[00:00:00] Geraldine Hennessy: So today we welcome contemporary artist Emma Jacobs to the podcast.

[00:00:11] Emma Jacobs: Thank you so much. I’m so excited to be here.

[00:00:14] Geraldine Hennessy: So Emma, can you tell us a little about you, your artistic style and how you came to be in cork?

[00:00:22] Emma Jacobs: I came to be in Cork through a kind of a bizarre way. We were running a, an art themed B&B in Durban in South Africa, and we had a couple stay with us in the B&B.

They had sold their house and they were staying with us while they were wrapping that up. And they happened to mention that they had a holiday apartment in a place called Kinsale. I said, where’s that? She said, Google it. So I did. Little did we know that less than one year later we’d be living a mere 16 kilometers down the road in Ballinhassig.

And I think that’s just a phenomenal testament to how the power of connection and planting seeds can make such a difference in one’s life. And I’ve literally just wrapped up a three week solo exhibition at the Kinsale Library. So this place of Irish heritage for us has been really significant.

So a little bit about myself and my artistic journey. I started art as a very young child and went to art classes throughout my career at school, finished off school with art, and during the process had been to a child art studio with a woman called Nina Campbell-Quine in Johannesburg. I didn’t study art at university.

I’d been on an exchange year to Luxembourg and then came back and did an undergrad degree in with a Bachelor of Arts languages and HR, and then did a post-grad in organization and development. Went into a learning and development career for nearly 10 years, and then we decided to opt out of our corporate and consulting careers and go into our own businesses and landed up for the next 20 years running art themed B&B.

In 2016, I started an oil painting for beginners class. It turned out I was quite good at it, and I’ve managed to get a lot of practice in, because if you’re running B&Bs, you have no life. You are always waiting for guests either to come for breakfast, to check in, to check out, to take their dinners, whatever it may be.

It runs seven days a week. It’s relentless. So while hubby may be watching tv, I was painting. One day, one of my guests said to me, do you sell them? I said, of course I do. Yes. God, how do I figure out how to price paintings. Anyhoo, my art themed to B&B landed up being my Emma Jacobs art gallery. Yeah.

It was wonderful because I had zero competition. And if people liked me and they resonated with me and they liked the b&b and/or South Africa, they would choose a piece of art as a memento of our relationship and their journey. And I would then become part of their journey with my piece of art going home with them.

I literally have art all over the world, from Japan to Ghana, Sweden, Canada States, everywhere, all over. Yeah. So then I very soon started a painting with a group of practicing artists. At a studio on the Durban Beach front. And on the 7th of March, 2020, I had the opening of my first solo art exhibition at La Foyer in Durban.

It was a wonderful event and all my mates pitched and the family was there, and it was just a huge celebration and validation of this four year journey of starting my art and growing it and developing it. And then one week later, the travel bans were announced. Yes. And I managed to quickly get in and rescue my paintings and bring them home thinking it was only three weeks that we were shutting down.

And of course it wasn’t. Yeah. We had three big B&Bs, 15 staff, and everybody panicked. So as you can imagine, we were in a little bit of trouble. The only money that was really safe was the money that was put aside in a kitty. From the sale of my art. And long story short, that kitty, which wasn’t that much, paid for us to fly out to do our mandatory hotel quarantine to pay the first month’s rent, to buy the first little car.

And I started off working in hotels here. I worked first as a duty manager and then moved over as the people and culture manager at the Montenotte Hotel in Cork City carrying on with my art now in the background and trying to build the art career now that I had fought so hard to build for four years in South Africa.

Yes. Yeah. And start all over again here in Ireland. So that was loads of fun and picking up commissions as I was going along. Mostly private commissions. And one of the things that we did at the Montenotte was a complete renovation of the back of house areas. And it was really beautiful employee, restaurant, changing facilities, et cetera.

And I wangled my way into being the back of house artist, had all my work up in the back areas where all the employees were. We had 29 different nationalities. And sold one of them to a Reunion Island waiter. And then from there I started getting ready for my first solo exhibition. And while I was doing that, I took the big decision to exit my formal senior management salary and roll.

And I left in April of 2024 to go full-time as a professional artist. I’ve been busy since then and I’ve just completed my fourth solo exhibition at the Kinsale Library and I am currently artist in residence at the Address Hotel in Cork City, and it’s been a really exciting journey.

