We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jordan Thompkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jordan below.
Jordan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
While I got to do some small freelance shoots in my late teens and early 20s (mostly graduation photos and a few unpaid shoots for start up brands) my first really big paid gig that made me feel like I was really a “professional” came around a few weeks before my 22nd birthday. I was a senior in college and, transparently, hated my major, felt like I had wasted a ton of time with school and that I’d blown my chances at ever being able to pursue photography as a real career. So one night while I was spiraling in my dorm room I thought “I have to try something”. The end of first semester was approaching, which meant so was graduation, which ALSO meant the “real world” was hot on my heels. So in a desperate frenzy I grabbed my phone and messaged a bunch of brands I dreamed of shooting for on instagram. It felt incredibly silly. What were the chances that any of these huge brands would even SEE my DM let alone open it and want to give me a shot? I didn’t have a crazy online following and barely any “real” brand experience. I didn’t care though. After all, the worst they could say was no (or just not respond). So after a frantic messaging frenzy I tossed my phone aside and went to bed. The next day I woke up to an Instagram notification that someone had actually responded…it was Polaroid. I don’t think I’d ever been more excited and nervous in my life. I thought it had to be a joke or that it was just a curtesy response. But no, they read my (rather long) message and decided to give me a shot. They sent me their photo editor’s email and told me to send her my portfolio (at this point, I’m now scrambling to make a portfolio because I didn’t actually see myself getting this far in my plan). Long story short, I created a portfolio of my best instant camera and film photos and their photo editor loved it. She said they were looking for photographers to contract to create some work for them to use as promotional material on their website and feature on upcoming product packaging. I wasn’t even sure it was going to be a paid gig at the time I accepted, I was just happy I was getting the chance to work with one of the most well known photo companies in history.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve always been a pretty visual guy. When I was really young I liked to draw a lot (even on the walls). I’d say I got into photography pretty young too (my first camera being a Spy Kids point and shoot I got from a Mcdonalds happy meal). I think what drew me to these things though was the idea of story telling. Being able to share not just my own stories but the stories of others too and how we’re all intertwined with one and other. This love of story telling has lead me to focus primarily on portraiture and documentary style work. I love when i get to just photograph people being people. To sum up my “services”, I’d say I offer the ability to translate your story into something that can be universally understood. I want people to feel like they’ve been given an opportunity to really look into someone else’s world, even if it’s just a glimpse.
Photography for me is a very intimate experience. To make good work it requires a certain level of vulnerability from both the subject and photographer. So I think the thing that makes me the most proud are some the compliments I’ve gotten from people I’ve worked on projects with. Being told by someone that they really love the way I helped bring their vision to life means everything. Having someone who says they usually aren’t a fan of having their photo taken tell you that they feel like you really captured *them* is an incredible feeling. Everyone’s story deserves to be told properly; so when I hear that that’s what I’ve done, I couldn’t be happier.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative, for me, I think would be seeing or hearing about the ways my work makes people feel understood, or seen. There’s something so serendipitous about coming across a photo, a poem, a song, or whatever it may be, that seems to say or capture everything you’ve been feeling but just couldn’t figure out how to convey (or better yet, didn’t think was possible to be conveyed). I think it all goes back to this feeling that we are all intertwined and here existing together. Connecting with someones art makes me feel a lot less alone and I think that’s such a beautiful gift to be given, so when I hear that I’ve been able to do the same for others it’s definitely rewarding
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Something has GOT to be done about the algorithmization of everything. The internet use to be such an amazing way to get discovered as an artist. And in a lot of ways it still is but I think there are a lot of extra hoops we have to jump through now just to make sure we’re even being seen. It’s not enough for people to just follow you anymore. People could follow you and because of the algorithm STILL never see anything you make. It’s insane. I remember the drastic decrease in likes, views, etc when instagram first began to organize the feed based off an algorithm and not just showing everything chronologically. In the current state of the internet just posting your art isn’t cutting it anymore. If you want to build a following online to get eyes on your work you have to be a brand. And with being a brand comes a lot of extra song and dance that just didn’t seem as necessary before
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jordanthompkins.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordan.thompkins