We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jon Evans. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jon below.

Jon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Growing up I always heard people say pursuing a creative career was a waste of time. I was told there wasn’t any guaranteed success or financial security in a creative field. I feel as though these type of comments come from people who project their fears and failures onto the other person. Growing up I was never around anyone who pursued a creative career, they kind of just let their creative side die down and never turned to it again. I took that risk. I chose to pursue these things instead and I am more than happy that I did because now it makes me more than happy to be in a job that I love and a role that allows me to be creative and create freely.

Jon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a graphic designer and illustrator. I am an only child and one of the ways I would express myself growing up was through drawing. It was the only thing I was ever really interested in growing up. Around the time I was graduating high school I knew I wanted to do something along the lines of arts, but I didn’t know quite what. I did some research on my end and I found out about graphic design. It intrigued me because the design is the face of everything around us. Design is the reason you recognize; Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple and many other logos and brands. It allowed me to create and have the ability to have my work be the face of a brand or product. I went to Chattahoochee Valley Community College where I enrolled into the Multimedia Design program and I instantly fell in love with it. I had the best teacher and made some of the best memories at that school. Towards the end of my time at CVCC, I even got a job helping other students in graphic design there. Helping other people is such an amazing feeling. Even more so for my clients, I want to ensure that they are getting the best for what they are paying for.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think a lot of people misunderstand having a creative career as just making pretty pictures and getting paid for it. Just like any other job you really want you have to grind for it. It takes a lot of networking to meet the potential clients that you want to have. A lot of time is spent after hours getting things fine tuned to a clients satisfaction. There is a misconception on the overall process of working on something like a logo design or branding in general for a business. There is lots of time that goes into projects. Our job is to communicate what the. brand is without it having to be explained. This requires the right fonts used, the correct colors that evoke the right emotions, and a clear understanding of what that brand actually is and who the target demographic are. A lot goes into it and I think a lot of people don’t realize it. Not just in design but art in general. Especially with illustrations, a lot of artists get their work stolen or reposted without the proper tag on socials or anyone mentioning who the original artist is. It’s really tough. But we must carry on!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

I am still trying to understand the whole NFT thing myself honestly. I have definitely thought about it. I have some friends who are into it. I have been approached to do it and I have some ideas about what I could bring to the whole median. My problem is, every time I feel like I want to give it a try there is something that pulls me back from it. I saw where a lot of artists were getting their work stolen and sold. That is a big NO for me. As an artist myself that has to be the most soul crushing thing to happen to someone. I’ve also seen a lot of scams going on within that community. I have noticed that a lot of people question if it is even art. The same could be said about digital art. The same things could be said about anything that comes up that’s new. It’s a weird situation to be in. Because yes, I can do these things but who or what is being harmed in the process? The culture and the people I have seen around these types of events gives off a frat bro type of energy. That’s not where I am or who I am as a person or a creator. If I were to go into NFT’s I would more than likely make it about a serious cause or set up a donation of some sort to help others in compromising situations. It is definitely a weird time. But when has it not been honestly.

Contact Info:

• Website: jonjerrellevans.com
• Instagram: @neverlearnedtoswim

Image Credits
The drawing of myself was done by my good friend, Kevan Combs.