Figuring out how the art industry works in Ireland. Yes. Yeah. How the different groups work the galleries work here, how the markets work here, how the shows, the festivals, the craft fairs, all of those things. And part of that journey has been to specifically network with both artist groups.

So I’m a member of Sample studios, for example, but also networking groups like Network Cork, which I really believe quite firmly in. So that’s kind of it in a nutshell. Okay. It’s been a whirlwind tour of the journey. People, art, learning and development, hospitality, those are all my superpowers.

Yeah. And I’m really blessed that as a self-employed creative entrepreneur and visual artist, I’m able to kind of pull all those things together.

[00:06:34] Geraldine Hennessy: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And how would you describe the overall feeling or message you hoped convey through your art?

[00:06:42] Emma Jacobs: My art is all things bright and beautiful. I love to capture what I see. The beauty of what I see in my daily life. The people I meet, the faces, the places, and especially in and around Kinsel and West Cork. It’s just beautiful. And why would you not want to paint these beautiful, vibrant paintings? So I believe that my art should bring joy and happiness and nostalgia and beauty to people’s homes or offices or their businesses.

That a lot of what I paint is linked to nostalgia, children playing on beaches, the joy of a couple walking on a beach. Beautiful towns in West Cork. I mean, it’s just it’s a beautiful source of inspiration. I love painting big portraits. I love painting big landscapes. Pretty much paint everything.

Work off a photographic reference, and so long as it’s caught my eye, I’ll paint it. Okay. It’s a snail. Seascape. It doesn’t matter. So long as it’s beautiful.

[00:07:47] Geraldine Hennessy: I think your paintings really, it’s like they conjure up, like for me anyway, like memories, you know, it’s, that’s when I look at, we’ll look at your paintings.

Like, it just conjures up a memory. So it’s that real kind of, you know, visualization of something that’s maybe deep inside of us. That’s the way, that’s what I see when I see whenever paintings..

[00:08:08] Emma Jacobs: Oh, thank you. I paint my memories And others resonate with those memories. Yeah. Because we’re traversing through the same places and the same chapters in our lives. Yeah. And when we see a mom playing with kiddies on the beach, or we see a beautiful town that we’ve grown up with, it resonates with us. Yeah. And that’s what it is. It’s a lot of it is nostalgia. And if I paint the things that make me happy, it very often resonates with someone else.

Absolutely.

[00:08:33] Geraldine Hennessy: And your journey involved, as you said, immigrating from South Africa to Ireland. Did that experience of profound change influence your art?

[00:08:42] Emma Jacobs: Well, it certainly has changed the content of my art and the subject matter. There are a lot more people wearing jackets on beaches than there ever were.

In fact, I don’t think I ever painted a painting of anyone wearing a jacket. Let alone a scarf or a beanie on a beach in Durban. But yeah, that certainly has changed what I do. It’s a different, more rugged wilder landscape. So I’ve really focused quite specifically on refining my process.

So I use a process where I run alcohol, ink down on the canvas, the raw canvas, and then I use a, an acrylic wash as a background to it. So I’ve played quite a bit more with that because the weather is a little, dare we say unpredictable. It’s quite often a little drizzly. And a little cold.

But I do run around and take lots of photos when the blue sky is out. But these alcohol runs kind of give a little bit of the rainy background and a little bit of that shimmer and that glisten even the sunny days.

[00:09:45] Geraldine Hennessy: Absolutely. And you went from being self-employed in South Africa to employed in Ireland and back to being self-employed.

What was the biggest lesson learned, navigating those transitions in a new country?

[00:09:58] Emma Jacobs: It’s not easy to immigrate in your fifties, but specifically for us, you know, we had been our own bosses for 20 years. We had worked in both corporate and consulting before that, so, you know, we’ve worked for bosses, but being the bosses ourselves and having a big team of 15 staff and I trained over 60 international hotel school students in our premises.

It is a big transition to go back to being employed. Practically, it made a lot of sense to go back to formal employment while we found our feet, while we settled, while we navigated the new landscape. Absolutely. Yeah. And while we grew you know, a base of people to know and a network to be part of.

If you trying to create a sense of community, being part of that community in a workplace is a very practical way of doing it. I love hospitality. And for me, it was a natural fit. I had never worked in a hotel before despite having a small hotel ourselves. But I hadn’t worked formally in the hotel sector.

