Interview with Jenna Sammartino of Driftway Designs (Creativity Over Coffee)

It’s time for another installment of Creativity Over Coffee – you know what that means! So grab your coffee (or tea) and join us!

Creativity Over Coffee

I am delighted to share my conversation with my friend Jenna, she is the founder of Driftway Designs. If you love coastal style you will fall IN LOVE with Jenna’s work! It is so beautiful. She uses resin to capture the feeling of the surf and the ocean in beautiful art pieces for your home. She is such a talented artist and truly such a lovely person too. Oh, and she also lives in Scituate! I’m so excited to introduce you to her!

So grab your beverage of choice and join us!

An Interview with Jenna Sammartino of Driftway Designs

Thank you so much for deciding to join me for coffee and chat about your creative process.  When I had just graduated from film school in London and couldn’t find work, I found inspiration through the many biographies I read from the library.  I used to go there each week and take out more.

Many people believe they are not creative.  I hear this all the time.  It is my hope with these conversations with my talented friends that I hope to inspire my readers to believe that they truly are creative. That creativity is just sitting inside of them waiting to bubble over.

Hi Jenna, you really are so creative! I love all your beautiful ocean inspired pieces. Can you share more about Driftway Designs and how it all started?

Jenna – Thank you so much for having me and for your kind words, Danielle. I’m really looking forward to connecting with your readers and sharing my story with you. Driftway Designs was built on a strong foundation of creativity that has always been brewing within me. I was raised in a home where making things by hand was something we did regularly. The time and care you put into something is part of the end product, and when things are made with love, I think the recipient really feels that. Epoxy resin came into my life by way of a boat repair — and what really impressed me was the strength and durability of the product. It was later that I saw people using resin to create housewares like serving trays and it clicked for me. I decided to make a wall hanging as a Christmas gift for my husband – we had this huge blank space that was screaming for some color and I was determined to fill it. I worked on smaller scale items to familiarize myself with the product, then made the wall hanging. When I was finished, I was left with this huge wall hanging, and a handful of smaller items. I gifted the smaller items to family and friends and received really positive feedback. It was this feedback and loving encouragement from my husband that made me take the leap into launching a website and selling my resin work. 

When do you feel most creative or happy?

Jenna – I feel the most creative and happy when I am outside enjoying nature, especially here in Scituate. The beach has always been a place I am drawn to, and Scituate has so many special spots. My husband and I purchased our first home, got our first puppy and started our family here, so these spots have even more meaning to us now, with all the memories intertwined. We spend as much time as possible on the water or on the beach, and that is where we are the happiest and where a lot of my creativity comes from.

Aw, I love that and feel the same! Who or what inspires you?

Jenna – I am heavily inspired by the ocean, it’s ever changing appearance, its constant movement. Some days she is still and calm and others she is churning and unsettled. She is powerful, demands respect, and also gives back an abundance of peace, perspective and fulfillment. I am also inspired by my family, the people I love so much, the people I want to make proud. 

Yes, I 100% agree with both! Do you have a favorite piece?

Jenna – I have had many favorite pieces, but as I continue to learn and grow as an artist, my favorite pieces have changed. What was my favorite back in 2019 is now pretty low on the favorite list. My most recent favorite is a large ottoman tray I made for a longtime friend and customer — it fit her space perfectly and matches her wall art

I once heard if you’re still loving what you created years ago then you aren’t growing as an artist. Can you share more about your floral blocks?

Jenna – Yes, absolutely! Floral blocking has been such a fun part of my resin journey. It is so rewarding to me to take on the immense responsibility of preserving people’s meaningful flowers for them. It is a process that requires you to slow down and take special care and attention with each step. I have worked with people who have just lost loved ones and wanted something tangible to remember them by, brides/grooms who want to preserve their wedding flowers, and people who just love their gardens and want to preserve some beauty to get them through the winter months when nothing is in bloom outside. The process is multi-step and takes 2-3 months from start to finish. I try to involve my clients in this process as much as possible to ensure that they love the end product. I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience working with people to create these keepsake blocks for them to enjoy for years to come.

Wow! I didn’t realize the time involved in that! What’s your favorite color?

Jenna – Hmmm… I am torn between green and blue. 

I’ve never worked with resin? What is it like? Do you have favorite tools you use?

Jenna – Resin is a two part medium that has to be mixed together to be activated. There are various brands of resin and within those brands, there are lots of types of resin. There are specific resins for casting, for artwork, tabletop applications, UV activated, fast curing, slow curing, different viscosities… endless varieties! Resin is really particular, it requires a certain temperature and humidity to cure correctly. It needs to be mixed properly in exact measurements and any additives like pigments have to be done in the correct ratio for it to cure correctly. It is a challenge to familiarize yourself with its needs. My favorite tools are my mixing attachment for my drill because stirring the honey-like resin by hand is difficult. I also love my 3M full face vapor mask because it protects me from the harmful vapors released by the resin when it is in liquid form and when it is heated during the wave making process. (Side note – once the resin is cured, there is no further vapor release so it is safe to be around). 

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps or who would like to start a creative business?

Jenna – Just go for it! Surround yourself with love and support and give it all that you can, but don’t give it all of you. Accept constructive criticism, and pivot as needed. Accept that it will have its ups and downs and if it brings you joy, it’s worth it. Find yourself a savvy business partner to help you navigate all the behind the scenes work, like website building, marketing, keeping your books, and tax returns. I started this business in a safe way – knowing that if it didn’t work out, I would be okay. But if I didn’t try, I would always wonder what could have been. I am so thankful for the encouragement I received from my husband, Matt. Without him, I never would have made it as far as I have.  

Growing up I was a huge follower of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO.  At the end of the program, they would ask the interviewee these questions:

1. What is your favorite word? Exciting, Tranquil
2. What is your least favorite word? – boring
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? – nature, ocean, love
4. What turns you off? – negativity
5. What is your favorite curse word? Probably shit? I have been trying to curse less because I have kids that repeat everything 
6. What sound or noise do you love? crashing/lapping waves, rain on the roof, my kids laughing
7. What sound or noise do you hate? Paper towels rubbing together (I know, its weird), whining!
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? – This profession of artist is really the one I always wanted to try. I went to college to study nursing and worked for 12 years as an RN in a Boston Hospital PACU (post-surgery unit). I left my position in December of 2021, but am keeping my license active to keep the option of returning to the profession open — but it would probably be in a different capacity.
9. What profession would you not like to do? Any job that would put me near spiders or snakes, or a job that requires me to be high up, like a lineman. 
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? – welcome, the beach is that way and the weather is perfect.

A huge thank you to Jenna for joining me today. Didn’t you love her story and her beautiful creations?

Be sure to follow along with Jenna:

If you’d like more Creativity Over Coffee you can read the full series here.

* Photos courtesy of Jenna Sammartino