What’s going on, go ahead and introduce yourself
What’s good! My name is Jacolyn Carrasco most know me by- JUICY JACKIE. That name actually came about sophomore year in highschool- I had this cool English teacher that liked to sing a lot & he made us come up with nickname- I’ve been riding with JUICY JACKIE since. I’ve been in the entertainment field for about 5 years now. I love music and I love art, ALOT.
How was life like growing up?
Crazy. I come from a very Hispanic family; lots of people- very loud, hecka fun! We moved around a lot. I spent most of my time in Cicero. I was born in Humboldt Park and have some family in Pilsen so we’d frequently visit. I was teased for a while for who I was, my appearance and how I spoke. I remember that was a big issue for me but I always would stand up for myself, I literally thought I was the green Powerpuff girl. I was a big trouble maker.
My favorite memory about growing up is how I would ride my bike around & listen to my Cd player.
When did you first start finding an appreciation for Art?
From a very young age music already had a big place in my heart. I sang anytime I got the chance; choir; restaurants and even school musicals. My family is very old school so Motown was my first love. HipHop, Spanish music,rock and oldies were all I listened to. 2nd grade was when I really got into art; my classmates & I would always fight about who the best artist was. Although I knew my drawings were shit- I still argued I had the best one.I was just always the last one staring at the details- tilting my head a million different ways to see something I didn’t the first time. Asking questions, intrigued, inspired- I’m still that way to this day. I’ve always stopped to appreciate things.
Did modeling help you make a lot of connections here throughout the city?
Absolutely! I’ve met so many cool people through modeling, I can’t even believe it because I never signed. I had the chance; twice, but I didn’t. I model here & there now. To me modeling was about connecting to art.. My space in art. I stopped singing and wasn’t a very great artist. I was still acting- I still am. Modeling is fun though, there’s so much work that goes into a shoot. It’s so many artists gathering together for a bigger picture, I appreciate being a part of that.
Who were some of the companies you were able to model for?
I’ve done some work for some Chicago brands such as Leaders & Jugrnaut. I’ve done music videos. I’ve done lifestyle shoots, I’ve modeled for some small Chicago boutiques. I even did a commercial with McDonald’s, my resume is cool. BUT My favorite modeling gigs were my body painting modeling. I’ve done a bunch of those. It was beautiful watching a masterpiece unfold right on my body. The creative shoots were always my favorite.
On top of modeling you write for Chicago blog Pursuit of Dopeness, how did you get this position?
Pursuit of Dopeness is family. I’ve been writing there for a year n a half. It developed over twitter; I followed them because the blog actually supported artists- I tweet about music all day & night so soon after one of the dudes that founded POD- Oscar; reached out like “Yo! You really like music. Wanna Write?” and of course I was down. It’s been awesome working with the team here. We all really do love music. We don’t have any hidden agendas, we don’t want money; we don’t want to be Complex- we just do our own thing. We just want to enjoy music- play our part- and support. You don’t see anybody doing that no more lol
Currently you are trying to put together a Woman’s support group here in Chicago. Explain the reasoning behind that
I love being a Woman. It’s beautiful. It comes with it’s trials & tribulations; who better to share that with than other women?? It’s too often that women don’t support each other. If we all had somewhere to go to- to talk- listen- support, we could all really learn from each other. This is something I’d really love to do at some point in my life- if it’s not now.
You said reading is one of your favorite hobbies, what are some good books you could recommend to those reading this?
I love reading!!! I learned Spanish first & then I learned English- so it took me awhile to learn how to read. Once I knew how; it was beautiful… it was really like a scene out of a movie for me. I remember the first book I finished without difficulty was “Because of Winn-Dixie” so that book will always be close to my heart. After that, I completely fell in love with Harry Potter.
Some of my favorites are
“The Alchemist.” (duh)
“The Five People you Meet in Heaven.”
“The Art of Power”
‘Anatomies,’ by Hugh Aldersey-Williams- which was actually one of my college books but fuck it was so good.
Talk to us about For The Creatives.
YESSSSS!!!! THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE THING TO TALK ABOUT :’) So For The Creatives was brewing for a long time for me. It was always something I wanted to do; Something I wanted other people to do – Something I thought needed to be done. The art community is so cliquey & can be so unsupportive. I knew that anyway I made a name for myself- if it was blogging, acting, modeling- I was always going to reach out to the underdog. I was always going to support, show love & put on for anyone with love & passion. I fell in love with my boyfriends art before I fell in love with him- when I got with him he really inspired me. I kinda saw how he felt like he had no outlet- and I said- FUCK THAT let’s make our own. For The Creatives stands for the artist. You don’t have to have the most twitter followers, you don’t have to know every other artist in town, you just have to love what you do. I want the artists to know they are good enough even if the internet doesn’t fucking notice it. It’s a community, a collective, somewhere to be free, somewhere to really appreciate art. I’m looking forward to expanding For The Creatives, collaborating with some cool brands & artists,and hitting new cities. I’d also really love to get involved with schools- young kids- those kids that are taught that they’ll never make a living if they become an “artist” lol. I just want people to walk into a For The Creatives gallery feel love… and to actually sit there.. Look & appreciate those fucking pieces.
How do you select the artists for each show you put on?
There’s no certain angle I got about it to be honest. I guess it just comes down to the fact that there’s something I really appreciated about the artist & their work.
You have now thrown 2 shows this year already. How did both of those shows go for you?
3 actually! One in California, two in Chicago. Mannnnnnnn! Mind Blowing- I really didn’t expect it because.. Who the fuck am I? What the fuck do I know about art? I mean I’ve been taking art classes since high school & college but Why should anyone trust me with art? Lol That’s the way I thought about it, that’s what made me scared. Once I did the first show- I was like “Man I found it, what I’ve always longed for, my thing, what I do, How I make the art world better.”
The response was breathe taking- I went from admiring Hebru Brantley pieces on the street to talking to him at a show I curated. How the gallery looked.. The feedback.. The vibes… the art and the artists.. I was like “Damn I helped put this together??”
Could we be expecting a third show to finish the year?
I’m really not sure. I might, I want to.. We’ll see 😉
Who are some of your favorite artists here in Chicago?
Okay hardest question ever… especially bc I don’t have just one.. Like I mentioned.. I like Hebru Brantley’s work. I’m in love with Xack Leard’s work. Glenda Lissette has some of the most beautiful work I’ve ever seen. Bryant Giles is so dope. Bear Champ is an OG. Kawaii Suga, Marco Miller.. There’s so much talent here.. I could keep going.. But i doubt anyone wants that. I also really fuck with the graff on the streets; I don’t personally write or am part of any crew or anything but those are artists too. I peep it all, the crews, the names, the spots, their styles, I fuck with it tough.
What’s one piece of advice you can give to up and coming artists?
Don’t ever stop, never take no for an answer, Spread love like it’s butter, Support people just for the fuck of it, & don’t ever knock someone’s hustle.
Chicago Creatives 