Illustrator Jared Arthur Purrington was adopted as an infant. At a young age he showed a natural gift for the arts, but was constantly hindered by society’s intolerance for the adopted. Shortly after finishing his preparatory education he left his hometown in Idaho in search of adventure... and acceptance. Since graduating from Art Center College of Design in 2006, Jared has had the pleasure of doing work with such companies as Pixar, Prada, Urban Outfitters and Obey Clothing. Today, Purrington is a shining example that everyone, even the adopted, should follow their dreams.
08.17.10
On The Verge of A Creative Breakthrough
If you have a degree in what field is it? I have a BFA in illustration from Art Center College of Design.
Have you always been able to draw or was it a skill you learned in college? Why yes, I have always had the ability. Don’t we all? But, I guess I have been developing that ability as long as I can remember. When I was little, I was always drawing my interpretations of characters and monsters from my Nintendo games, then I got into comics when I got older. But, it was going to Art Center that helped pull my eye away from my own artistic periscope and see how many cool things are going on in illustration, design and everywhere else. It was invaluable to my progress as an artist. I went from wanting to just draw comic book characters to wanting to draw everything. I love to try new things and experiment with style, which can be difficult for building a “brand” of my illustration work—that is definitely something I’m still figuring out.
What was your first paid assignment? I made a girl some random drawings in high school and she ended up making out with me. Does that count?
Which illustrator (or fine artist) do you most admire? At the moment, the most relevant artists to me are friends and people I went to school with: James Jean, Frank Stockton, Josh Cochran, people like that. I think James is incredibly smart with how he has built himself up as an artist; he figures out how to get the most out of his artwork in a lot of ways both conceptually and commercially, and on top of that he’s prolific. It’s what all freelance illustrators want and he is definitely in his own league.
What would you be doing if you weren’t an illustrator? Hmmm, I have so many things I want to do as an illustrator. I seem to love anything creatively challenging so if I weren’t an illustrator I would probably be trying to do music full-time as an artist and producer. I would also love to get more into directing, both art and film.
From where do your best ideas originate? From day laborers. I pay them to come up with them.
How do you overcome a creative block? That is a strange question for me, because I constantly feel like I’m just on the verge of a creative breakthrough. One of my favorite instructors at Art Center, Rob Clayton, would always say to me, “You're really close, you'll get there.” That’s how I feel all the time. When I actually do “breakthrough,” I’ll let you know.
In one word describe how you feel when beginning a new assignment? Curious.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Yes.
Do you have creative pursuits other than illustration? I have a musical side project called Country. I have been doing remixes for different artists as well as working on totally original material; although my remixes are also almost totally original in the sense that I usually will only keep the vocal tracks and construct an entirely new song around them. I’m fascinated with the process of building a song and finding the elements that make something pop out and grab you. I look at songs as another puzzle to figure out, just like an illustration. And like I said before, I’m also interested in doing more directing and storytelling. I just did a collaborative film/music video project with a friend for Country and his fashion label, Killspencer. We conceived a short film idea and were out just last week directing a shoot—with a live Hyena and a Black Leopard.
What music are you listening to right now? Looking at my playlist: Snowden, Daft Punk, Modest Mouse, Foals, Empire of the Sun, Death from Above 1979, Van She and Friendly Fires. I’m also a huge fan of Ennio Morricone and his western scores.
What’s your favorite quote? Rob Clayton’s “You’re really close, you'll get there” and anything Benjamin Franklin ever said.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Draw outside of your comfort zone, whether that means content, technique or medium, and draw as much as you can.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? That, essentially, your career starts the day you pick up a pencil and make the decision to do it. Learning fundamental and technical skills are important, but don’t wait for school or someone else to tell you you’re an artist.