Conversations with Jordan Pace

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Pace.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Starting with scribbles in her baby book, creating has been within Jordan Pace from a very young age. Raised in Compton, CA, and educated all around the Los Angeles area, Jordan knew art would be the foundation of all her future endeavors. After receiving her BA in Secondary Art Education and Masters in Educational Studies from Loyola Marymount University, she began teaching middle school art, and it has been the sunshine on a rainy day. Creating a comfortable and creative learning environment for her students has been a blessing. Jordan has also brought her passion for creating art, connections, and laughter to her community and created the third space, Padekwa Café and Create. She created the safe space for all who walked through the doors, and feeds her creativity through her own artwork and tattooing.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, but I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe challenges are just things I have not yet learned. It has all been an experience that I would not change. Both of my parents have been amazing teachers and have always given me something to lean on. My mom was in HR and Quality Management and my dad worked in Retail Management. Through their experience and expertise has made it so much easier to navigate. I believe the road, though not smooth, is something we needed to travel down together and I am extremely grateful to have my support system.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My art is interspersed between many aspects of my life. I am an art teacher, tattoo artist, and community creator through my cafe. I am most known for my fluid line technique with tattoos, creating a safe art space with my students and also my customers who join my art classes. I am very proud of the person I am and becoming because I am proud to be someone my younger self would admire. My small and big goals that I imagined are continuously coming true. I am also proud of who I am for others. I love that I am able to give others a safe space and sometimes a platform for their own aspirations. What sets us apart from other business owners is that we have created a third space where possibilities are endless and where people can become inspired. It is important for us to use the space to its full potential. We have a Dreamspace (conference room), Pod-ekwa (podcast room), and Event Space – they create co-working opportunities and community events. All of our pastries are freshly made by our pastry chef and co-owner Sonja Pace. We keep parts of our family incorporated within the space, whether that be our recipes on the wall, our family photos, as well as my personal art collection around the entirety of the cafe. We do our best to remain a family friendly cafe who creates and maintains strong ties to our community.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I would say that my favorite app is Pinterest because it helps me find inspiration for different projects. I am very much a nerd with it. I have so many subcategories that showcase different aspects of my style, color theory, and even the future.

Pricing:

• Contact us at hello@padekwa for pricing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://padekwa.com
• Instagram: @pa.dekwa
• LinkedIn: [email protected] – Emails

Image Credits
Photos by: Kristyn Brown and Jillian Abigail Lucero