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Meet Jimmy Mendoza of JimmyJamBoomBam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Mendoza.

Jimmy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up at the Central Mobile Home Village, a trailer park located across the street from the Pepsi Factory on Chattahoochee Avenue. We’ve spent time moving in and out of there, usually due to financial problems. We’d always go back there, it wasn’t a bad place, I consider it humbling. I was never the best at following the rules and I didn’t care for responsibilities, all I wanted to do was make art and music, that’s it.

I thought that way until one night…about a week before Christmas, we heard a loud banging on our front door ICE Officers had come for my father. Before he was taken he pulled me to the side and said I have to take care of the family now, that I was in charge until he could be let go.

It was a lot to take in at the time I gave up what I enjoyed to do to help my family every way I could. For a while, I was angry, angry that the only thing I could do was try my best. I didn’t know if it was going to be ok or not, but we made it through when they let him go one month later, missing my little brother’s birthday. I became more appreciative of what I had after that and went back to what I wanted to do, with my family in mind now of course.

We came together and moved out of the neighborhood one last time, and thankfully have successfully kept ourselves afloat. I had more free time to better my drawing skills, and as the popularity of social media grew, I became aware of some amazing artists, artists who have become big inspirations to me. There was an upcoming art event in December, I saw it as an opportunity to show what I can do and to impress the artists I looked up to. When the day of the event had come, needless to say, it was successful.

I had earned the respect of my new friends and have continued to grow through our experiences. One thing I felt about the event for sure, I didn’t know if It was going to be ok, but all I could do was try and that’s one out of many things that keep me going.

Try try try, if you fail, try again, try again and again until you do it. That’s how I got to where I am today.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Its more of a roller coaster really. You have successful days, then you have horrible days.

One thing I learned is to always expect to fail, assume the worst might happen, then prepare for it. That usually braces you for when the hard times do come. Struggles for me usually had to do with money or thinking of new ideas to create but those are temporary struggles.

Please tell us about JimmyJamBoomBam.
I’d consider myself a Professional Amateur. There is always something new to learn when you’re in the art business.

Things I do include Murals, Wood Cuts, and Custom commission work. I specialize in Toons & Terror art Styles, from the sweet cute and cuddly to the Big Bad and Ugly.

I was proud to have the opportunity to work with great people such as King Of Pops and Orpheus Brewery. And got to collab with a the talented artist, Manic Lawd.

I’d like to consider myself as a Reasonable Artist. Art Prices can vary by so many things and there’s never a solid way to determine a cost for something. I work with my clients and try to be fair, whether it be a commission or just a regular Sale.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would do the exact same thing I’m doing right now, it would’ve been so great to have an even further head start in the art game and grow an even bigger name.

Pricing:

  • Commissions Usually Run No less than $100
  • For Wall Mural I usually Charge $10 per Square Foot

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Mark Burger (Of Mark Burger Photography)

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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