Despite earning a fine arts degree in 2006, it wasn’t until 2021 that Jackie Zimmerman began considering herself a real artist. It took many years of bad drawings and lots failed experiments to finally find her home in the art world. Now Jackie creates vibrant abstract alcohol ink paintings with simple goals in mind — to have fun and to make stuff that feels good. Her creative renaissance has led to new mediums and techniques but it all comes back to the idea of rediscovering how to play and to find enjoyment in what she does.

While finishing up that art degree, Jackie was diagnosed with back-to-back chronic illnesses in her 20s. Seeking help, she turned to the internet to find a way to cope and build a support system. Blogging became the outlet she found and she quickly realized that she wasn’t the only one benefiting from her stories. Jackie became a professional blogger and public speaker and later formed a nonprofit to uplift women living with Inflammatory Bowel disease.