Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Dale Young.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’m a graphic designer and artist originally from the Midwest, now living and working in Boston. I was a late bloomer when it came to art, never really drawing much or painting or anything of the sort throughout my childhood. Sometime in my early teens, I got involved in video editing and eventually went to college with the intention of studying film.
During my last year of college, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then, every aspect of my life has been touched by mental illness. Exploring the idiosyncrasies of bipolar disorder created serious introspection, and my interest in art blossomed from that. It’s a way of communicating the incommunicable. Having bipolar disorder can be pretty terrible, but it forced me to reexamine every aspect of my life and my worldview in an intensely deep way, and I’m grateful for that experience. Art is a natural outlet for that process.
It was then that I realized I wanted to be an artist, or probably more accurately, that I was an artist, just an undeveloped one. I painted poorly, attempted to draw, wrote terrible poetry, made bad music, took mediocre photos, tried my hand at filmmaking, and got more heavily involved in graphic design, not just as a career, but as an art.
Please tell us about your art.
I’m obsessed with color and geometry, loving the child-like simplicity of basic shapes, but also intellectually engaging with its complexities. “Vector artist” is a term I use to describe what I do in terms of technique, rather than style. It’s essentially digital illustration, but using vectors as opposed to any other method. Vectors are like a bunch of math equations that create lines, angles, and curvatures. As you can imagine, this lends itself well to geometric art, which is the style most easily used to characterize my art.
At the moment, I’m mostly exploring human subjects in portraits, and it’s fascinating to see how really simple shapes can convey so much emotion and movement. Each portrait has its own quirks, as I typically leave in “mistakes” to allow what could be a sterile medium to be more human. I hope people appreciate what a small amount of information our eyes need to infer complex images and emotional suggestions.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
When people are set in their beliefs, when logic and facts are of no consequence, normal means of communication can feel hopeless. That’s where art comes in.
People often refuse to understand different points of view or perspectives, but that’s a central purpose of art, to engage with realities outside of yourself. If literal talk cannot get to people, maybe art is required. If talking to people directly is the front door, art is the back door. You get people to disarm by showing them beauty. When people block off their front door, they can no longer even see outside. Art might be the only way to get people to engage with something outside of their own heads. That’s what I hope to do for myself as I make art and for other people who engage with it.
No one is going to stop being bigoted and intolerant because they saw a work of art. But, a work of art can push someone to look at their beliefs from a perspective they’ve never encountered.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can check out my artwork on Instagram @jordandaleyoung.
For graphic design, branding, or website projects, visit my website jordandaleyoung.com.
I have fonts for sale at creativemarket.com/jordandaleyoung.
Also, some of my art prints are for sale at Room 68 in Provincetown, MA.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jordandaleyoung.com
- Email: jordan@jordandaleyoung.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jordandaleyoung
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jordandaleyoungart
Image Credit:
Jordan Dale Young, Raleigh Raw
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