Jessica Pleur - Printler

“I like art that is weird, a bit ugly and imperfect so I guess that’s one thing that inspires me.”

Stockholm based, multidisciplinary artist Jessica Pleur works mainly with markers on paper, and describes her own style as naive and bad art-inspired. Most of her artworks contain text, often stuff she herself needs to hear. Ego boosting, explicit, punchy stuff that we most definitely ALL need to hear, say and see.

Tell us about yourself, who are you?

I am a multidisciplinary Stockholm based artist, mainly working with markers on paper in a naive and sort of bad art-inspired manner. I didn’t go to art school (I’ve studied copywriting and literature) so I definitely have loads of imposter syndrome going on but I’m just trying to ignore that! Often I use text in my works, both stuff that I come up with but also various modern proverbs that speak to me. I recently had a book published with some of my drawings. I also write fiction/poetry stuff, make AI-art, ceramics etc.

What are your artistic influences?

I tend to sort of surround myself with constant artsy inspiration through Pinterest, Instagram, fanzines, artbooks, fiction, poetry, music etc. Which means that I have so many different artistic influences and it’s impossible to choose just a few! But generally I do like the text element in art. And I like it when art gets to be messy and weird. And colorful.

Also my creative heroes are so important for me and always have been. I think that they inspire me by always doing their thing. Like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain and Johnny Depp for example but also a bunch of Swedish artists and writers. I like the quote “You write with your hand but it’s Rimbaud’s arm” as a metaphor for how influenced we all are by history’s artists and writers and that there’s no shame in that.

What inspired you to start working with art?

I’ve always been creating and since I was very young I wanted to write fiction. I did get a novel published in Sweden years ago and then for some reason I lost focus on writing for a long time. However I’ve recently started to slowly find my way back to it, which feels exciting. As for the drawings I started doing them in my kitchen one day like ten years ago and then just never stopped after that. Then one thing led to

another. I started posting some of my stuff on a Facebook-page, people liked it, I continued and it gradually found its’ way to more people. I’m so grateful for that and I feel so humble to be able to work with this even though I didn’t go to art school or learn how to draw “properly”. It’s all about keep on keeping on I guess.

“For me, creating is much more about giving myself time to do it, rather than waiting for inspiration.”

What inspires your expression?

I like art that is weird, a bit ugly and imperfect so I guess that’s one thing that inspires me. I’ve been drawn to maximalism and using lots of colors but lately I’ve been onto a different track so we’ll see where that lands. I like the idea of never having to choose one style and sticking to it, but rather being open to reinventing your expression and allowing yourself to change. When it comes to the text part of my art, many of them are stuff I myself need to hear. Like I probably wasn’t as annoying as I thought in this or that social interaction. Or maybe I was but it still doesn’t matter that much because we all just do the best we can. Or: It’s okay that your home is a bit messy because who cares, really?

What does a day in your life look like?

It can look very different from day to day and right now I’m working on new routines with the purpose of prioritizing actual writing and art making, rather than getting stuck in a loop of only administration. My plan is to start off the day with a walk or workout after breakfast. Then go to my studio and write, draw, make ceramics or something else until lunch with quite clear structure in between sessions to focus the brain. Then after lunch I’ll make space for some necessary admin work, text editing, content making, communicating with costumers etc. But I like that there’s always room for improving those aspects and I love hearing about how other creatives do it.

Can you tell the specific story behind one or some of your motifs?

Well, for some reason I started drawing loads of flowers early 2022. I didn’t think much more about that. Later that year me and my ex were on our way to Copenhagen for vacation. I was bored on the train and started experimenting with those flower motifs and art poster-inspired designs on my phone. I posted them on my Instagram the same day and people just seemed to really like them. So that was the start for my print series Fleur de la Pleur!

Wanna add something? :)

Someone will always hate your work if you’re onto something original. Someone will always be provoked by the fact that you’re taking up space. Ignore them and your inner critic and just go for it. Life is short, death is certain etc. At least that’s what I’m trying to think of when I get stuck in self-doubt.