So that was a big learning curve. And while I’d worked as a learning and development manager, I hadn’t worked as an HR manager before. Especially not in Ireland. So that involved a quick employment law course with Core ETB at a level six. Yeah. And you know, so there’s been a lot of learning and that has been extremely interesting, especially now coming from Africa into an EU country.

So yeah, I believe in lifelong learning. I think it’s important to constantly learn new things and to grow. So that was an incredibly useful journey and I loved being part of the hotel and I loved working with all the different nationalities, and I loved watching people grow and develop, and whether that be through art classes that I run, or courses I teach, or whatever it is I love watching people in that journey and being part of their journey.

Okay.

[00:11:46] Geraldine Hennessy: Okay. And your first solo show book ended the Pandemic and your emigration. So Durban 2020 and Cork 2024. How did these two exhibitions differ in feeling or focus for you?

[00:12:00] Emma Jacobs: The first one, we didn’t know the pandemic was going to result in what it did. So it was a joyous celebration of the art and of me.

Which was amazing. It was just before my 50th birthday. Little did I know there would be no 50th birthday. It just me, my husband, the two kids and the two dogs, literally. Oh, course with a camera on a timer. Yeah. So that became my 50th birthday in retrospect. And it was just a wonderful celebration and just so much support and love from the people I know and care about.

And then when we came here. You know, we’d gone through this really traumatic journey and, you know, the whole pandemic was horrific and the emigration was hard. And I came ahead of my husband and then there were riots in Durban of July 21, which caused the sale of our main B&B to collapse. And husband was there and we were here.

And it was tricky. So by the time April, 2024 came, you know, nearly four years later, a lot had happened. And now we had, in large part, set ourselves up for recovery and sustainable recovery on top of that. So by the time that exhibition happened and there were more than 70 people in the room, in this beautiful venue in Wellington Street, in Cork city, you know, you look around the room and you go, wow. When I arrived in Ireland, I knew one person. One person who I met in 1989 when I came to visit my aunt. You know my cousin? Yeah. And then you look around that room and that one person was in the room.

Yeah. And nearly 70 other people were there too, from all different parts. That was a testimony that I had forged community and I had built networks and I had made a difference in terms of what I had done. That enough people were there to support me and my journey again. And buying my art is a lovely way to support me.

[00:13:54] Geraldine Hennessy: Yeah.

[00:13:55] Emma Jacobs: And it was just, it was a really special, a special evening. Yeah.

[00:13:58] Geraldine Hennessy: You must have felt so proud. Did you? At that moment?

[00:14:01] Emma Jacobs: Proud and terrified. Yeah. Because I just left my job. So people use the word brave a lot with me. Yeah. Brave. Brave and starting things again and trying new things.

Yeah. Go hand in hand. But I think it’s an important lesson that if you’re going to do something that you really believe in. Then it’s worth taking the risk. So long as it’s a good calculated risk. I mean, if I was a horrific artist and I was really bad at, you know, business, it would be a, it would be a really foolish idea.

But it was a calculated risk and one that’s going to take time to fully get strength in its roots. But the seeds have all been planted, and I’m starting to reap the rewards of that now, which is really exciting.

[00:14:42] Geraldine Hennessy: Very good. And talking about planting seeds, you’ve rapidly built relationships with galleries and venues across Cork.

What’s your approach to forging these partnerships?

[00:14:54] Emma Jacobs: I think a large part because I have this learning and development, HR and hospitality background. And because I’m naturally an extrovert. I’m not scared to talk to people. I love talking to people. I feed off the energy of other people and other groups and I think there’s no shyness in talking to people about what I do.

I have absolutely no problems with self-promotion, which may well be why I’m sitting on a Cork Creative podcast as we speak. Yeah. Yeah. I love the idea of inspiring and empowering other people. And people often comment when they meet me and they hear what I’ve done and what we’ve done specifically over the last five, six years.

They say it’s inspirational. And if I can be inspirational to somebody else who may then take the chance to believe in themselves as well. Fantastic. So, yeah, getting back to the galleries and the venues, a large part of it is just being open to it. Opportunity and preparation equal luck.

People say I’m very lucky, but I’m prepared and I’m constantly scanning the environment for what’s available. I look at open calls, I look at new venues opening. I look at established venues that I’d like to be in, and I make sure that I meet the people behind those places so that I can build relationships with them.

