Meet Jennifer Nestor with Canvas Rebel

Feb 5

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Nestor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I have always done creative work, even during my Marketing and Communications career, but I do wish I had went through the publishing process sooner and released my writing years ago instead of letting the fear of failure or criticism stop me.

Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Jennifer Nestor and I currently live in Saint Augustine, Florida. I have a Graduate degree in Communications from SNHU and a concentration in New Media Marketing. I’ve been in the field for over eleven years, and recently decided to self-publish my first children’s picture book, “Jane Escapes to the Jungle of Individuality.” Writing has always been something I’ve been passionate about, and I’m proud to finally say that my book is released into the world. I think what sets me apart from others in this industry is the marketing background I have, in addition to the well-rounded communication skills where I understand that all facets of marketing help a business become successful. Instead of just doing events, or online marketing, a combination of omni-channel efforts will ensure that your business has more brand visibility locally, and potentially on a more national level.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the way I am able to see the full picture, instead of what’s right in front of me. I think more strategically on the big picture when writing. For example, instead of just writing down the manuscript for my first picture book, I was heavily involved in setting the scenes, thinking about what the characters should look like, and collaborating on creative feedback for every minor detail, as well as the major ones. That has been an incredible journey. I’ve also played a huge role in developing the plushies, Jane backpacks, stickers, posters, marketing materials, and other swag items to help market the book, and I love getting to drive that creativity.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have recently made a pivot in my career. I decided that healthcare tech was no longer something that I wanted to do full-time, and decided to take a pause and focus on promoting my children’s book while looking for the right role that brings me more joy. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, especially since the financial aspect was scary, but I felt prepared and made a plan so that I could be in the right position to take the break I needed to recenter and focus my energy on what was making me truly feel fulfilled.

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