Meet Jolene Roderick | Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Dreamer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jolene Roderick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jolene, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
After covid hit in 2020, I went through a period in which everything that I had been planning or planned for kind of got thrown into a jumble because I got divorced and moved out of my home where I had been living for 12 years with my son and my ex-husband. This caused everything that I had been planning for to get thrown into a jumble.

When I moved into my first apartment alone, I quickly realized that I was completely unprepared to design it in any way, shape, or form. I was completely overwhelmed by the task. I had devoted the greater part of the last 12 years to making sure that everyone else was loved, that they were happy, and that they had what they needed. To the point where I completely lost track of who I was. Entirely. I was completely clueless about who I was, what I liked, what brought me pleasure, or what I wanted to accomplish with the rest of my life.

I no longer found meaning and pleasure in the artwork I was creating. And that is a very depressing realization for an artist. When I was married, I never went to see live music bc my ex-husband wasn’t into it, so I started there because I knew I loved concerts. I found myself being introduced to Billy Strings for the first time, and from there, I heard the Grateful Dead for the first time. I was hooked.

I started going to as many shows as I could, and in the summer of 2022, I saw more live shows than I had seen in my entire life. I learned that I was completely comfortable going to shows alone and dancing my heart out (I trained for 21 years in classical ballet, and dancing just flows through my blood like water).

It wasn’t long before the music started bleeding into my art. Since I was so new to the Grateful Dead, I decided it would be fun to pick a song I had yet to hear every few days, and then I would illustrate whatever the music was saying or speaking to me. Many people have told me that what I’ve drawn is not how they have imagined interpreting certain songs, which I think is so neat.

That path led me to concert posters which is my true passion now. I started by creating a poster specifically for Billy Strings’ Renewal festival that took place in Buena Vista in September 2022 to showcase my illustration skills and hopefully land a commission job. I was able to talk with the merchandise team for Billy and a few other larger bands, which is just incredible.

That was when I decided that I wanted to make more posters, so I set out to meet as many local bands as possible – offering to design their first poster for free. I recently completed a design for a band called “Birds of Play.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m still trying to define my style, but I think what sets my work apart is the absolutely quirky and weird ideas I come up with. Mushroom UFOS? Definitely include those. Fantasy instruments that aren’t even real? Definitely. Tie-dyed creeks, why not!

My brand is different in that everything I present to the world is a result of a deeply meaningful song I’ve heard by the band or how I’ve been affected by a location that a show is in (for instance I hand traced the outline of the collegiate mountains for the Renewal poster in Buena Vista).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hands down, I would take them out to see the music scene in Denver. It’s a little frustrating to even buy tickets anymore here because of the insane monopoly that Ticketmaster has over the venues, but there’s always a way. I highly encourage anyone reading this to use apps such as Cash or Trade instead of Ticketmaster resale to help cut down on scalpers looking to take advantage of the musical community. Together we can make a difference! Top venues would definitely be Red Rocks, the Mission, Folsom Field, Filmore, and a few others I’m blanking on right now. If anyone said we needed more outdoor venues, I would not disagree 😉

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
At one point, I joined a group called the Lady Goats on Facebook. I didn’t understand how deep the sisterhood and friendships were in this community because I had found the music through an outside person. I’ve developed such deep, strong, and meaningful friendships through these ladies. I went to my first festival following a breakup alone, and because of these gals, I never felt alone as I found women all over the campgrounds that I had met online and talked for hours with! They’ve all been so supportive of my personal journey and artwork. The group is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/522665848589255

Website: https://gratefuldoodles.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grateful_doodles/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingjolene/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089087704062