5 Minutes with Jana Rushforth
Q & A WITH JANA RUSHFORTH
WHO IS JANA AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Hi! I’m Jana. I’m a joyseeker, peppermint tea-drinker and mama who lives in Adelaide, South Australia.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m an illustrator and business owner of Word Finders Club.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PASSION?
I loved to draw, write and play around with typography as a child. I had sketch books and diaries full of stories, drawing and fonts that I had created! Then as I grew up I left art behind as I thought what I created wasn’t ‘good enough’, I remember feeling sad that I couldn’t be creative anymore. It wasn’t until I was on maternity leave with my son, Harry that I bought a 2B pencil and sketch book, and started drawing again! I then started an Instagram account to share my creative journey and everything grew from there.
IF YOU WERE A COLOUR, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
That’s a hard question! It depends on my mood I think. I love yellow, blue and green - these colours actually feature in my artwork quite often.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Whenever I need inspiration I spend time in nature. A walk in the woods, sitting in my garden or watching the clouds float by. There is something relaxing and comforting about nature that brings me back to the present moment. Also I would add, creating art with my son also inspires me. It’s so fun to play around with paints, watercolours or pastels with Harry. I love how children don’t question if their art is ‘good’, they just create and I think that inspires me to be less attached to what other people think of my work.
DESCRIBE YOUR ART IN 3 WORDS
Joyful, playful, hopeful
WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS AND WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING PROJECT YOU HAVE DONE?
My creative business is a mix of working with clients and customers. So I sell products in my shop Word Finders Club direct to customers, and then I also work with other businesses or magazines to create artwork for them. One of the most interesting projects was a product I made called the Happiful Journal, which is gratitude and mindfulness journal for children. I loved the journey of creating the product and now receiving feedback from customers saying how it’s helped their children fills me with so much joy!
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AS AN ILLUSTRATOR AND BUSINESS OWNER?
I think the biggest challenges so far have been self-doubt and staying true to my creative voice. I’ve found when I quiet the external noise - through mindfulness, meditation or just no scrolling on Instagram - I can really listen into what is coming from my heart. Once I do this I usually know the right decision and the self-doubt falls away.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP TIP FOR CHILDREN WHO WANT TO BECOME LIKE YOU ONE DAY?
My top tips are make mistakes, listen to your creative voice and create art from a place that is true to you. Firstly, mistakes are how you learn and grow – they are just stepping stones rather than road blocks on your creative journey. Secondly, try not to let other people’s creative ideas overpower or diminish what feels right to you. Finally, remember you have a superpower and how you see the world is unique, special and important.
WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR 2021 / 2022 ?
I have a book with a publisher coming out in early 2022, which is exciting and little bit terrifying!
www.instagram.com/wordfindersclub
DOWNLOAD Jana’s FREE Happiful Journal Daily Sheet here
