Jena (pronounced “jee-nuh”) Holliday creates uplifting illustrations that aim at encouraging and inspiring women to use what she calls their “God-given gifts.” A midwest-born graphic artist, illustrator, wife and mother of two, her mixed-media illustrations are inspired by the diversity of people, love of botanical elements, motherhood, and faith in everyday life.
Although she’s created from a young age, her path to illustration isn’t traditional as she had a career in marketing before painting. “From a young age, I would sketch comic strips and draw people,” she shared with Freelance Wisdom.
“I never took it too seriously until after I finished college with a degree in marketing. I decided that I wasn’t really doing what I loved to do, and then after the birth of my first child, I got an insane passion to go for what I always dreamed of. Art started taking root again in my heart and I started sketching illustrations and sharing them online.”
After sharing her work, projects started coming in. “At a really wild time, I was pregnant with my second child, I decided to take the leap to freelance and it’s been a thrilling, fulfilling, and adventurous ride,” she says. “From there I’ve seen the need in the market for women, especially mothers, to be encouraged in being creative.”
Based in Minneapolis, in 2019 Holliday received the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant which was a great opportunity for her to showcase her work in the Minnesota community. Her online persona is also steadily growing, and with more than 11k fans on Instagram – people are clearly taking note.
Follow her inspiring journey.
