Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Bracken.
Hi Jordan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Jordan Bracken. I’ve spent practically my entire life living in Florida. I’ve grown up in Jacksonville, and moved to Orlando for school, and stayed for work. I studied programming at Full Sail, and work full-time as a programmer. I spend every other hour of time creating art. I create and sell art prints, stickers, and paintings as Jordan Kabuki. As time passes, my preferred medium changes – initially using graphite exclusively, I have broadened my use of media to include acrylic paint, and digital art.
Art has always been and continues to be a way to create and connect with other people. I can remember drawing as early as the 4th grade. In middle school, my aunt gifted me my very first “How to Draw” book and I absolutely loved it. None of the artwork ever looked like the images in the book, but I was still very proud of each one. Little did I know though, just how much I would come to love it. Drawing turned out to be one of the few activities as a child that I would purposely practice, and this was a very big deal in my opinion My family used to be fairly big into sports. My siblings and I played basketball for most, if not all, of our childhood. I, unlike the others, hated practicing because even at that young of an age, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Art became a hobby for channeling my creativity. In middle school, my best friend’s mom bought me my very first sketchbook and pencil set in hopes that I “never quit creating”, and it was at this point that I decided it will remain a hobby for the rest of my life. Over the years, I continued to try and fill the sketchbooks, and each Christmas she bought more art supplies. Two years after college, a coworker invited me to my very first convention, and I immediately fell in love with everything about it. Despite it being overwhelming, I talked with any artist I could and they were all so inspiring that when I left I had deciding that I would like to share my art in a similar fashion. And so, here I am.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No journey is a smooth road. At the start of my journey, my struggles were (and still is) inexperience. There has also been quite a bit of self-esteem building that takes place when getting up to sell your own art. I had no experience as a salesman, no knowledge of norms for conventions, not so confident with public speaking, and I had no experience gauging my art’s worth. Having to put a price on my own artwork felt as if I am either devaluing my own work or trying to steal other people’s money. I never bothered to seek formal art classes, so much of my knowledge is the sum of Youtube videos, how to books, and trial and error – and to some degree there used to be this feeling of imposter syndrome. I am fortunate enough to always have a supportive group of friends and family and I am reminded just how much effort and time that I put into everything that I create. My inexperience will lessen over time, and my confidence in what I make will only grow.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create fan art illustrations using a variety of mediums. I am known primarily for my traditional art, but my preferred medium has and is constantly changing. My artwork consists of ballpoint pen drawings, acrylic paintings, and now digital illustrations. The topics of art that I cover vary: video games, cartoons, anime, comics, etc – just about anything except realism.
What I enjoy creating the most is Crossover Art. Crossover art is an illustration of characters from completely different series, medium, networks all in one. I have always wanted to draw crossovers, and now that I am much more confident in my skill to accomplish what I can see in my mind, I am creating more of them. It’s a wonderful chance to create scene in which various characters get to interact and play or fight. Much of the well-loved crossovers consists of early 2000’s Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and even Hanna Barbara cartoons as well as Pokemon. I love that the art can spark a sense of nostalgia with people of any age. They make for an incredible opportunity to both be creative and connect with people.
Overall, I aim to create a space for people to feel and be creative, to share their ideas, and encourage others to share their creativity. I hope to inspire others to create as much as others inspire me.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would best summarize the most essential qualities to being patience and passion. The one quality that a craft like painting and drawing teaches is patience. I am constantly reminding myself that my process will likely be a slow building one, and similar to the art, the extra time spent will be worth it in the end. I won’t know everything or be able to draw everything immediately, but over time, with a little bit of patience and a lot of guided effort everything will improve. I don’t mind the process either because I genuinely love to draw and create artwork. I always say that should everybody everywhere decide tomorrow, that they all hate my artwork, the worse outcome is that I stop selling art, but I wouldn’t stop creating it. Art is therapeutic and the purpose of selling artwork is to create opportunities to connect and share with other creative individuals. I think passion and patience will prove to be my strongest attributes moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Email: jordankabukiart@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.jordankabuki.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JordanKabuki/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JordanKabukiArt
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JordanKabukiArt
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/JordanKabuki
Image Credits:
Photography by Adaj Photography Studios
