Life & Work with Jodi Jill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Jill.

Hi Jodi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a puzzle artist and professional puzzle maker. I have always been drawn to words, puzzles and art. Over time my passion has developed into a job and today I work full time sharing the joys of puzzles and words. It’s a big deal to me as I love this opportunity.

My day-to-day job includes making puzzles for people to play. I make different types of puzzles including puzzles that are played at work and school. From team building puzzles to crossword puzzles, the different challenges I share with the world is all about creating a fun environment while engaging the players. Of course, I’ve made jigsaw puzzles, word search puzzles and even seek and find hunts for several Los Angeles festivals.

As my world of puzzles has evolved, so has my role in puzzle education. In 2024, I celebrated with the world all things puzzles as the founder of National Puzzle Day. It’s the 30th anniversary and we touched over 20 million people in January. How did we celebrate with so many people? Well, it was trending on social, people saw puzzles on television and heard about them on the radio. Of course there were countless articles on puzzle day offering ideas on how to play puzzles in your own unique way. Additionally, we worked with schools and civic institutions so they could introduce and encourage people to play puzzles within their community. It’s a big puzzle celebration and I couldn’t be more excited to share the love of puzzles with the world, especially the kids!

When I think of puzzles, I think of all the beautiful opportunities each person experiences when they play a puzzle of their choice. Consider how puzzles aren’t political, there are hundreds of puzzles to choose from, and puzzles love testing your smarts. That puzzle challenge you can take on yourself or with a friend. And in the end, after you solve the puzzle of your choice, you feel the glow of accomplishment.

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?
My job is fun, but the road to what I do today hasn’t been easy. My family lived in a storage unit for over a decade which lead to me and my siblings being locked inside. If you’ve driven by one of those self storage places along the highway, you know exactly how the place looked. A rolled up door, four concrete walls and a light in the middle. The place was barely big enough to fit a car. I lived there with my siblings and we didn’t go to school or have a normal (or reasonably normal) childhood. This serious abuse has impacted my life in so many ways.

When it comes to my love of words and puzzles, the journey started as a personal one. I learned to read at the library at a later age. I came to the realization that puzzles were a very fun way to educate myself. It’s been a long road but I’ve learned that what you enjoy will be easier to share with others if you truly have a passion for it. And those things you don’t know since you were never taught as a youngster can be difficult to learn but can be possible.

As an adult, having a career that’s different than a traditional role has been delightful, yet there have been challenges. Anytime I encounter a challenge I remind myself of my strengths and reflect on my goals. I dream big and I have bigger dreams for the future… Veni, vidi, vici

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While my love of words is one of my biggest art mediums. I’ve created over a dozen books, had word art projects and love poetry. My delight in words comes from sitting down to an idea and sharing it by symbols and written discussions. The passion I have for puzzles includes the word angle to an extreme.

One thing I am most proud of is my focus of words and puzzles. This site started when I was hit by a car and suffered severe injuries. I lost nearly everything, including my job, and turned to the one place I felt comfort: WORDS. That was four years ago and hundreds of puzzles later. My puzzle site, Puzzles to Play has over 1,200 free puzzles for educators, students and even seniors to enjoy. All they need to do is download and print the puzzles. There was a lot of pain, suffering and uncertainty in that part of my life, but what came out of it, my puzzle site, is a wonderful thing that came from this moment.

When I look back on this situation, it was a shift in my career. I see how it thrust puzzles to the forefront of my life and brought me to a place where I make puzzles on a daily basis. I’ve found it to be a humbling moment in my life. I was spared from death and then allowed to come back and do what I’ve dreamed about doing in a full time capacity.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I think a lesson I learned from covid is not to take things for granted. If you have something in your heart you feel like doing, go do it. Whether it’s visiting a friend or taking lessons to kayak. Waiting until tomorrow might not be the best choice as only today is promised. Go do those things you want to do. At least make plans to do it.

Thankfully we have moved passed the worse part of the Covid crisis, but we as a society are still suffering. Compassion right now is a commodity we must all possess as we try to regroup and move forward. So many things have changed, but compassion with a pinch of patience needs to be used every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://puzzlestoplay.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodijillinla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JodiJillinLA
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-jill
• Twitter: https://x.com/jodijill

Image Credits
Jodi Jill