16 JUL 2020My name is Jillian Knox. I’m from Washington DC originally, but I have lived in San Francisco for nine years. I have a BFA in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design, and have been styling in some capacity since 2009.

I have a unique background of mixed skills, which I believe has given me an edge to be the artist I am today. I have been called Jill-of-all-trades or Swiss Knife; I co-founded a vegan food blog, which had its own merchandise line, owned and operated an online vintage store for nearly ten years full time, co-founded a community art gallery in Chicago, and even have experience reupholstering vintage furniture for resale. I am a maker and an artist through and through.

I currently work as a stylist (food, wardrobe, props) as well as an art director. My work brings me so much joy.

Being an artist whose career relies so heavily on collaboration, I was seeing my own work dry up as well as work from my colleagues nationwide… and then globally. Scary was an understatement; it was unprecedented. I had had feelings for a long time about what the agency system is really for, and had been asking myself questions about where we were putting value within that system.

I started The Astute Agency on April 28, 2020 with the initial intention to help my artist community get back on their feet—to be a sounding board for their work and themselves as artists-complete. But then, George Floyd was murdered.

As a Black woman, I was completely at a loss for words and had to check out in order to check in. I was getting texts from my friends and watching the news. I knew that what happened would change everything, and that although Black people have spent years talking about these issues, this time was different. This time people are sheltering in place, they are home—they are watching and listening. It was actually the perfect time to start talking. I started expediting my interviews and pushed Black creatives to the front of the line; people needed to hear their stories; they needed to know that we exist and most importantly—they needed to join the conversation to have a stake in the game.

Two weeks after George passed and the movement surged, I lined up five consecutive days of interviews with 11 of the brightest Black creative minds I knew, to interview them live on Instagram, to check in with them and amplify their stories. That Friday, I announced that I was bringing on my fellow collaborator, Peruvian American photographer Karen Santos, as my co-founder. Together, we have come to the realization that The Astute Agency was now more than a place for artists to get back to work. It was a global community platform for industry and multidisciplinary creatives with a focus on advocacy and inclusivity. Aside from featuring 35 artists to date, we have also had some very special and notable guests (i.e. Dr. Bev Ditsie, MX Blouse, Bosco).

For some, the use of the word agency can be confusing since we are not emulating the conventional “agency” model. We claim how social science defines “agency,” while challenging the status quo. Sociology defines agency (human agency) as: the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. Additionally, our own social structures (e.g. social class, region, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) could have possibly determined our current circumstances. This is what sets us apart at Astute; the diverse backgrounds in our collective and the myriad of experiences that has uniquely shaped our expertise and connects us.

We believe in a world where autonomy is given back to the artist. We believe sharing stories, art, and culture unifies us all.

This needs to be celebrated.

So the premise is simple: the valuation of art and its makers needs to be adjusted. Art in itself is a time capsule of events/ideation that occurred when the piece was made, and it becomes a visual representation of history. Without artists, we would have far less than we have now. So why wouldn’t we want to empower artists to create a future we can all be proud of? Why wouldn’t we want to start a conversation with artists directly, to engage in actively shaping our society and communities? What if those multi-hyphenate artists could be hired? And what if there was no money involved; instead the currency is inclusive participation, advocacy and education?

If I am not working, I am at home. I think it would be irresponsible of me to hang out in mixed groups. If I made someone sick, I’m not sure I could forgive myself.

I miss my friends a lot (all the time) and I haven’t seen my parents in over a year. But I’ve been using technology to my advantage to keep in touch and check in on my family and friends as much time will allow. It’s been really helpful. That, and houseplants. Ok, and my rooftop garden.

I’ve found a lot of inspiration in my community. They work hard and they dig deep. Having the artist talks on The Astute Agency was really therapeutic for me. Through those conversations, I was able to process a lot of what is happening and come to my own conclusions.

I’ve been doing a lot of work on myself, doing some skill-building and diving into mediums that I haven’t really had the chance to explore until now. I recently made a video for July 4th as a conversation starter around slavery in America, the ideas of freedom, independence, justice and the legitimacy of this day in general. It was completely shot and edited on an iPhone 11 Pro.

My husband has also been really inspirational. He lost his job due to restructuring before the pandemic started, so he’s gotten creative on ways to make money. He has been working with artisans in Mexico to build a mask business, which has been really successful. He works with Mexicans from many different regions to bring their work to customers around the globe.

Through his connections with these artisans, we have started a homewares line together. It is linked on his Etsy page, but will soon have its own site. We’ve been together since 2007, so we’ve had a long time to practice caring for eachother. But spending nearly 24 hours a day together during shelter in place has made us even stronger and I’m really proud of that. I’m really lucky he is in my life. He is one of my biggest cheerleaders.

I’m looking forward to traveling again. I miss connecting with people and learning through traveling, so when we are finally able to participate in the world again, I’ll be ready.

Instagram: @jjoules, @theastuteagency

Web: jillianknox.com, theastuteagency.com