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The Art of Michèle Jubilee
December 2, 2024, in Images > Visual Arts, by Sonjel VreelandI find that there’s nothing that brings me joy like a splash of colour and the art of Michèle Jubilee delivers! In this interview, we weave images of Michèle’s art with her words about what inspires her, her encouragement to other creatives and her thoughts about the role of art in building community. We hope you enjoy this visual and written conversation of sorts!
Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Michèle Jubilee and I’m a multidisciplinary artist currently living in San Diego, California. I was born in Montréal, Canada, and grew up in San Francisco, California. My love of art was nurtured from a young age; through attending a performing arts school, the colour and whimsy of the city of San Francisco, the ancient beauty of the pacific ocean and the redwood forests of the West Coast, the creative examples set by many family members pursuing arts professionally, visiting local museums with my grandmother, taking walks with my parents through Golden Gate Park, and spending hours drawing in my room.
I have a BFA in both Art History and Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and have worked for arts organizations in both Canada and the US, where I’ve been immersed in the fields of museum studies, curation, arts education and public programming. My art practice extends to my work in arts education and interpretation, where I’ve been able to tangibly explore themes of social justice, youth empowerment, healing, cultural revitalization, and community building through programs and exhibitions. My goal is to inspire others to connect with their own creativity, feel a sense of belonging, and engage with meaningful ideas.
I’m grateful to my parents for giving me the name Jubilee, a clever and loving combination of the names of my beloved maternal grandparents Judith and Bill (William) Hatcher, who both nurtured our family spiritually and artistically in such profound ways. As a word, Jubilee embodies joyful celebration, and as a name, it reminds me of what I hope my art can do, bring joy.
Could you please tell us a little bit about your art and the media you use?
I make art about the body and the soul, our relationships to ourselves and each other, and our unique journeys of growth as human beings. I explore these themes through symbols like the human body and nature, and in many mediums. Sometimes I just doodle because it makes me happy! I hope that my work offers others a chance to pause, look inward, reflect, and feel energized. My favorite mediums are watercolor, ink and gouache on paper, but lately I’ve been immersing myself in digital illustration to learn more about it.
I’m deeply inspired by the use of symbolism and metaphor of the human body and nature in the Baha’i Writings to convey spiritual concepts of oneness, growth and love. The human body in my art often represents the spirit, the self or the ego, home, our collective shared human experience, and humanity as “one soul” and “one body”.
“Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body”. – Baha’u’llah
The floral symbolism in my work feels like an exploration of spiritual springtime, internal emotional growth, and transformation of mind and heart. I find that nature is what flows most naturally out of my pen when I sit down to draw, the forms themselves are fluid, healing and meditative to lean into. Colour and plants bring me joy, so using both in my art feels like an escape from the heaviness that the world can hold. How special it is that the Baha’i Writings are filled with such beauty and imagery for our hearts to take inspiration from.
“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.” – Baha’u’llah
“In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love…” – Baha’u’llah
Symbols and art can help us articulate the feelings of navigating being a spiritual being in a human body; the discomfort, the contradictions, the beauty, and the collectiveness of the experience. I find myself using art as an illustrative language to articulate what might be on my heart, mind, or soul, and to dive deeper into spiritual concepts that the Baha’i Writings give us insight into.
But sometimes it’s really not that serious, and it’s just about drawing the things that bring me joy, like one of my favourite snacks, Montréal bagels, another incredibly important part of the human experience.
What inspires you to create?
At the core I’ve always loved to make art; it has been a calling, a safe place, a meditative escape. The Baha’i Writings unlock my mind and open my heart. When I read the Writings, my head and heart became filled with flowing visual ideas inspired by the beautiful imagery in the words that I read. I’ve been emboldened to pursue arts due to the way that the Writings emphasize the importance of the arts as a path of service.
Studying art history also solidified my decision to pursue art. Something clicked for me in my first art history class in university, and I realized that art encompasses everything. It is a map of human history, our spiritual and material heritage. It’s a lens that we can use to understand humanity’s growth over time, and a document to reflect on our shared histories and experiences. Artists tell stories, and reflect the soul of the world across cultures. How exciting is that??
My favourite art movement is definitely impressionism, because it encompasses a turning point in the mid 1800s, a reenergizing of artistic inspiration. Ever since childhood I’ve been moved by Impressionist artists that reframed explorations of colour, movement, lines and form.
During my time studying in Vancouver, Canada, I had the gift of learning about Indigenous arts and cultures of the Northwest Coast, which deeply informed and expanded my worldview; reframing Western perspectives, decolonizing narrow views of the role of art as something just to hang on the wall, but rather as something spiritual and living. I fell in love with Indigenous Formline design, the spirit and energy it holds. In many spaces and conversations I was able to experience the power of arts and art making as healing, cultural resilience, and living heritage.
I was left with a deep appreciation that creativity is a spiritual gift we all can wield, and that we have a responsibility in how we use our voices and the stories we tell.
What is some advice you’d give to anyone pursuing creative work?
Take an art history course! Immerse yourself in your local art scene; visit museums, festivals, and markets. Take walks in search of beauty. Fill your cup up with inspiration and new ways of seeing the world. Try many different mediums, as they are each distinct languages with different personalities. Strive for excellence in your medium of choice, learn all you can about it. Network! Reach out to local artists. Create joyful spaces to make art with friends and family.
Be mindful about the content you consume and the energy you give. Everyone, but artists especially, should be mindful to safeguard their mental peace and creative energy. We absorb a LOT. Often we can absorb so much of what’s happening around us, especially online, that it can drain our energy. Art can be a way to channel and process amidst such chaos. Also, I highly recommend reading the book The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin.
Artists are often full of ideas, and it can be hard to start or finish projects when you feel you are bursting with so many and don’t know where to begin. Try creating without a plan. Trust your hands and see what emerges when you let it flow, or “doodle”. There might be a hidden message, a style, a symbol, a pattern that you discover you want to spend more time with, expand on, or zoom into.
It takes a unique determination, perseverance and labor of love to pursue arts in the world as it is today. Pursuing the arts is a way of moving through life, an opportunity to find beauty everywhere and help others find it. Your labour is sacred and it is important. It is a gift for the individual and the collective, and we all should celebrate, honour and safeguard it.
What role do you think art plays in building communities?
Art is like a glue, a bridge, a window, a foundation, that can bind people’s hearts. It brings people together; as an audience, as collaborators, as friends. Art carries the heart of humanity, the joy and the pain. It offers us a chance to come back to our center, find our similarities, and be present in the moment, appreciating all that came before us.
It is a way to tell our story, and an opportunity to listen to each other. Art can help us see in new ways; see ourselves, see others, see more deeply, see differently. Making art can teach us so many things; patience, detachment, focus and love. All arts offer unique ways of learning, seeing, and expressing that blend our physicality with mindful introspection which can take the soul somewhere higher. It is a language that melts together our spiritual and material experiences.
Art can be a doorway we walk through together. It is maybe one of the most tangible ways to make the world a more beautiful place to be for everyone.
Thank you so much, Michèle, for taking the time to share this with us!
Follow Michèle Jubilee on Instagram or visit her website to see her incredible art!
Posted by
Sonjel Vreeland
In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.
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