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Jennifer Manges

Jennifer Manges

multi-disciplinary artist


Through Original Music, Art, Photography, Artist Books, Writing, etc. I share my journey of healing, creating, and becoming –there is always something new to discover in this big, beautiful, messy life! Join me on the journey.

See what I’m working on right now
Hello!

I’m Jen

I’m an explorer–an explorer of multiple forms of creative communication, the spiritual terrain within, and life in general. Creativity and Jesus are my lifelines. I believe everyone is creative; we just show it in different ways. I believe faith is meant to be embodied, not just lived in our heads or practiced through rote obedience. I believe healing is possible and that we have more power than we think we do. I have lots of thoughts, especially about spiritual things. I hope what you find here stirs you to wrestle in some way, expand in some way, or try something new.

Please check out my artistic work. If you’re interested in something, message me. Most things I create are for sale. Read the blog, see what I’m up to, listen to my music, and then go do something creative or edifying for yourself 🙂 …because you are amazing. And the world needs your light!

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Artist Books and Journals

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Latest on the Blog

  • The Gift of Not Winning
    Blog · The Heart Habit™

    The Gift of Not Winning

    “You don’t need a crown,” she said with tears in her eyes and deep sincerity in her voice. My dear…

    Read More The Gift of Not WinningContinue

  • Witch Trial Mentality
    Blog

    Witch Trial Mentality

    Seems like everybody is already getting ready for Halloween, and it’s only the end of August! I thought I’d share…

    Read More Witch Trial MentalityContinue

  • Banana Bread, Adversity, and Transformation
    Blog · Home

    Banana Bread, Adversity, and Transformation

    This is my favorite banana bread. It’s a sourdough version and it is divine. You can use either active sourdough…

    Read More Banana Bread, Adversity, and TransformationContinue

MORE POSTS

jennifermangescreative

Grandma of 8 ✨
Music • Art • Photos • Creative Stuff
Thinker + Writer | Spiritual + Healing
Jesus. See what’s next. 😊

Final Step: Composite I brought multiple images of Final Step: Composite
I brought multiple images of myself into Photoshop to create a pose of me hanging from the cattails. Then adjusted for color and blend, etc. Here's the meaning behind the piece:

This mixed-media work combines painting and photography to explore perseverance through adversity. The figure clings to a cattail as it bends and sways in the wind—a fragile but resilient connection to something that refuses to break.

The movement of the cattail becomes a metaphor for life’s uncertainties: we may be shaken, pulled, and tested by forces beyond our control, but resilience lies in holding on. Through the tension between the photographic figure and the painted landscape, the work reflects the vulnerability of struggle alongside the quiet strength required to endure.

"Fortitude" by Jennifer Manges
(Available to print for purchase, just ask) 😊

#Mixedmediaart #compositephotography #artists #adversity #cattails
Step 2: photograph the subject. After creating the Step 2: photograph the subject.
After creating the cattail painting, I shot some self-portraits of my character. 

In order to get a somewhat realistic result in a pose that I can't easily assume, I have to shoot multiple images in different positions. That means multiple shots of torso position, leg positions, arm and hand positions, skirts flow and hair flow positions. Then I piece them all together in Photoshop to make one character. 

I ended up using around 7 different photos to make one image of myself in the pose I wanted, as you'll see tomorrow (when I show the slideshow of the composite). Here are a few of the shots I captured to get my results. 

##compositephotographer #creativelife #photographer #artistlife
Step 1: Creating the painting. If you missed my v Step 1: Creating the painting. 
If you missed my video explanation, this is an acrylic that I created for a mixed media project. It is my second attempt at painting (my first was a conceptual oil painting with kind of primitive figures that I haven't shared yet).

Tomorrow I will share the BTS photos I took of myself to add to this painting in Photoshop. Then I'll share the basic photoshop edits to bring it all together, the name of the piece, and why I created it. 😊
A litle about painting #2. I have not shared paint A litle about painting #2. I have not shared painting #1 yet. We are working on a frame for it. In the meantime, I'm excited to share this fun multi-media project!

#newartists #paintingjourney #photographer
I've done a lot of reflecting this past month sinc I've done a lot of reflecting this past month since the pageant. And this pageant did so much more for me on the inside than I could have ever hoped. It provided the final boost of momentum I needed to shift in a big way internally. Here are the first few paragraphs of my article. You can read the rest on my blog 😊 
Link in bio.
*******

“You don’t need a crown,” she said with tears in her eyes and deep sincerity in her voice. My dear friend hugged me tightly after the pageant and repeated the words again with emphasis, “You DON'T need a crown.” Her words and emotion pierced my soul and caused me to tear up as well. She meant what she was saying; I could feel it. And soon… I would understand what she meant in my own way.

