Meet Jordan Wolfanger | Illustrator

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

Hi Jordan, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from Byram, a very small town in northern New Jersey. It is a wonderful place to grow up; it is remote and has beautiful hiking trails, lakes, and plenty of outdoor activities. As a child, I flourished in playing sports and catching frogs in my backyard.

One downside of living in a small town was that everyone knew everyone. This made it difficult for me to stand out as my own individual, as I often was the shadow of my older sister and the legacy she made for herself in school. She is one of the most brilliant minds I have ever met, and I believe she will change the world. But it is very difficult to live up to the expectations that teachers placed on me. I was always compared to my sister in school, and that wasn’t fair to me or her. Luckily, once I discovered a passion for art and nurtured my creative mind, I forged my own identity in school. It’s been very cool to see my sister and I develop and achieve so much in our prospective passions. She is an inspiration to me.

Overall, I had a very blessed childhood, and I believe those memories inspire my art in its whimsical nature.

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.
My work is very colorful and appeals to the inner child. Color is the dessert for the eyes, and let’s say that I have a sweet tooth. Inspired by mythology, monsters, and euphoric wonderlands, I want my art to manifest the divine and macabre while peering through a saturated, chromatic lens. I am inspired by the children’s toys and dolls, as I attribute my entire art career to the toys I played with in my youth. My career goal would be to design children’s toys and inspire a new generation. Lately, I have embraced my feminine energy and created work that celebrates being a woman. For a while, I felt I had been suppressing my hyper-feminine drawing style to be taken more seriously in the art world. I think I am starting to solidify my artistic values and style and will no longer apologize for it. Finding your voice within the art world is one of the hardest challenges, along with imposter syndrome. As artists, we place our work as part of our identity, so when we dislike our work, we often dislike ourselves. However, looking at all I have achieved lately, I am proud of what I have accomplished and am eager to take charge of new opportunities. I just had a 10-page comic that I created to be featured in an anthology published by Warden Comics, and I’m becoming the art director for a student media blog. I find the best way to keep self-doubt at bay is to keep yourself busy! You won’t have the time to second guess yourself.

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?
If my friends were visiting me in Savannah for the week, I would first take them to Keller’s flea market, where we could get some fresh produce and some really unique finds! Last time I went I met this lovely woman who made her own perfumes, and I always get complimented when I wear one of hers. Next on our itinerary would have to be River Street! We would visit the super spooky and kooky Graveface Museum, full of oddities and pinball machines. And a trip to Savannah would not be complete without a day relaxing at Forsyth Park! I always go to the park as there’s always something going on there. I call it the heart of Savannah, as you will undoubtedly run into at least three people you know there. I also like to go to the park to be out in nature, and Savannah’s beautiful architecture and landscapes always inspire me to create. Savannah also has so many fantastic coffee shops to choose from! One place I like at the moment is Agatha’s! The decor inside makes me feel like I’m in a murder mystery movie, and I like their tea lattes (I’m not a coffee drinker). We would go to the Starland Yard in the evening, home to Two Tides Brewery. It’s a nice spot to hang out with friends, play cards, and have a drink. They also have a super yummy food truck called Crispi! In terms of other places to eat within Savannah, I really enjoy Ukiyo, the Grove, and Franklin’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out one of my favorite teachers in 8th grade, Mrs. Loredo. She was one of the first teachers I had that saw me for who I was as an individual and saw my potential. She was my English teacher, and she allowed my creativity to flourish in her class. She often encouraged me to write my stories down and then continued supporting me when I decided to push my narratives more visually. I appreciated that her class was challenging but extremely rewarding, and she taught me how to harness my passion into a powerful work ethic. Her class taught me the magical lesson of time management, a skill I will use throughout my career. I want to thank her for being a nurturing (but, when necessary, strict) role model and advocate for my creative journey. One of my favorite memories from her class was reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare, as that became one of my favorite plays written by him.

Website: https://jordanwolfanger.wixsite.com/wolfanger-illustrati

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolfanger.illustrations/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-wolfanger/

Other: https://www.wardencomics.com/single-project I also have a 10 page-comic featured in an anthology produced by Warden Comics.