Jazzmine Bustamante Expresses Love Through Collages
BY: SHAY LOPEZ
“I’m a woman of many talents and hats, but my work always centers on the same thing: love,” this is what Jazzmine Bustamante first shared about herself. “I love people, I love creating, I love showing love and I love sharing it” she continued. Jazzmine pronounced “Jazz like the type of music and mine, like the possessive pronoun” is an artist and art director, with a talent for unveiling the beauty in everything and telling stories in extraordinary and compelling ways.
On her website, you can find the pronunciation of her name and its origin; “the title of my site is the meaning of my first name, which is pronounced exactly as it’s spelled. My mom gave me my first name because jazz was the only way to get me to move in the womb. In that dark place, the jazz became mine and creative expression became my friend.” Jazzmine started making digital collages after being inspired in school while studying fashion design. The assignment was to design a line of t-shirts, “I pulled inspiration from Andy Warhol - one of my favorite pop artists - to use vibrant colors and textures in creating visually dynamic work.” Jazzmine remembers enjoying sourcing the images, designing the assets, framing the composition, and creating the boards for the assignment that she was inspired to start making collages full time through her personal creative expression.
Ultimately, she started making collages as a way to express the love in her heart, “First for the many women who’ve inspired me and then for Blaco folks as a whole.” That all led her to where she is now, “The focus and intent of my work have stayed the same, my practice is growing and I’m exploring new ways to approach my unique style of collaging.” When describing her current work processes she; conceptualizes, designs, and produces projects that speak to my purpose - sharing the humanity, beauty, and real stories of the BIPOC community with a focus on Black women. I’m also working with brands and businesses to elevate their own purposes.” So far in her career, she has been able to work with businesses such as Target, Grotto Network, and SOZE Agency.
“In my early years, I folded to fit into places where I felt I was ‘too much’. I searched high and low to find ‘my something’ because I believed the lie that everything I was couldn’t be accepted. I believed I was naive, aloof, and impractical. I used to think my extra was a curse until I realized it was a blessing, and I was just misunderstood.” As she continues in her narrative she touches on the fact of how she has developed after reflecting on these moments, “I no longer choose to shrink. Instead, I choose - at every second - to honor my BIGness. I fight and press through my inner saboteurs to stand tall and firm in who I am, what I believe, and how I see. My world is full of color, texture, beauty, and possibility. I’m BIG and I won’t apologize for it or hide from it. I am a woman of vision, great hope, and even greater purpose.”
As we continue to talk about her work, Jazzmine shared that she gathers her inspiration from everything… mostly love. In a more specific sense, you gather inspiration from God, nature, plants, her art history education, other artists, friends, her experiences, community, and Black people. These aspects inspire her mostly because they are things she is passionate about. Jazzmine’s work often reflects elements of the world; plants, and beauty pulled together as one, in creating a story full of color and light.
With this love of collaging being born from a spark of inspiration at school, Jazzmine has fully embraced the process to express love. When asked if she had any tips for aspiring artists and creatives she shared, “you’re creative and more creative than you’d think. Beyond comparison and what others do, you have a unique perspective and way of doing things that are creative. You don’t necessarily have to make ‘art’ in the traditional sense of the word, to be creative. Cooking is an art, just like gardening, speaking, writing, and being yourself in different spaces. Make room for yourself to be more than you do. When you give yourself permission to be whole, successful, and happy separate from all that you do, you give yourself permission to live freely. In every aspect of your life (mind, soul, spirit). Embrace that."
