Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Dunlap.
Hi Jen, 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?
For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to paint and draw every day. I wanted other things too but that was the main drive. I didn’t know how I could turn that into a career eventually but I went to SCAD for Painting anyway before moving to New York for a graduate degree in Fine Art. I stayed in New York, working odd jobs, painting on the side, and finally landed in advertising, with a few art exhibitions here and there.
I knew I needed to rearrange my priorities and I knew that those original goals were still the same, to paint and draw every day. I’d added more things to the list too, like that I wanted people to experience my work outside of a gallery and to spread joy to everyone that encountered it. I quit my job at an advertising agency and threw all my effort into something that would let me have all of those things: Textile Design. It’s been 6 years now and I haven’t looked back!
I had always intended to create my own line of designs but who has the time? When the pandemic shut us all down I suddenly had more time than I knew what to do with and started seriously working toward starting my own brand. I created Bon & Venture as a super colorful, vibrant expression of my paintings and drawings, printed on silk, to bring wearable brightness and light in a time I figured we needed it most.
We’ve all struggled so much these last few years but I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to pursue what I love and create beauty that inspires others to live colorfully!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If there’s someone out there that started a business without any struggles please call me and tell me your secrets! 2020 probably wasn’t an ideal time to launch a brand but I feel like a lot of creative, industrious folks really buckled down and did the work when we didn’t feel we had much more going on. Like a lot of others, I finally had the time and the drive to devote myself to my own work and despite the inherent struggles of living through the troubling times, I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to create through it all!
The response from our amazing community has been overwhelming and I’m so grateful to live in a place that wholeheartedly supports art, creativity, and entrepreneurship! I have met so many incredible artists and makers since launching Bon & Venture, many of whom share the same struggles, and all of whom tend to lift each other up, inspire and support each other, and value collaboration over competition. Running your own business isn’t always easy, but it’s always so worth it, and I know I’ve got some truly kind, talented folks in my corner!
As you know, we’re big fans of Bon & Venture. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I created Bon & Venture as a sort of love letter to Savannah, where I grew up, inspired by the flora and fauna of the Lowcountry. I think this area has a very specific, spooky beauty that is so intrinsic to this place and I embrace that dichotomy in my work and in every print I design.
I feature southern flowers like dogwoods, azaleas, and magnolias, contrasted with elements that aren’t typically thought of as “beautiful” (or are at least a little dangerous) – snakes or bugs or jellyfish and so on. I try to speak to Savannah’s darkly beautiful aura in everything I create while emphasizing bright and beautiful colors that spread joy!
I started out making scarves and bandanas but have since expanded into silk kaftans, ponchos, and robes, clothing, and accessories that are not only beautifully painted and unique but make people happy whenever they wear them!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I discovered Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy by Mark Doty when I was in school and I come back to it again and again. It’s a beautiful, poetic reflection on the subjective impact of aesthetic work on the viewer and the tangled-up implications of time, love, experience, and grief in our personal understanding of art.
Similarly, The Gift by Lewis Hyde is something that I recommend to all aspiring or seasoned artists, writers, musicians, or creators of any kind, a thoughtful exploration of the gift of creation in a commodified world and the community and culture that forms around it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: bonandventure.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bonandventure
- Facebook: facebook.com/bonandventure
Image Credits
Autumn Kulla Photography
