Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordyn Goodman
Hi Jordyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was little, I was always that kid who the other students asked to help with any assignment that required drawing. My parents noticed how much fun I had with art and took me to museums often. My favorite things to draw were dinosaurs, fashion designs, and horses, so when my mom took me to a natural science museum, I spent the whole day just sitting at each and every dinosaur, drawing away. My mom said that the hardest part was waiting as I had to spell every dinosaur’s scientific name beneath their respective drawing. While we couldn’t go to a fashion show to draw the designs, my parents did take me to horse races (at age 10 mind you!) to see them better and sketch.
My parents were very supportive of me finding my creativity, but they were worried that I would struggle as an artist, so they made a deal with me: If I could graduate from a state college with honors, getting a Bachelor’s of Science (in Animation), then they would help support me going to grad school for art at Savannah College of Art and Design, which is where I had wanted to go for my undergrad. They knew that if I worked hard to get my degree and still found myself wanting to go into the arts, that I would do whatever it takes to succeed as an artist.
Today, I am working towards getting my M.F.A studying Illustration here in Savannah at SCAD. My love of drawing and art hasn’t died down but has only grown. While I have a long way to go still, I feel much more confident as an artist and storyteller having come here to Savannah.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, going to a non-art college while still trying to study art and make it in the industry. I had to do a lot of research on my own, taking initiative to seek out my own education outside of college. I have had lots of help from those around me, pointing me in the right direction, and helping me to come into my own. With my biggest supporters being my family.
However, things took a turn when my mom was diagnosed with a rare cancer back in late 2021. It was stage four cancer, and my whole world felt like it came crumbling down. My mom was my rock and my biggest role model, being a farm girl from Iowa who worked her way into college, the first in her family, and became a renowned lawyer, working for some of the biggest companies in the U.S. With her diagnosis and chemo, she had to stay home more often, which was a blessing in disguise we both called it. I stayed home after my graduation to help her, and we had the opportunity to talk and hang out everyday (though she still worked from home for nearly two years after her diagnosis!). We had never been so close, with her having so much work to do prior. I thank God every day for the year and a half I had with her then.
She helped me through every rejection I got looking for jobs in the animation industry, and she was the one who encouraged me that I needed to go to SCAD and follow through on my original plan to get my M.F.A. there. I still remember when I found out that I got accepted to SCAD on a roadtrip with her and my little sister as we screamed in the car on our way to Austin. She told me then that she knew God had made a plan for me.
She got to see me off to my first year of grad school in Savannah, but unfortunately, her health began to take a turn for the worse. Within my first quarter, I had to fly back home and say goodbye to my mother. She told me how important it was that I was reaching for my goals and how certain she was that I would achieve them. She passed away on October 27th, 2023, leaving behind an amazing legacy as a mother, wife, lawyer, and follower of Christ. Since then, God, my family, and my friends have all helped me to continue working towards my goals, just as my mother had once done. She always used to say to me a phrase her mother would tell her when things got tough, “If that’s the worst thing that happens to you today, you’re going to be alright.” I know her grit, determination, and resilience when things got tough are all things I have learned and strive for each day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am currently studying illustration with a focus on children’s and young adult books as well as toy design! My love for fashion persisted through high school and my undergrad, but I had ever done anything more with it than the designs I made as a kid. When Covid initially hit, and we were all home doing nothing, I decided to learn how to sculpt and sew. I stumbled across people creating original doll designs and up-cycling discarded old dolls from thrift stores, and I knew that I wanted to make one too. Now years later, I’ve made quite a few dolls, selling some for commission, and decided that I want to actually design toys for children. I’m currently designing and creating my own doll line that is aimed at helping girls find STEAM activities fun and cool (I never lost my love for the sciences!) through cute and fashionable dolls, who are all members of their school’s robotics team!
I am most proud of how far I have come not just technically as an artist but conceptually. I know the things I want to create, how I want others to feel when they see it, and how I will achieve those goals. My hope is that you might see my work and feel the passion and love I have put into it, even if it might not be your cup of tea. My wish is that anyone might look at it and see themselves reflected in my work and feel seen as a result.
A few years back, if you had asked me what I wanted to do in the arts, I would’ve said “anything as long as I have a job”, and while that is still partially true, I now know that what I really want is to create things for people that inspire imagination and creativity, building up the next generation to be compassionate, creative, smart, and have a strong sense of self.
What are your plans for the future?
I have many plans for the future, and while I know life has a way of not following your plans, I really want to one day become a professor and build up generations of young artists, helping them as other professors have helped me to grow and strive for the best version of myself. But first, I intend to get experience in the illustration industry, so that I can truly give my students the best advice for making it in the art world. My goal in the industry would be to one day work as an art director overseeing other artists and helping them bring a cohesive vision to life. I have many stories I want to tell and many interests, so if that leads me back to animation, or if that means creating toys or books, I will strive to do my best in whatever area I find myself in.
Pricing:
- Doll commissions start at $250 (can vary depending on complexity, please email me for details at [email protected])
- Portrait commissions start at $75 (can vary depending on size, medium, and complexity, please email me for details at [email protected])
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jordyngoodman.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pu.chello/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordyn-goodman14/