In 2011, right in the middle of becoming penniless and being ill, I won a beauty pageant (the entry fee had already been paid for before these things happened). It wasn’t that I was uber confident back then, I simply surrendered any fight to win because I didn’t have the resources to be competitive. I accepted my circumstances, showed up, and did my best. I was completely calm throughout the entire competition, which allowed me to just be…me—open, friendly, comfortable. With those judges, on that night, it worked. And I won.

I competed in four more pageants after this win, but didn’t realize until a few pageants into that journey that what I was really trying to capture by competing was the feeling I had experienced the night I won. My adult life has been relentlessly challenging and I just kept wanting to feel like I felt in that moment and during that year when I served as a queen. Eventually, I came to realize I viewed the crown as proof that I could replicate that feeling. But it never happened. So, I kept trudging through the mire of life and being as happy as I could despite each new challenge, and then, every once in a while, I would try again with another competition to see if I could recreate the past. After my last try several years ago, I tucked the tiara pursuit away for good, or so I thought.

About a month ago I was given an opportunity to compete in a pageant in place of someone who had dropped out. Alth
Don't have Photoshop editing skills? Here's how to Don't have Photoshop editing skills? Here's how to get great skin right out of the camera (without a filter).

Use pro mode on your phone (or manual mode on your camera) and overexpose the image just slightly for an instant line reducer/wrinkle flattening effect. I always over-expose the highlights a bit when I shoot portraits. It's way less editing and you can always bring the highlights back down after the edit if you want. I have some decent forehead lines and 11's but you can see in the first images that they're barely visible straight out of the camera using this technique. Of course, this is personal preference, but you might give it a try and see if you like the results on your own images. 😊

#photographytips #cameratricks #photography #portraitphotography
Part 2: PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY & My Self Portrait Gow Part 2: PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY
& My Self Portrait Gown Photos

In this day and age I think every girl should have the opportunity to have a photoshoot that makes her feel beautiful. So I'd like to offer a high school girl (9th-12th grade) a FREE PHOTOSHOOT. Here's what you need to do if interested.

1. Be available to shoot in Utah County (UTAH) within a month of the winner announcement.
2. Share this post with a friend and tag me either here, on FB, or Tik Tok (I just set TIK TOK up today!) my handle is @jennifermangescreative on FB and @jennifer.manges.creative on Tik Tok
3. Follow me on IG & Tik Tok😊(because I will do this more than once).
4. Write a short paragraph (and DM it to me) on why you want the shoot and what would it mean to you.

I will announce the winner based on the paragraph on September 11th 2026.

We will consult about wardrobe, make up, and location before the shoot. I will teach you how to pose and feel more confident in front of a camera. And it will be so much fun! Let's capture your beautiful light!

Moms please share with your daughters!

#utahphotographer #contest #freephotoshoot #selfportraits
I competed in a pageant about a month ago and want I competed in a pageant about a month ago and wanted to capture the basic look--minus the tan and nails (I also didn't spend as much time on my hair and makeup for this either). I couldn't shoot this sooner cause...well..life. Here's part 1. Photos to follow.

#grandmafashion #grandmasofinstagram #photoshoot #glam #glamma
Follow on Instagram

Follow Along

@jennifermangescreative

jennifermangescreative

Grandma of 8 ✨
Music • Art • Photos • Creative Stuff
Thinker + Writer | Spiritual + Healing
Jesus. See what’s next. 😊

Final Step: Composite I brought multiple images of Final Step: Composite
I brought multiple images of myself into Photoshop to create a pose of me hanging from the cattails. Then adjusted for color and blend, etc. Here's the meaning behind the piece:

This mixed-media work combines painting and photography to explore perseverance through adversity. The figure clings to a cattail as it bends and sways in the wind—a fragile but resilient connection to something that refuses to break.

The movement of the cattail becomes a metaphor for life’s uncertainties: we may be shaken, pulled, and tested by forces beyond our control, but resilience lies in holding on. Through the tension between the photographic figure and the painted landscape, the work reflects the vulnerability of struggle alongside the quiet strength required to endure.

"Fortitude" by Jennifer Manges
(Available to print for purchase, just ask) 😊

#Mixedmediaart #compositephotography #artists #adversity #cattails
Step 2: photograph the subject. After creating the Step 2: photograph the subject.
After creating the cattail painting, I shot some self-portraits of my character. 

In order to get a somewhat realistic result in a pose that I can't easily assume, I have to shoot multiple images in different positions. That means multiple shots of torso position, leg positions, arm and hand positions, skirts flow and hair flow positions. Then I piece them all together in Photoshop to make one character. 

