Episode 14: Floating Islands and Taking Your Whimsy Seriously with Jess Dunn

Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun

In this imaginative and deeply grounding episode of Crafted Connections, I chat with the wildly creative and delightfully curious Jess Dunn—an artist working in animation, set design, painting, film, you name it. Jess shares her winding path through art school, entrepreneurship, and a wild experience that was living on a floating island as part of an immersive museum installation.

From early days of drawing with her parents to co-founding the creative studio BrainTwins, Jess has consistently made brave choices in favor of an artful life. We talk about what it means to take your art seriously, the challenges of balancing creativity with capitalism, and why community collaboration is often the secret ingredient to making something bigger than yourself.

Whether she’s making longterm time-lapse videos in a cemetery or teaching students how to step back from their work to see the big picture, Jess brings both wonder and wisdom to her creative process. This conversation is a love letter to curiosity, mentorship, and trusting the slow build of a meaningful career.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🎨 Jess’s multi-medium approach to animation, performance, and visual art
 🌿 The art of community collaboration (and resisting hyper-independence)
 🏝 Her experience living on a floating fiberglass island in a lake as a public art experiment
 💡 Building BrainTwins, pitching to Netflix, and returning to individual creative projects
 🪦 How her Crown Hill Cemetery residency is blending art, nature, and time-lapse photography
 🔥 The beauty of fake-it-’til-you-make-it moments—and how to hold your creative vision through them

You Can Find Jess:
🌐 Website: www.sesseka.com
📸 Instagram: @sesseka
📬 Substack: Jess Dunn's Substack

Need Help Clarifying Your Story?

Story Strategy Sessions are designed to help you uncover your narrative, refine your messaging, and build a visibility strategy that actually feels like you.

🎥 Book your session and use code PODCAST for 25% off:
https://katelyncalhoun.as.me/story-strategy-session

Join the Conversation

📲 Instagram: @CraftedConnectionsPod
📬 DM me and tell me—what format makes you come alive when you communicate?

Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm helping people and brands tell stories that resonate.

🌟 Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.
Keep creating. Keep connecting.