Life & Work with Jon Evans

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Evans.

Hi Jon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I got my start while I was in college. Toward the end of my time in school, I began to network, and I found myself working in my field in no time. I would go as far as making cold emails and phone calls to get the attention of people I looked to be working alongside and working with. I became an intern for Serve Studios in Columbus, GA, for a while. After that, I began a job at my school at CVCC as a graphic design assistant to the Head of the Art Department, Christine Cannon, who has been a great friend along the way. This led to a full-time job at the Columbus State University, where I got to experience the other end of design: printing. While I was working in print at the University, I began to build a portfolio of work and reach out to many different businesses that would need the service of a graphic designer. I’d like to add that once I got that first payment for my services, I thought back to a time when I was told, “No one will pay you just to draw for them.” Boy, oh boy, they were wrong! 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was never a smooth road. Even though I was getting work in a creative field, I was still going through something. This was around the time I had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. So, as people were telling me how proud they were or how lucky I was, I was constantly hooked up to IV machines and getting MRIs and fluid off my spine. I felt like a lab rat being tested on. Even in the later years, things began to get even better, like landing what you thought was your dream job. Once you have some money and everything you complained about before you had it, you are stuck looking at yourself. And looking at myself, I found depression and anxiety. I wasn’t sleeping, and everything in my head began to leak into my life. It was weird, it felt like the training wheels of life came off and there I was to keep things steady. I contemplated things that probably wouldn’t have me doing this interview today. I overindulged in things that could lead to God knows what. But these things are just obstacles, and we eventually get over them and proceed onto the road ahead. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So, I work as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. I’ve been doing this for about 7 years now. I’ve designed for local businesses and have done work within the film industry. I also illustrate book covers and do editorial illustrations. As far as design goes, I am looking to cater to a specific group of industries. The industries I look to cater to are film, music, and local businesses and communities. I’ve done a few movie posters that came from word of mouth after the first film poster I did for a filmmaker by the name of Alan Brooks. Sometimes, all you need is that one seed to be planted in order to grow what you need. Atlanta is the place for networking, especially for creatives. Aside from that, I also do personal projects that I am looking to add to shows. As far as what I am most proud of? I would say myself. I remain consistent and always do what I say I am going to do. I make promises to myself, and I always follow through. What sets us all apart is the individual itself. Everyone is different in their own way. Even down to your interests and personality. I am very transparent with my life, my mind, and my passion for my work. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Creating makes me happy. The ability to let your imagination go wild on paper, canvas, or whatever you may have is freedom. Freedom is happiness to me. In a world where it seems like everything around us sucks, I am able to just lock in and create my own world straight from my mind and right onto paper. My freedom is my happiness. My quiet time is my happiness. 

Contact Info:

• Website: jonjerrellevans.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverlearnedtoswim/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-evans-381735165/

Image Credits
Cleveland Dixon