**[Jordyn Owens](https://www.cohart.com/jordynowens/profile)** is a self-taught artist based in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been featured on prominent platforms such as The Today Show and PBS, showcasing his unique artistic voice and dedication to his craft.

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##### Can you describe your artistic process? 

I wouldn't say that I really have a process; it very much varies from piece to piece. One thing that does seem to stay consistent is the way that ideas for things pop up. I'll be walking around, or reading, or sitting around with friends and I'll get the idea (the basic outline of a painting). I write that down and let it sit around in my head for a bit—could be the same day, could be months later, who cares—and then I start putting that outline on the canvas. From there, things change all the time. Sometimes it becomes a completely different painting than the one I was thinking of. 

As far as technique goes, I don't have one; in fact, I am very lacking in technique. Through messing around the last few years I've found a couple of things that work for me and eventually I'd like to learn more about painting technique and color theory but at the same time I liked finding all this on my own. It allows me to personalize my paintings and sketches. 

##### What materials do you typically use?

I use acrylic for almost all of my paintings. I've done two gouache paintings, and then when I'm sketching, I just use a bic pen in the back of my journal.

##### What message or emotion do you hope to convey through your art? 

I want to have people feel anything besides apathy, literally anything. Just feel something. I am not a fan of nihilism. I want people to have a thirst for life. It depresses me that so many people have lost any type of desire to live, to feel, to be curious about stuff. So many people are so sure of everything, and yet so anxious. It’s a paradox, and I believe it stems from apathy.

##### What role does spontaneity versus planning play in your creative process?

The only planning I do is the initial idea I have. When I get to the canvas I have a vague idea of what feelings and thoughts I'm trying to express, but then once things get started they are constantly changing. I'm adding and subtracting things all the time. I like it that way. Having it all pre-planned stops me from making anything in the first place.

##### Can you discuss a piece that challenged you both technically and conceptually?

I'm currently working on a piece inspired by the hellscape in Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights," and it has been difficult to figure out how to show the thoughts in my head. I know what I'm trying to say but don't know how to form that into a painting, and that's okay, it'll come with time. 

I have no formal training in art so my knowledge of technique and color theory is only what I've stumbled upon through making stuff. With a piece this large and detailed, it creates a huge challenge for me to be able to differentiate sections of the painting through light and shadow. 

##### Can you share a specific project or piece that holds special significance for you? Why is it important?

There are three pieces that I've done over the last year or so that are sort of connected. "L'Evade," "Loud Thoughts, Quiet Desperation," and "My Self Improvement Journey." They have a little cheeky throughline that holds significance to me, I don't want to say why, but on the other hand they hold significance to me because I see that throughline daily in people's lives.

##### How do you handle feedback on your work?

I'm very open to feedback and suggestions. If I think they are valid, I listen. If not, I store it away; one day what that person said might ring true and help,  even if right now I thought it was a stupid suggestion. Ya never know. I hope I never get to a point where I'm so sure of myself. I'll probably be making some really boring, lifeless stuff if that's the case. Also I'd probably be a nightmare to be around. 

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Jordyn Owens is a self-taught Brooklyn artist whose unique voice blends spontaneity and raw emotion, inspiring viewers to feel deeply.

Spotlight: Jordyn Owens on Finding Creativity in Chaos and Curiosity

Spotlight: Jordyn Owens on Finding Creativity in Chaos and Curiosity

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