Not necessarily for immediate gain for either of us, but just to build relationships. And over time those relationships start maturing.

[00:16:26] Geraldine Hennessy: Okay. Okay. And in terms of networking, how vital is finding your tribe for a creative entrepreneur?

[00:16:34] Emma Jacobs: I think a lot of artists and creatives tend to create alone. They tend to be alone in the studio.

Which is often a very productive way of producing work and being creative, but that aloneness is lonely. And isolating. And once that work is created, many creatives don’t know what to do with it. So I think belonging to networks, belonging to groups allows you to get outside your comfort zone of the studio.

And allows you to find a way to navigate your community, especially your creative community. And then find ways to bridge the gap back to the main community to get your work out into the public. And I think that’s really important. It’s not just about creative communities and creative networks. I really believe in networking with other, especially business women.

And it is especially important for me. It was something I did in South Africa for a long time. So I belong to Network Cork here. And I really believe in the support and encouragement that comes from groups like that. And it allows people to be more brave. And if you can’t be brave, pretend to be.

Geraldine Hennessy: Exactly.

Emma Jacobs: Because nobody can tell the difference, but it does put you in the right direction and it’s progress, not perfection.

[00:17:54] Geraldine Hennessy: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So balancing creativity with the business side can be challenging. How do you manage both these aspects?

[00:18:04] Emma Jacobs: I’m a little bit of a unicorn when it comes to that.

So I love business. And I love the business side of. Building relationships with suppliers. I’m particularly good at forging partnerships. I get the importance of keeping good books. I know exactly how many paintings I’ve painted. I’m on 219 currently it’s in the boot. I’m delivering it with a client this afternoon.

It’s a commission for a 50th birthday. So I know what I’ve spent. I know what I’ve made. I know how many paintings I’ve sold. I know how many I’ve donated to charities. I know everything. I have kept historical data. I think that the business side is important, and I think many artists are scared of the business side.

And it doesn’t need to be scary at all. I’m currently doing the Art of Business and Business of Art course with Future Kinsale. Not so much for the business side, although I have found that useful, but for the networking side and finding other creatives who are in their own businesses that we can support each other, and that’s extremely important to be able to find that tribe.

Wherever you can find it. Because when it comes to opening exhibitions and looking out to that, see your faces, you want to see faces that you know and who are there because they support you.

[00:19:25] Geraldine Hennessy: And so do you think that like your past experience in say work has helped you?

[00:19:30] Emma Jacobs: Absolutely. I think it’s a little unfamiliar to the arty scene here.

It’s unusual to have an oil painter who’s not shy at all to show off. Yeah. You know, I might have notions as it’s called here. I don’t know. But I think what’s the point of my art if it’s sitting in my house? Absolutely. Yeah. You know, I love it. But other people love it too, so why not show it?

Yeah, exactly. And if that can go forth and multiply and become a piece of beautiful art in someone’s home or office, why not? Absolutely. But where am I going to put all of them anyway? I’m way too prolific.

[00:20:08] Geraldine Hennessy: And drawing on your experience, establishing yourself as an artist here in Cork. What’s your view on the supports currently available in Ireland to help artists sustain their practice?

[00:20:20] Emma Jacobs: There are many funding opportunities that are available through different organisations. They are, I think the term they use is highly competitive. Which, as I understand it, is code for, you have probably maybe a one in five chance of getting this award. There’s been a significant increase in applications.

The demand is just far exceeding what is available. To the extent that I applied for the bursary award with the Arts Council earlier this year for the little artist section, and they’ve already come back to saying that they have had a 54% increase year on year. Gosh. Yeah. In applications. And we see it, you know, on all the funding.

So I think many people would like that funding, but it’s not that available. And it’s difficult if you’re not claiming any kind of benefits or on the register and you’re trying to make a go of it without being dependent on the state. It’s tricky. It is hard and you do need multiple income streams.

It just is what it is. Yeah. I think many of us are looking for ways to collaborate with others. So I recently joined the West Cork Collective. Which is in Ballinaspittle and we have 17 retail artists and makers who share in the collective rent there. We have an artist base with associates members and more and more I’m hearing of artists saying, we need space.

