Artist & Founder of Chronically Clever
Hello my art loving friends!
I’m Jess Albert and I’ve been playing with art since I was about five or six years old.
So it didn’t take me long after high school to decide to get my Bachelors of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montreal.
Unfortunately only a couple years after graduation I developed a rare migraine condition called New Daily Persistent Headaches (NDPH). Which basically means a headache/migraine hits you out of the blue one day and never goes away, it’s there when you wake up, while you sleep… always.
Initially, before I knew what I was dealing with, I lived many years in a cave of darkness with audiobooks as my best friends. Finally, in year four, I got that diagnosis of NDPH and while there’s no known cure, medication brought the pain levels down to an actual functioning degree, for most days that is.
I slowly started creating little crafts to pass the time and would often make greeting cards for my friends and family.
Fortunately, in the last couple years, I’ve been able to create a bit more steadily. I’ve learned how to follow my energy levels and find the best ways to foster inspiration and creativity.
I find when I get inspired by a new creation, I can set aside my pain for a little while and just get lost in the art. The pain may come back with a vengeance but it’s usually worth the reprieve.
I especially love working with watercolours, pencil crayons and ink mostly, as it gives me the most control and I love how the colours pop and blend perfectly.
My love of art is boundless but unfortunately, due to this lifelong condition, it’s taken some time to get back into a flow of creating again. This has been, and continues to be, a very slow labour of love.
I hope you’ll enjoy visiting Chronically Clever and thanks for supporting vulnerable local artists wherever you are.
Then and Now
While I may have started this journey with printed and digital greeting cards, I’ve gone on to create much more, including bookmarks, stickers, symptom trackers, colouring pages and coming soon printable art! Check them out.
Beautiful artwork, high quality card and perfect shipping. Will definitely buy from the shop again!
Pamela