Meet Jessy Edwards

We were lucky to catch up with Jessy Edwards recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

It took me a long time to find my purpose. I was very, very lost when I was younger. I was expelled from multiple high schools as a teenager due to my behavior.

I had a general disregard for my own future. I was plagued by my own mental health struggles. I got my first job on my 16th birthday. As soon as I could work legally, I did. I worked hard at my day job. From there I worked my way up through the workforce. Starting with food, to retail, then sales. I did this all without a GED or Diploma, so some jobs took a lot of charisma to get me in the door.

When I found myself as a stay at home mom, looking for work, 10 years after I had first dropped out of high school. I was unable to compete in the job market and most jobs required at least some education. I had just started learning digital art at the time, as a hobby. I had always been an artist, but I felt that I would starve if I pursued it as a career. But over time I realized I needed to chose something that I could genuinely dedicate my life to regardless.

I was at in my room looking at a painting I had found at Savers. This painting had the name of a Disney animator scribed onto it. I have no idea if the painting is real or a fake but I realized how proud I was that it was associated with an Animator.

I started looking into degrees in animation and what school was best for me. Most of the schools I found didn’t seem to really reflect what I needed to learn in the course work. Most of them were fairly similar to fine art degrees. I needed something that would help me thrive in a modern world.

I found Full Sail University. This is a school focused on the overlap where technology and art meet. I was overjoyed to find my place. I hurried and studied for my GED. I had been out of school for a long time and had no high school education at all. But within a month I finished my GED tests and even ended with a 3.6 gpa.

From there I started my accelerated Bachelors degree and finished in 29 months. I ended with a 3.8 gpa. I had to get straight A’s, just to prove to myself that I was finally a true scholar. School was difficult and there was only a handful of us that finished. It was terrifying watching my peers drop out every month. But it wasn’t an option for me and I had to see it through.

I just finished last year in October at the age of 28. 12 years after I started my first job. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Animation. The future looks bright. So grateful for the journey I’ve been on and the people in my life who helped me find my purpose. I would not be here today without them.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am currently in the process of starting a new business venture. I am building a custom T-shirt business. Called Arizona Club Clothing. This will not only feature my own character designs, but we will be collaborating and marketing local Arizona artists.

All shirts will be part of a collection by that artist. These collections will feature 3 designs that have a similar theme and style chosen by them. All artists will receive a royalty on their designs. I think collaboration is so important and I look forward to providing an opportunity to other artists to build a brand in the community.

We will be setting up at the Pima County swap meet in a little over a month. Can’t wait to see you guys out there!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My 3 top qualities or skills that I feel helped me and can help others the most are;

1. Be resilient. Life will bring you lots of dead ends and imposter syndrome can kill your potential. But if you’re resilient you can face these obstacles.

2. Have fun. This may seem counter productive but the journey is a just as important as reaching your goals. It’s easy to be happy with things are good, but its critical to find happiness even when you’re facing adversity.

3. Be consistent. Show up for your passions every day. Natural talent can only take someone so far. A person who is consistent will always outdo you even if you’re talented. So make sure you have both sides.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

We are looking to collaborate with artists who are in Arizona and have a business based on their art or are looking to start that journey. It’s not easy to get started, and even when you do, it can become difficult to connect with the community. But, we are here to make sure we can all hit our goals.

Arizona is a hub for art culture, the possibilities are endless, and we are just getting started.

Any artists that are interested in having their work featured are encouraged to email us at: ArizonaClubClothing@Gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessyedwards.artstation.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessy-edwards-447479166

Image Credits

Jessy Edwards