Meet Rob Jordan | Illustrator

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

Hi Rob, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Over time I’ve learned the importance of allowing myself to step away from my work and relax. Early on in my pursuit of a career as an illustrator I struggled to let myself have other interests and felt that I needed to dedicate all of my time and energy to my work. As time has gone on, I’ve realized the importance of having a balance in life and the effects it can have on my mental and physical health. Snowboarding was a huge part of my life for a long time and something I turned my back on for a while as I became more focused on my art practice. I recently fell back in love with snowboarding after a four year hiatus, and that experience has really helped the way I look at balance. It’s great to be passionate about things in life, but over the years I have learned that it’s healthy to have many passions and not just form my life around one single thing. Having passions outside of art has helped keep the work exciting and fresh for me. It’s nice to step away sometimes and come back to the work with a fresh perspective.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love to draw pictures and I am fortunate enough to be able to pursue that as a career. I’m proud to have found some success in the illustration world and incredibly honored to have been included in publications like The Society of Illustrators and American Illustration. I’m very excited for what the future holds in this journey of being an artist. The journey certainly hasn’t been an easy one, but nothing worth pursuing comes easy, and I’ve learned to embrace the struggles along the way as a part of the process. There have been a lot of lessons in this journey, and I’m sure that there will be many more. If there is one thing that I like to remind myself, it is to never give up. The only way to ensure failure in a pursuit is to give up. A career in art certainly is not easy, but understanding that can go a long way. I have been very hard on myself and my practice for a long time. It wasn’t until recently that I have begun to allow myself to take a step back and embrace the journey rather than focus on the destination. I am excited to continue to communicate ideas to the world visually and I hope to inspire young artists to embrace the journey as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Denver is a lot of fun, but the best part about living in Colorado is the mountains, so I would start by heading up to Arapahoe Basin for some spring time hot laps and bloody marys. After a long day on the hill its always a good move to hit up some hot springs at one of the many awesome spots around the state. Back in the city, I love hiking around Golden and grabbing a sandwich at D’deli. Best sandwich shop in Colorado. Summertime is great for biking on the clear creek trail or going for a skate around the city. There is a ton of amazing mural art to be seen all over the city and that scene is continuing to grow with great mural festivals like Babe Walls and Colorado Crush bringing together incredible local artists to showcase their skills. Number 38 is an awesome new spot in the Five Points area that has a great selection of Colorado breweries on tap as well as an amazing outdoor music venue. Ironton distillery just across the street serves up amazing cocktails and has an art gallery attached that always has fantastic exhibits in rotation. Also shout out to Deli Italia in Lakewood, Chris Lyons has turned that spot into the best pizza place in all of Colorado, tell them I sent you and make sure to order an old fashioned. There are so many great spots around Denver to catch some live music and of course, Red Rocks, which is always a good time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Many people deserve credit for where I am today. First and foremost, my parents. I would never have been able to be doing what I do without them. I am very fortunate to have supportive parents who have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. My mother is an artist as well, and my parents have always embraced creativity, which is something I will always be grateful for. My friends have also been a massive part of my development as an artist and a human. I’ve often struggled with self confidence in my work, and I have an amazing group of friends who are always there to help lift me up and snap me out of a funk. I’d also like to shout out all artists and creative people everywhere, from whom I constantly find inspiration.

Website: https://www.robjordanart.com

Instagram: @RobJordanArt

Twitter: @RobJordanArt