Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordan Szala. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jordan, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
Self discipline, particularly in my art practice, was engrained in me from an early age. Nearly every art teacher that taught me reiterated how important it was to practice my craft, every day and as frequently as possible. That great artists kept at it, even without inspiration. An innate drive and desire to be an artist helped foster that self discipline for me, if that’s what great artists did then I would do it to, but it took me many years to realize that my self discipline originated out of shame and fear. Fear that if I didn’t make art every day that I would never be the artist I dreamt of being. Shame of who I’d be without being seen as an artist. Sometimes that fear would swallow me, and inhibit the creativity I was trying to foster. In more recent years I have intentionally reconditioned my self discipline to come from a place of deep love for myself, of who I have been, and who I will be. With a balance for taking care of my needs when I require more sleep and rest, taking time with friends and family, I remind myself that making art, even a little bit every day or as often as I can, is something I do because it is like offering a hug to my child self, to the part of me that so deeply desires to create. When it comes from a place of love and care for my own dreams, rather than a place of fear and shame, I find that my ideas flourish, and I feel freer to create the kind of work and life I truly want for myself.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In college I studied printmaking, a media I absolutely fell in love with. When I left school, I found myself unable to continue making the work I had been because of lack of equipment, and took an interest in silversmithing, something I had never really done before. I did a lot of research online, watched a mountain of YouTube videos, and ordered some basic tools and materials to get started. After about a year of melting silver and cracking stones, I started creating work I was proud of. I began my small business, Hold Hand Goods, as a way to share this work with others. Jewelry as a way to celebrate and decorate the body drove me to create for many years, selling my work online and at local art markets and fairs. In 2024, I took a relief printmaking class at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. I wanted to push myself to learn a printmaking technique I could do at home, and I was immediately enamored with it again. For the last year I have relit the fire in my heart for printmaking, and let myself follow that desire, taking a step back from silversmithing to create prints that are exciting me the most at this moment.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
You are capable of learning something new at any time, and there are tons of resources around to teach you how to do it. The internet is full of free information, tutorials and tips on how to do just about anything, and there’s nothing stopping you from teaching yourself. It may take a bit more trial and error without a teacher offering you immediate feedback, but some of the best insights and growth can come from figuring out a new skill on your own. Being self taught, or not having a specific education on your skill or craft does not diminish your work or you as a creator. Your own voice, both in the work you make and the way you learned to make it, create something unique that has a valued place in the world.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
My return to printmaking in the last year has brought a challenging shift. I have spent the last 5 years building a business and craft primarily in silversmithing, and as I have become more excited about the prints I’m making, my desire to create jewelry has greatly diminished. It felt like I was walking out on something I’d spent so much time and energy creating, or like I’d been in the middle of building my own house just to move into one next door. The passion I feel for the prints I’ve been making has been so intense that despite these feelings about my jewelry work, I feel compelled to keep making prints. With a lot of support from friends and family, I have been working on reminding myself that it is okay to pivot into a medium and body of work, and that life generally feels more exciting when you allow yourself to follow what you’re most passionate about. This has given me a feeling of freedom and confidence to follow my own desires and trust myself in a way haven’t experienced before, and think I really needed at this time in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.holdhandgoods.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holdhandgoods
Image Credits
Jordan Szala
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