Absolutely. We need somewhere to paint. We need studio space. I hear it from the likes of the people in Creative Bandon. Everywhere I go in Kinsale, when I meet up with the artists on Kinsale Arts Weekend, it’s exactly the same thing. We need studio space and I think there’s a real call for specifically here in sort of West Cork, specifically in the Kinsale/Bandon area, that if there’s a patron out there that is keen to sponsor some space, we are so desperate to put a group of professional visual artists together to have a practicing art studio. So that, that I think would be on the wishlist. And I think with, you know, my business background, I’d be very happy to run it and coordinate it. Yeah. And to get a space where we could all create and run workshops and be able to encourage people to be creative and to support their creative arts practices.

[00:22:41] Geraldine Hennessy: I know when we recently had a podcast with Clonakilty Community Art Center.

[00:22:45] Emma Jacobs: Yes.

[00:22:46] Geraldine Hennessy: And they were spoke about that. About that need to have a studio space and how important it is. For other artists to connect with each other and for their art to be able to have a space that’s can be displayed in a space and the importance for the local community to have that in the areas.

It’s so important. So I can understand why Kinsale or Bandon, they could also do with a space like that because the one in Clonakilty is at threat now because the premise is up for sale. So they’re in that very vulnerable state.

[00:23:18] Emma Jacobs: So, and I listened to the podcast. I heard it, and we all resonate with it.

So yes, we, you know, I’m a member of Sample Studios and that’s in the city, but specifically in Kinsale/Bandon, there’s nothing and there’s a constant call for it. And it, it’s a challenge. And unfortunately, artists are notoriously poor. There is a perception that original art is too expensive and people want to buy prints.

It isn’t necessarily that expensive. If you’re buying direct from the artist or you’re using local galleries that support local artists. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be affordable. And the reality is, if there is that collective space, it builds that sense of community and it builds that sense of entrepreneurship and allows people to develop skills within the group from each other. So if I’m really good at business and entrepreneurship. You’re really good at digital skills and she’s really good at teaching. We can collectively grow our skills in a synergistic way.

[00:24:16] Geraldine Hennessy: And do you think local communities need to get more supportive of local artists, maybe buying more local artists work?

Is that kind of an important part of it?

[00:24:27] Emma Jacobs: Absolutely. So. If you have a choice between buying a piece of mass produced art versus buying a piece of art that a local artist has painted here in Ireland, why would you not? If you can’t afford a big one, buy a small one. Yeah. If you…And many artists are very open to doing commissions.

They’re open to coming to your…I, I come to people’s homes. I come and consult with them on size, on the type of shape, whether it’s portrait or landscape. I advise people what’s going to look best, so they get something really bespoke individual and unique to them. And to their environment. And it means so much more because they’ve journeyed with you, the artist.

And there’s a story behind it. Yeah. And people most certainly do buy into stories.

If people meet me and we get chatting and they hear a little bit about the story, it intrigues them. They’re like, what’s with this 55-year-old woman who’s now gone out on her own? And has, you know, left her job to do this.

You know, that’s, wow. Okay. Let’s listen a bit more. And if you buy into that art, you’re supporting that person and their journey. And that in itself inspires somebody else potentially to take that journey. Or even the people who are buying the art might say, well, you know what? You started an oil painting for beginner’s class at 46.

Maybe I could do that too. Yeah. Now that’s not a punt for my art classes at all. But you know what it does? It’s just…it becomes self-feeding. Yeah. And people get inspired by the process. They get inspired by the journey. They wanna be part of the journey. They wanna be part of my story, and by me being in their homes, I become part of theirs.

Some of my collectors have got 9, 10 pieces already. Yeah. Yeah. It’s just it’s amazing.

[00:26:14] Geraldine Hennessy:. It’s great. Amazing. Yeah, absolutely. And alongside your busy art career, you also serve on the board of EIL Intercultural Learning and a tutor for Cork Education and Training Board. What drives this commitment to volunteer work and community involvement?

[00:26:31] Emma Jacobs: So there’s two key elements to that. The one is civic responsibility. I think we all have a role to be part of making our community better. Now, EIL Intercultural learning has a partnership with a group called AFS and I was an AFS Exchange student as an 18, 19-year-old from South Africa to Luxembourg.

And it took them 35 years to hunt me down and find me. I found out about EIL, Ireland by accident in Basel, in Switzerland of all places. Yeah. I approached them to see if they would be interested in me volunteering and they were looking for board directors. And the other common element linked to civic responsibility is my belief in leadership.