I ended up using around 7 different photos to make one image of myself in the pose I wanted, as you'll see tomorrow (when I show the slideshow of the composite). Here are a few of the shots I captured to get my results. 

##compositephotographer #creativelife #photographer #artistlife
Step 1: Creating the painting. If you missed my v Step 1: Creating the painting. 
If you missed my video explanation, this is an acrylic that I created for a mixed media project. It is my second attempt at painting (my first was a conceptual oil painting with kind of primitive figures that I haven't shared yet).

Tomorrow I will share the BTS photos I took of myself to add to this painting in Photoshop. Then I'll share the basic photoshop edits to bring it all together, the name of the piece, and why I created it. 😊
A litle about painting #2. I have not shared paint A litle about painting #2. I have not shared painting #1 yet. We are working on a frame for it. In the meantime, I'm excited to share this fun multi-media project!

#newartists #paintingjourney #photographer
I've done a lot of reflecting this past month sinc I've done a lot of reflecting this past month since the pageant. And this pageant did so much more for me on the inside than I could have ever hoped. It provided the final boost of momentum I needed to shift in a big way internally. Here are the first few paragraphs of my article. You can read the rest on my blog 😊 
Link in bio.
*******

“You don’t need a crown,” she said with tears in her eyes and deep sincerity in her voice. My dear friend hugged me tightly after the pageant and repeated the words again with emphasis, “You DON'T need a crown.” Her words and emotion pierced my soul and caused me to tear up as well. She meant what she was saying; I could feel it. And soon… I would understand what she meant in my own way.

In 2011, right in the middle of becoming penniless and being ill, I won a beauty pageant (the entry fee had already been paid for before these things happened). It wasn’t that I was uber confident back then, I simply surrendered any fight to win because I didn’t have the resources to be competitive. I accepted my circumstances, showed up, and did my best. I was completely calm throughout the entire competition, which allowed me to just be…me—open, friendly, comfortable. With those judges, on that night, it worked. And I won.

I competed in four more pageants after this win, but didn’t realize until a few pageants into that journey that what I was really trying to capture by competing was the feeling I had experienced the night I won. My adult life has been relentlessly challenging and I just kept wanting to feel like I felt in that moment and during that year when I served as a queen. Eventually, I came to realize I viewed the crown as proof that I could replicate that feeling. But it never happened. So, I kept trudging through the mire of life and being as happy as I could despite each new challenge, and then, every once in a while, I would try again with another competition to see if I could recreate the past. After my last try several years ago, I tucked the tiara pursuit away for good, or so I thought.

About a month ago I was given an opportunity to compete in a pageant in place of someone who had dropped out. Alth
Don't have Photoshop editing skills? Here's how to Don't have Photoshop editing skills? Here's how to get great skin right out of the camera (without a filter).

Use pro mode on your phone (or manual mode on your camera) and overexpose the image just slightly for an instant line reducer/wrinkle flattening effect. I always over-expose the highlights a bit when I shoot portraits. It's way less editing and you can always bring the highlights back down after the edit if you want. I have some decent forehead lines and 11's but you can see in the first images that they're barely visible straight out of the camera using this technique. Of course, this is personal preference, but you might give it a try and see if you like the results on your own images. 😊

#photographytips #cameratricks #photography #portraitphotography
Part 2: PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY & My Self Portrait Gow Part 2: PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY
& My Self Portrait Gown Photos

In this day and age I think every girl should have the opportunity to have a photoshoot that makes her feel beautiful. So I'd like to offer a high school girl (9th-12th grade) a FREE PHOTOSHOOT. Here's what you need to do if interested.

1. Be available to shoot in Utah County (UTAH) within a month of the winner announcement.
2. Share this post with a friend and tag me either here, on FB, or Tik Tok (I just set TIK TOK up today!) my handle is @jennifermangescreative on FB and @jennifer.manges.creative on Tik Tok
3. Follow me on IG & Tik Tok😊(because I will do this more than once).
4. Write a short paragraph (and DM it to me) on why you want the shoot and what would it mean to you.

I will announce the winner based on the paragraph on September 11th 2026.

We will consult about wardrobe, make up, and location before the shoot. I will teach you how to pose and feel more confident in front of a camera. And it will be so much fun! Let's capture your beautiful light!

Moms please share with your daughters!

#utahphotographer #contest #freephotoshoot #selfportraits
I competed in a pageant about a month ago and want I competed in a pageant about a month ago and wanted to capture the basic look--minus the tan and nails (I also didn't spend as much time on my hair and makeup for this either). I couldn't shoot this sooner cause...well..life. Here's part 1. Photos to follow.

#grandmafashion #grandmasofinstagram #photoshoot #glam #glamma
Follow on Instagram

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