Meet Jordan Murdock Thompson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordan Murdock Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jordan, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I find that creativity is heavily influenced by two factors for me; one is the recognition that the ebb and flow of inspiration is natural and very human. Not every moment that I live and breathe must be used to produce something. The second influence on my creative capacity is the relationships around me. My artwork is often created in solitude, But the ideas come from the community I keep, the conversations I’ve had, and the artistic techniques that I have fostered alongside other artists. Aside from making my own work, I also teach classes and lead art projects for a local Art Center, which gives me time to rub shoulders with many creative people who do not consider themselves artists, and whose life experiences are diverse. Having the opportunity to spend so much time experiencing the creative capacity of other people in so many walks of life is hugely inspiring to me, and I carry the impressions that they make on me into my own processes and work.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a visual artist working primarily in ink and watercolor based in the Missouri Ozarks. My studio is located in the sunroom of my home, where I also homeschool my three children. My work is showcased regionally, and can currently be seen in person at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa, OK. My emphasis in school was on community based art practices, and I believe very strongly that every artist has a responsibility to invest in their community and pass on what they know. Creativity is in the blood of every human being. Its been with us as far back as we can trace our own existence. Its a powerful emotional and relational tool. So along with creating my own work, I regularly lead classes at a local art center and, when I can, I provide art experiences for organizations working with the more vulnerable and less resourced groups in our local community. I’ve worked in a lot of difference capacities as an artist- on community mural projects, as a book illustrator, as an education director for organizations that provided therapeutic art programming or simply provided a safe, creative space for kids to hang out after school. I’ve worked for paint and sip studios. All of these experiences gave me the chance to see how diverse and important spending time making art is for the human soul. It has the capacity to be fun, to be convicting, to be beautiful or crazy or terrifying. But in all things, it is a tool for communicating. What we make reflects us back to ourselves and to others. Whether in my own work or in a classroom, this is what drives me as an artist.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

An important skill that I’ve found is necessary, especially as an artist who is also a mother, is patience. There is a season for everything. There is a cycle to my life. Certain weeks I know that I will be able to get more artwork made because of my own schedule, my kids’ needs, and my physical state of being. And there are certain times of the year that I make hardly any work. In the past, I stressed about my lack of production during these times. Now I know that if a season is less productive when it comes to art, it is because other things must take priority for that time. It won’t last, and I will be able to return to my studio and a rhythm of creativity that I most enjoy when the time is right. Not every season has to be a measurably productive one. This was true for me just out of college, but I hadn’t learned the lesson yet. I had intended to get my masters in Community Based Art practices in order to do mural work with small communities like my own. However the price of the degree meant carrying a lot of debt, and I would be pricing myself out of reach for most small town arts non-profits if I did so. So instead I took a job at an art center as an education director. During that time I made very little personal artwork. But I learned a lot about myself and the value of the arts for a larger community, beyond the context of what I thought community based art could mean. At the time I considered my studio practices a failure. But other important things were taking place as far as the knowledge I was building.

Along with patience, I believe persistence is a necessary skill to have as an artist. While my gallery ready work may not get my attention consistently throughout the year, one thing that always remains is my sketching practices. I draw every day. I draw before my kids get up, after they go to sleep, and at random moments that I can grab throughout the day. There is rarely a 24 hour period that I do not jot something down in my sketchbook or work up into a draft on my tablet. I have what I refer to as my ‘distractions’ from my real work. That is, a long form graphic novel that I work on when I have a spare minute in the evening or while I’m waiting for a kid to finish dance lessons. I keep a small sketchbook with me, because I believe I will never be done learning, both when it comes to honing my drawing skills and in developing my eye for light, shadow, and compositions. I also think that keeping a sketchbook handy is important because a good habit can take a long time to develop, but not that long to break. And keeping the tools with me means that I am less likely to miss an opportunity to draw. Developing habits that can carry you through dry seasons as a creative are really important. You also don’t have to do it alone. I meet with other artists once a week in my living room where we sit and just draw or paint, or sometimes do nothing but talk. But its the time we spend together that matters. We encourage each other to be creative and make time for the work we most care about, even if its later in the week that the work actually gets done.

Lastly, I think a bit of knowledge I wish I had known sooner is that art is such a human thing, so multifaceted, you don’t have to hold on to one person’s interpretation of it. The High Art world as we think of it hasn’t always been around. But human creativity has. We’re all creative beings. Pottery, with its functional beauty, is creative. Weaving is creative, Gardening is creative. The human imagination has such a huge capacity for beauty and joy. Its okay to be bad at something and still love doing it. Art is more than perfect paintings. Which means its okay to just create. And do it with other people.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Neither of my parents are visual artists. But both of them were very encouraging in several ways. I wanted to have the job of an artist by the time I was four. My parents recognized this and worked hard to provide opportunities for me. There was never a shortage of paper and paint in the house. They found artists in the community who were willing to pass on their skill and tutor me. And they put me in places where I could meet other kids who loved the arts.

But I think the most impactful thing my parents did for me was to provide a home where the door was always open to anyone who needed a place to be. I remember coming home from my job in high school and often greeting a friend or two in the living room before ever seeing any of my actual relatives. The guest room often had someone living there temporarily, and there was always a large pot of spaghetti on the stove when more than one person showed up unannounced for dinner. The house was always loud, and my parents worked hard to make it a safe place to be. That sense of welcome is something I can’t help but value. And as an artist its affected the way that I think about the world around me and the way I interact with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jordanmurdock.com
• Instagram: @jojo_murdy_art
• Other: Cara- @jomurdockart