And enhancing leadership skills. So when I was working with Deloitte many years ago, I was a master trainer dealing in leadership skills specifically. So my role as a board director is a leadership role linked to my community responsibility. And my role at Cork ETB, I work on the Skills to Advance program.

So that is specifically growing leadership skills. I’ve just completed a program that was designed for the hospitality sector. So after 23 years of working in hospitality, I feel I have a responsibility to help grow the next round of leaders in the industry. And whether that’s growing leadership skills.

In social enterprise, like EIL, intercultural learning, or on a public workshop for cork, ETB, it’s growing people skills. And inherently, that’s what we all are working on. Our art speaks to other people. It communicates a message and it gives a sense of purpose and a sense of meaning to people’s lives.

And if you can be part of people’s journey in all of that. What a trifecta.

[00:28:25] Geraldine Hennessy: Exactly. Yeah. Looking back at your journey, what’s the core drive that keeps you creating and evolving to this day?

[00:28:34] Emma Jacobs: I look at these paintings at the end and I go, I can’t believe I can do that. It’s great. So cool. Like, what did I even figure this out?

Yeah. So in, in 2009, I picked up some paint brushes. It was so bad. It was really just, I looked, I can’t believe that it was really bad. It was so bad. I put the paint brushes down and started karate with my kids and did that for the next eight years. But I just, you know, it’s a learned skill. And if you learn how to do oil painting, you know the rules. And while I’m an extrovert type of person. I do believe that society and life and relationships and art all have rules. Once you know what the rules are, you can colour within the lines or without the lines, or go over the lines or make new lines, break the rules.

But if you know what the parameters are, you can then push boundaries and you can play with it. So I. The biggest part of the journey has been figuring out how does it all work? How do these things work? Like when we started the B&Bs, simple things like, where do I get the little soaps from?

You know, like, how do I actually do this? I knew nothing about running B&Bs when I started. Yeah. And I think the trick in life is to be as generous as you can with your knowledge and your experience. I mean, when we had the B&Bs I used to invite other B&B owners all the time to come and have a tea and a tour, and people always commented, you’re so generous with your knowledge.

And I believe if you help other people, whether that’s in hospitality or in art, to be better at their craft or better in their role, you’re rising the tide and it’s better for everybody. If the quality of the art is better, if the quality of the way we present our art is better, if the quality of the way we run our art businesses is better, that’s good for all of us.

So I believe in both mentoring and being a mentee. I’ve been very fortunate here. The local enterprise office are amazing with their mentorship programs. I’ve done mentorship with both Meabh Ring and with Anna Healy, the current president of Network Ireland West Cork. So I’m really blessed with that and I’m not scared to ask for help whenever I need it.

And I think being humble enough to understand where you do have gaps. I mean, Belbin says we all have our strengths and our acceptable weaknesses. I understand that there are weaknesses I have. If you don’t have a skillset, marry it. Which is why I married an accountant, a very supportive and wonderful accountant.

So yeah, I think it’s important to help each other, and I think that’s part of life’s journey. And if we are intersecting at different points, connecting the dots then becomes our way to help others along and for them to help us.

[00:31:21] Geraldine Hennessy: So what’s been the most rewarding aspect of it?

[00:31:24] Emma Jacobs: The connection with people.

I was commissioned to do a massive painting. It was 1.5 x 2 meters by one of our clients in our B&B. He was an engineer and he loved to travel internationally from South Africa to go to rave parties. He would like literally jump on a plane and go off to Amsterdam or Budapest or wherever and or he’d go to these massive raves and come back.

And he had a posse of friends that would go to these things with him either in South Africa or internationally, and he commissioned me to do this massive painting. I think there were 12 of them, all in all, and they were all in their rave gear and like sort of think cosplay, like this was a fantastical, incredible big painting.

But the journey with him and the banter and the fun is just incredible. Working at the moment with this 50th birthday present, co-conspiring with the wife and the sister, and dropping it off with the mommy on the way home. Yeah. From this podcast interview today is just that to me gives me a huge kick.

And when people see their own portrait or they see their own, you know, whatever is special to them, that really is amazing and that means something to them. And you will always be part of their lives ’cause it will sit there reminding you of them. And that happy memory stays with you.

