Meet Jacob Jones: Artist/ Actor/ Voice Talent @jjdoesarts

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

Hi Jacob, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up, the things I loved were always in artistic and creative fields. I think it started with comics and cartoons. Some of my earliest memories were of me watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a Saturday morning with a stack of paper and a handful of crayons. Eventually, I fell in love with musicals (I personally blame Disney for that one) and found my way into acting with my hometown’s local community theatres. It wasn’t long before I was carrying a sketchbook with me into rehearsals on those same Saturday mornings, and my love for both art forms has stuck with me to this day. Since I’ve known I had to make a living, I’ve always wanted to make it by doing what I love, and there are few things I love more than creating unique worlds, stories, and characters through art and acting. The short answer is, I suppose, that I couldn’t see myself doing much else happily.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is something that I’ve cultivated for as long as I’ve been alive, but still feels like it has a lot of growing up to do. More recently, I’ve switched to properly working in the digital medium to more easily work on creating comics and illustrations (not to mention stickers and prints) at a faster pace. While I think I’ve certainly progressed in the format, there is definitely room for improvement, even to get it to the same level of quality as some of my pieces in traditional mediums. That all said, I am very proud of how versatile my art has the capability to be. I try to make each piece better than my last, in some way, and I am personally happy with how far I’ve come in the little time that I’ve been creating art digitally. I’ve always strived to make my art a little weird, unique, and humorous when necessary. If I can manage to throw a little more of that into each work AND add some quality line work or lighting to the mix, then I’ve made something for my audience that I can truly be proud of.

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?
This is a tough question, because I have been out so very rarely as of late. That said, in our hopefully not-too-distant, fully-vaccinated future, I do have some must-do’s. There would obviously be at least a night or two of live theatre planned at the Alliance or any number of Atlanta’s local venues. The Georgia Aquarium is a must, along with a stop at the High to see whatever exhibit happens to be in at the time. I’ve grown far too partial to drive-in movies in our current times to not plan a night seeing a classic film or the latest blockbuster at the Plaza’s venues they’ve opened during the pandemic. While there are a dizzying number of places to eat around the city, the first thing we’re doing is checking out as many food trucks as we can. If there’s time to go to Battle & Brew, My Parent’s Basement, or The Highlander in the meantime, then it is a pretty perfect week. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, so many people deserve so much praise for guiding and helping me on my journey, it’s not even funny. First, there’s a huge thanks to my parents, Mary Ann & Mike Jones for supporting me throughout the years and providing me with all the art supplies, lessons, rides to rehearsals, and patience that a growing creative could ever ask for. There are more than a few teachers that encouraged me throughout the years, but the ones that always come to mind first are Michael Inlow, Dr. Zerric Clinton, Cynthia Toups, Patt Orr, Justin Amaro, South Georgia Performing Arts, Thomasville Music & Drama Troupe, basically everyone who put up with me at Columbus State University, my cousin Amber for teaching me how to draw a stick figure when I was four, and my brother Jeremy for being the first person to show me how to draw a face. That’s certainly not everyone, especially counting inspirations, but I’m updating that list as often as possible!

Website: www.jjdoesarts.com

Instagram: @jjdoesarts @jjdoesacts

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-jones-03bb82112/

Twitter: @jjdoesarts

Facebook: JJ Does Arts ; Jacob D. Jones

Other: Art Station, Tumblr, & Patreon: @jjdoesarts

Image Credits
Irene Polk – Photography /Editing Brianna Flores – Photo Editing Action Show Studios – Photography