Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeri Evan.
Hi Jeri, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I graduated from MassArt in 2017 with a BFA in Illustration, and everything that followed was trial and error. Shortly after graduating, I started working in Creative Marketing which is where I got my start in the Design world learning the ins and outs of the ‘right way’ to design things. Ever since then, I have been unteaching myself many of those rules.
During my tenure in the corporate world, I was spending my downtime making large-scale mixed-media paintings and hand-painted clothing that I was sharing to the small audience I had accrued on various social media platforms. I found using Instagram to be a great outlet and means to connect with other like-minded individuals, and soon found myself in the hands of a team of creatives orbiting LA’s music and entertainment industry. My work went from digital marketing campaigns and catalogs to Grammy-winning billboards seemingly overnight, and I haven’t looked back since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think how far you go in life really depends on how adaptable you can be to anything thrown at you. I had the right foundation in place, having gone to art school and paying my dues working as a Junior Designer, but nothing in life prepared me for the high-stakes projects that ended up being thrown my way. I learned as I went, and was fortunate to come out the other side a much stronger person.
I have learned to thrive in a pressure cooker environment, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think as long as you’re pursuing something that you love and feel passionately about, you’ll never work a day in your life.
There were nights I would be up until 4am on YouTube learning techniques they just don’t teach you in art school. Seeing my work at such a large scale has been my driving force over the last few years. It’s given me a surge of confidence and a new lease on life. There have been days I wanted to quit from the pressure alone, but knowing that what I’m creating has made an impact even on a small scale makes it worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as a branding and merchandise Designer, most notably working for musicians. The collaborative elements of working in the music industry have been my favorite part. My role has been mostly designed execution over the years, although several projects have allowed me to take the reins and co-creative direct when my skills are needed. Watching an abstract idea come to life is the most fulfilling part.
My first jobs starting out involved creating concept art Illustrations to be used for various merchandise and promotional marketing materials. Over the years those smaller projects grew into a fully-fledged freelance Design career spanning across all forms of media. Since then, my work has been featured in music videos, worn on stage at The Hollywood Bowl and Coachella, used for album art, stage design, on billboards, and in animated series.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up my Dad used to buy me ‘How to Draw’ books, and I definitely think those instilled what became a natural inclination towards art. Some of my earliest memories of learning how to draw was printing out pictures of graffiti and street art to trace on the glass flat-screen television I had in my teenage bedroom. I used the flat screen as a makeshift light table and would have Cartoon Network playing in the background while I traced because the bright colors used in cartoons made it easier for me to see the line work I drawing from. I was most drawn to the graphic elements of graffiti art specifically because the harsh black outlines made it easier for me to replicate as a beginner during that time. Fast forward 15 years, and I just finished installing my second piece of public artwork scaling 20 x 6 feet.
I fell in love with guerrilla marketing campaigns, and pride myself on the physical strain that goes into making public art. Every poster is a marathon.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jerievan.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jerievan