[00:32:46] Geraldine Hennessy: Absolutely. And what are the big ambitions or dream projects that are fueling your passion and vision for the future of your art?

[00:32:56] Emma Jacobs: Up until now, I’ve been really focused on landscapes, seascapes, sort of a lot of Irish scenery. And I want to kind of move that a little bit towards Irish portraiture.

Okay. And we were mentioning, while we were chatting before the podcast, I have a particular interest in what has been termed, I think the new Irish. So people that are naturalizing as Irish citizens. I think it’s fascinating, of course, being the child of an Irish and Welsh immigrant who came to South Africa’s children. We grew up as immigrants children.

We’ve come back as Irish South Africans, being almost foreigners- Irish, but not.

Yeah. And I think there’s a whole body of work. I think, we’ll call it Irish, but not, and with the naturalization ceremonies that are happening, my husband is going through his naturalization process at the moment, and I think it’s really interesting looking at all the different nationalities who are naturalizing as Irish citizens, and of the 191,000 people that naturalized since the citizenship ceremonies came into place in 2011.

It’s really interesting. That’s 140 different countries. And it fascinates me. Who’s in the top 10? Well, I know who’s in the top 10 and I’d like to paint a representative from each of those top 10 countries. Yeah. South Africa’s number seven India number one, UK number two in Brazil, number three, just as a teaser campaign to what this body of work is going to look like.

So I think that’s really cool. There is a perception amongst the Irish community that I’ve been talking to that they wouldn’t necessarily want a portrait of somebody else in their home. And that wasn’t a thing in South Africa. You know, if I painted a beautiful Zulu Chembo man in the local supermarket, I stopped him and said, please, may I take a photo?

I would love to paint you, that would sell. If I had a beautiful waitress with a huge afro. Yeah. And she was stunning. I mean, this meter by meter portrait would go live with the chief operating officer of a major bank. It was not uncommon for portraits to be sold easily. Whereas there is a bit of resistance I feel in the Irish community, so I’ve stayed a bit clearer of it, you know, while I’m building my footprint.

But I really want to paint these big paintings. Yeah. Irish citizens. “Irish but Not”

[00:35:17] Geraldine Hennessy: A good one. That’s a good name. Exactly. And drawing on your diverse experience of reinvention and building your art business in Ireland. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to fellow creative entrepreneurs?

[00:35:31] Emma Jacobs: Don’t be scared of the business side.

Don’t be scared of the people side. Focus on building relationships with suppliers. I think people underestimate that. I try as much as possible to use local suppliers, so my printer for my fine art prints is here in Clonakilty, Strand Framing. I try as much as possible to source supplies within my own pond.

So if I’m looking for somebody to help me with digital marketing, for example, I will specifically go and fish in the Network Cork or Network West Cork pond, because that helps me to support other members of the community that I’m networking within. And I think if people want to take themselves seriously as artists or take themselves seriously as any kind of business person, you need to track what you’re doing. You need to keep record of what you’re producing, how much it costs, how much you’re making, and keep a record of what you’ve done so that when you start reaping the benefits of it, you can see it. It’s a little bit like deciding to lose 10 kilograms. You know, you don’t notice the little weight loss as it goes along.

But somebody who hasn’t seen you in eight months goes, holy cow. What happened to you? Yeah. Yeah. It’s the same with an artistic journey. It’s incremental. You plant so many seeds, some of them just die, but many of them are starting to flourish, and now you’re starting to reap the benefit. And a year down the line, now I’ve being a full-time professional artist.

Exhibitions, artist in Residence, Cork Creative podcast. The list goes on. I’ve had so much press coverage. It’s just, I mean, I had something in the Echo recently. The “My Weekend” feature. It’s a full page. Yeah. I mean, I’m just a little South African artist. Yeah. To move to Ireland four years ago. So, but it shows that if you determined and you have tenacity and grit.

You can succeed. And I think that’s important for everyone to realize they can all succeed. It doesn’t matter how good or strong you are, it’s about persevering and being consistent. I think those would be my key lessons.

[00:37:40] Geraldine Hennessy: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much Emma, for joining us on the podcast. You have been an inspiration.

If you want to learn more about Emma and her work, you can find links to her website and socials on corkcreative.ie

[00:37:53] Emma Jacobs: Thank you so much.

[00:37:54] Geraldine Hennessy: Great.