We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jordan Binney. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Jordan, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
One of the most surprising and meaningful realizations I’ve had is how deeply personal and transformative art can be for my clients. Recently, I received a commission from a customer who requested a self-portrait as a way to mark the beginning of their healing journey after a traumatic life event. It was a powerful reminder that what I create can serve as a catalyst for self-reflection and emotional growth.
What struck me most was how this mirrored my own experience: I initially turned to painting as a form of self-expression and healing, especially while processing my own past traumas. To see that same process reflected back in someone else—that my art could contribute to their healing—was both humbling and incredibly motivating. It shifted my perspective on the impact of my work and helped me understand that I’m not just creating visual pieces, but also offering something meaningful that supports others on their personal journeys.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a large-scale oil painter using surrealist imagery to explore the female form, personal agency, and the complexities of embodiment. My work is deeply rooted in reclaiming control—over my image, my narrative, and how my body is seen.
What began as a personal healing practice has grown into a broader exploration of visibility, power, and the societal lens through which women are viewed. I often use my own body as subject, not to invite objectification, but to confront it—posing questions about perception, ownership, and the fine line between form and fetishization.
I’m interested in how vulnerability can be a form of resistance. By choosing how and when I depict myself, I challenge the viewer to examine their gaze: Is this erotic, or is it simply a body? Is this sexual, or just paint? My paintings create space for discomfort, reflection, and ultimately, empathy.
To be human is to live in a body. My work asks us to sit with that fact—without shame, without spectacle, and without turning away.
I recently got a new job working under another artist at the same time of trying to continue broadening my current collection of 27 works to over 45 for a solo show I am eager to hold. Until I am able to complete every piece in production I continue to tour and exhibit my finished work around the world and locally in Atlanta.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I think now that it has been over a year since I graduated with my BFA and I’ve finally adjusted into what I’d call an “adult routine” and with a full time job in the profession I’d always hoped to have, the hurt version of myself that seems to still want to linger is no longer serving me a purpose. In college it served me as the main driving force behind my work ethic and my message through my artwork but in my life now I think it is holding me back from my fully healed potential. Part of me feels that maybe I am holding onto it for more inspiration or just because in some ways I still feel like a child. I used it a lot for defense and protection in instances that I felt I could possibly get hurt but now I’d like to allow myself the chance to experience life’s real joy instead of harboring on life’s impending sadness. Every year has felt different but most of my life had felt sad, I feel like now I have finally been able to allow myself change as the whole of this year has felt like the most change that has ever happened in my life. Finally having a home, studio, and job that all have zero trauma attached to them. The hurt part of me served its purpose in helping me build my safe space and build my portfolio and for that I am eternally grateful to her for her effort into my protection but I’m not sure when exactly I’ll be able to let her off-duty.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
It seemed to be the ending of 2021 but I don’t think it happened all at once—it was more like a slow unraveling. I carried pain like it was part of my identity. It shaped how I moved through the world and how I created. For a long time, that pain felt necessary. It gave me something to prove, something to say, and it helped me survive. What I’ve come to understand is that pain can be a powerful motivator, but it’s not a sustainable way to live. It got me through a chapter I didn’t know how to escape, but now that I’m out of it, I no longer want to lead with the version of myself who was always preparing to be hurt. She got me here—and I honor that—but she doesn’t have to be in charge anymore. I don’t see pain as something I need to hide or even fight—it’s something I’ve learned and grown from. But I’m ready to stop building from it, and start building beyond it. Living with power in my vulnerability and allowing myself to talk about my pain and trauma has allowed me to build a life that no longer revolves around survival but allows me the chance of feeling joy.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
As I previously mentioned the project I’m currently working on is expanding my current collection. When in art school I was painting at an alarming rate but it was great because of the amount of work and content I was outputting. Now that I am not paying an institution to force me to paint at a high speed and I am now getting paid to work under another artist it’s been an adjustment to find the time to let myself fall into that studio rot of creating and finishing my collection. As my first time ever revealing it… the name of my collection is “Born Healing” and I cannot wait to share the rest of it with the world. I started it in 2024 with no exact idea of when it will be completed. I think I misjudged how much energy I would have after a full day of work and a full week of it too. On top of things like keeping your house and yourself clean and fed. It’s no joke but it would be ridiculous of me to not keep pushing for my own art career on top of a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. I still am trying to find a happy medium to get this collection pushed out to the world as fast as possible.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I feel like I’m doing both, and I’ve made peace with that duality—for now. I have a full-time job, as so many of us are expected to, especially within the framework of corporate culture and societal norms. That part of my life is structured, reliable, and meets the expectations of what it means to be a functioning adult in today’s world. In that sense, I’m doing what I was told to do—what was modeled and encouraged as the “right” path.
But at the same time, I haven’t abandoned what I believe I’m meant to do: create. I continue to pursue my art with intention, even though choosing a creative path—especially one centered around personal expression and emotional honesty—isn’t always understood or supported by the world around me.
So while one part of my life reflects obligation and stability, the other reflects purpose and self-trust. In a way, I see the balance as a quiet form of resistance. I’m honoring both realities: survival and passion, structure and freedom. My hope is that over time, the thing I’m meant to do will grow big enough to stand fully on its own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jordanbinney.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanlizb/
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