all the various elements of your life). That parent will love to see you joyfully playing with your toys, caring for them and being thankful to the parent for providing them, and that will inspire them to give you more. But if that same parent sees you throw your toys out the window, destroy them out of anger or just ignore them all together, they will think you don’t like what you’ve already been given so they will not be inspired to give you more.
That made sense to me and I try to remember it when I get in a funk.
No one is perfect and I am the first to admit I have my slips, but I use gratitude and patience to keep me on track.
Here are some examples of my gratitude and patience practice for today:
I’m grateful for having my own website and a network of like-minded friends, all of which have created this moment of you reading my blog.
I want to be patient as I create change in this world through formation of a non-profit. It is in process but taking a bit longer than expected. I am confident knowing we are on the right path and we are already doing all that we can.
You are invited to check out the non-profit work in progress at operationstoke.com
This message also just reminded me of one of my favorite old paintings. I still have this hanging in my home and it helps me remember the need for patience while we do our work and wait for the universe to unfold.
“Waiting Pool” Original Painting by Janessa Bookout
I painted this around 2000 in my senior year of high school, with the concept of patience as I awaited decisions from colleges to tell me what new adventures my future would hold.
What a year this month has been!!!
I am still adjusting to the official “stay at home” order in California after a solid 2 weeks of not really leaving the house for much of anything. I have decided to embrace the “down time” despite the financial stress of unknown variables in my professional life.
Right now, I have this website, a fully stocked art studio, and a very comfortable home office setup. I have lost about half of my regular income to Covid19 layoff, but luckily my other clients and businesses are still alive and doing well enough for now with our ability to work remotely.
I can keep myself busy with creative projects for weeks on end with little to no complaint, but I can’t help but be concerned about money. It’s natural for me to worry so I work daily to let go of the tension and surrender to these things that are beyond anyone’s control.
My favorite tools for relieving the anxiety are reggae music (especially Stick Figure), plant based foods and medicine, essential oils and kava root, hot tea, yoga, meditation and making art.
I’m more hopeful each day as I see some orders are still coming in to our small businesses, and I am forever grateful for that support. I try to avoid overloading myself with news or social media and have been reaching out to friends individually to keep in touch.
I pray that all my people are safe and healthy, sheltered in place wherever they are. I pray there may be some bigger picture to all this sacrifice we are making right now. Most of all I pray for patience, peace and faith to help us all through this alarming time.
Keep in touch anytime, I’m still here!!!
Studio shot of Janessa with her new painting (work in progress).
Huntington Beach, March 2020
I have decided to start writing this blog as another form of art. I have always created in visual forms and I love to read but I was also once a great writer. I have learned a lot and I need to sort through my concepts in words. Not just in my head, or spoken with a friend. In writing, on paper (or screen) to be read, shared, discussed or even changed by the process of creation. Maybe some of these thoughts will resonate with someone or help someone, or maybe I will just feel better getting it out.
I will sort through this topic by beginning with a question…
What is an artist?
I take pride in calling myself an artist, but I can honestly consider most people to be artists in some way, so what’s so special about being an “Artist”? Well I went to art school and paid my dues for that title. I have worked steadily in my studio and in creative job and art galleries. I have worked as an artist and with artists and for artists of all kinds. I can tell you it takes a special kind of person to be an artist of any kind.
Artists are the ones who create. In a world filled with hardships and destruction, surrounded by pressure to consume, buy, and spend, artists choose instead to create.
Things we create by hand or on a computer. Things we create alone or with others. Things we look at, use and love for their uniqueness. These things are what I call art.
In order to make art it is often a sacrifice to spend time, money and energy creating something new without knowing exactly how it will go. You sit at a blank canvas with a million possibilities and begin making decisions to create. Each decision with a resulting action becomes the process. You keep going from that point making new decisions about the project either according to plans or sheer intuition. The most difficult part in any project is admitting it is done. There is always something else you can do, but there is also a time when you have to call it done.
