Soulspeak & Sawdust began a journey for artist owner, Jennifer Long, in 2015. With just a few tools, old broken pallet wood & a paint brush, she quickly found her love for the smell of fresh sawdust. Along with it, she discovered what she had felt was missing for so long...creative expression.
Always drawn to deeper meanings or inspiration found in photographs, songs, paintings & nature, Jennifer felt her need to be creative sprung from her soul. She was born into a family filled with immense creativity & entrepreneurship. Jennifer had experimented in writing, photography, drawing, painting and music her whole life, so starting a business that allowed her to create seemed like a natural thing to do.
As Soulspeak & Sawdust grew from farmers markets to craft fairs and online sales, a part time hobby became a full-time business that supported her and her four children. As an occasional sale to family and friends became shipping wood signs to customers all over the world, the twinge of “something’s missing” she had felt for years disappeared and was replaced with a sense of purpose and peace. Her greatest pleasure was designing fresh ideas and making customized, personal signs that would be treasured for years to come. As a single mom and only “employee”, Jennifer worked many long days to design, build, paint and ship each sign while maintaining family life.
When personal chronic illness threatened to close Soulspeak & Sawdust several years later, Jennifer stepped back, regrouped, and once again focusing on what she loved most...speaking from the soul with art. She found a new way to express herself, using what she knew (wood) and what she had (paint and a never-ending desire to expand her creativity).
Now, along with typographic sign wall decor, Jennifer offers hand painted art incorporated into her sign designs and other artwork that reflects her perfectly imperfect style. Jennifer is a self-taught artist who believes that God has given her the gift of creativity & her soul will always strive to follow the path He has prepared for her. Her greatest hope is that others will find peace, joy and inspiration in her work. Her strongest belief is that she will find, within her artwork, the ability to once again do what she loves full time.
