Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer (jen) Stamps
Hi Jennifer (Jen), thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is one with a lot of little twists and turns. I’ve always been creative. Ever since I was a kid – I remember sitting in my room making collages and even “designing” my own clothing line when I was a pre-teen. As I grew up, art never really left, but it wasn’t until my 20s when I really started allowing myself to start creating again.
I’ve always been interested in photography – specifically film. I opened a family photography business that filled my nights and weekends with so many wonderful clients and special moments. But I closed my business in 2016 when my daughter was one year old – I was missing too many moments with her. Not wanting to give up photography completely, I kept my art alive, photographing my family and travels.
Fast forward to the Covid pandemic. I was so tired of photographing what seemed like the same day over and over again, that I started experimenting with my photos. I’d add watercolor to my prints, or develop my film in coffee instead of regular photo-developing chemicals, and even started hand-embroidering some of my prints.
I have always let my heart lead what I create. If I wanted to create it, I did – no matter how weird it seemed. From 2020-2022, I created a series called Retold Stories (https://jenniferstamps.com/portfolio/retold-stories). For that series, I paired old photos that I found on eBay or Etsy and I embroidered them to photos I took myself using my plastic medium format film camera (a Holga 120n) – giving each found photo a new scene forever. Once I felt like that series was complete, I didn’t know what to do next.
I started shooting a lot of Polaroids with my vintage Polaroid cameras as a change of pace. So, embroidering my Polaroids seemed like the next “logical” step in my progression. And the rest is history. I still shoot with other cameras and will sometimes go back to my old ways – adding watercolor to prints or experimenting with development – but these days, my heart is completely in love with adding embroidery to my Polaroid photos. Sometimes I’ll add a Polaroid camera onto a Polaroid, or turn a busted Polaroid into a completely different piece of art using embroidery. I also love to embroider paper airplanes onto my travel photos. And taking a page from the Swifties… I’ll even add friendship bracelet beads to my Polaroid embroidery. Basically, if it makes me happy, I’ll give it a try!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has been windy, but it has been smooth. Struggles can come when I’m trying to sell a piece, get published, or be featured in a gallery. But art has always been about something I love and I try my very best not to let become a struggle for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I call myself a photographer and embroidery artist – only I combine the two. I add embroidery (needle and thread designs and words) to my photographs.
I am probably most known for my Polaroid work. I have a small but mighty collection of vintage Polaroid cameras that I shoot with regularly. But I also have a new Polaroid camera and a Polaroid Lab. The Polaroid Lab allows me to take any film photo that I’ve taken and print it on actual Polaroid film.
Once I have my Polaroid image, I will add embroidery. I love incorporating pieces of a trip into my travel photos – a paper airplane in the sky or even adding an embroidered bicycle onto a Polaroid of Amsterdam. Sometimes I embellish what can already been seen in the image and sometimes I add abstract designs to give the finished piece a fun and unique vibe.
One of the things that I’m working on here and there that I’m really proud of is turning my old family photos into embroidered Polaroids. I’ve been going through decades of images – both negatives and old prints – scanning the photos and then printing a few of them on my Polaroid Lab. Both of my grandparents have passed, so it brings me a lot of joy to go through their old photos. Some of them I remember and some of them are far before I was ever born. It’s a beautiful way to keep the memory of them alive.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have a family and day job, so most of my extra free time is spent either creating or spending time with family and friends. So, my artistic network is almost all virtual – mostly on Instagram. I use the app very deliberately. I will search hashtags and connect with people who make similar art or art that I can connect with. It’s been fun contributing to the art community that way. Of course, there are thousands of artists in Austin, but it’s so special to also be able to connect with Polaroid artists across the globe. I feel like social media can get a bad rap – and I get it – it’s easy to get sucked into the perfection of it all. But when it’s used as its original intent – connection and socialization – you can find some very special communities to connect with.
My advice would be to try to connect with others as much as possible. Engage and connect as much as you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jenniferstamps.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenbroideroid/
Image Credits
All images credit Jennifer Stamps
