Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Fraker.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I suppose as a kid, I was as creative as any other. I loved to draw and I especially enjoyed legos and building blocks. I had this bag of rudimentary wooden building blocks (the bag was appropriately labeled “BAG O’ BLOCKS”) and would make cities from the simple pieces. Even as a young kid, I’ve always found great joy in building environments. As I got older, I started getting into drawing a bit more, and was also drawn to baseball, and then later on to skateboarding. What I was able to do creatively with skateboarding was far beyond what I could do in baseball, as it really wasn’t about being a team player or any sort of true fundamentals. It was there I learned that the mind body connection was very real, and it gave me something to sink my teeth into. It gave me a voice, much more than any other art form previously had given me.
When it was time to start high school, my mother insisted that I explore and expand my artistic side, so she enrolled me into an art magnet school. Not Booker T though, I was enrolled into Richardson High School. Their art magnet program had just been installed, and that’s where I met some fantastic people and learned much more about the creative process. Mrs. Krusleski was our teacher for all my time there, she was our dedicated magnet teacher for the program. She was just the right amount of lax and inspiring, allowing us to be us and to work on what we wanted and when we wanted. My time there was spent trying to figure out what my voice was with visual art, where I tried all sorts of painting mediums, ceramics, printmaking, collage, etc. I wasn’t very good. My head wasn’t in it yet, but in hindsight I learned what was most important. The quality of my work then was horrible, but I had then at least become a part of an artistic family. I was able to see the growth of my peers. I was able to finally see that this could really be something if I could find my voice, find my medium, and continue to grow.
When applying for college, not a single art school I applied for accepted me, but again, my work wasn’t great. My artist statement was even worse. I decided to enroll at Collin County Community College, now known as Collin College. I was nonplussed about being there at first, and my memory of that first week is extremely foggy. I had just come back from a trip to New York, London, and Paris, a graduation present from my mother. I took a point and shoot camera with me. It was the most pictures I’d ever taken and I liked it. It inspired me to enroll in Photo 101 at the college, just as a “what the heck” throw away class. I did not expect that I’d meet my mentor there and become completely overwhelmed with the potential that photography held. Gary Bishop was my first professor, and he showed me the way. I will be forever thankful for him and his guidance. I was there at CCCC for two years and applied to art school again, this time as a photography major. I was accepted into the San Francisco Art Institute.
Not to be confused with The Art Institute of San Francisco (yes, they really are two different schools), SFAI is one of the oldest, most prestigious, and frankly uptight art programs in the country. My time there was just barely well spent, as I was still exploring a new medium that I’d discovered only a few years before. I went there from 2002-2005… right before the world of photography went fully digital. Just about everything I learned, from a technical standpoint, has served me little to no good. Honestly, the real thing I learned in art school: “Here’s everything that’s been done in the art world… and here’s all the reasons why you probably won’t be remembered.” I found it to be arbitrarily ruthless, cliquey, and antiquated. I only had a handful of professors there that I connected with, if only on a surface level, but I did not build the same relationships there that I’d hoped. For what it’s worth, my time in San Francisco was mostly about the city and not very much about obtaining my BFA in Photography. The city and the people I came to know and love was the true experience I treasure, no offense to the professors. They just seemingly appeared to view me as future competition, and I resented them for cloaking their true selves in the name of the school’s prestige.
After school was done and I’d received my degree… whew. Lots of interesting gigs and jobs. With one of them, I was a salaried in-house photographer for a language learning company, not unlike Rosetta Stone. Main difference was the company that hired me didn’t want stock images, they wanted me to travel and shoot anything and everything I could. I’ve worked at small portrait studios where I began learning Studio flash systems and lighting. And most recently, I was one of the founding members of a small nationwide company specializing in affordable commercial/executive portraits. I was with them for 8 years. I left that company in February.
Today, I work as a Professional Photographer here in Dallas. More than a few career lily pads were stomped along the way to where I currently am, but I’m proud to say that I’m now 100% freelance, specializing in portraits. Anything with people, I’ll shoot it and hopefully shoot it well. I’ve been doing it all now for almost 20 years. If I told you how many people I’ve worked with, you probably wouldn’t believe me!
Please tell us about your art.
I’m a storyteller, plain and simple. The medium of photography, as bastardized as it is these days, is a fantastic medium for someone with the gumption to tell elaborate, exaggerated, boastful, or fibbed stories. No photograph ever taken, EVER, is a 100% accurate representation of that person/place/thing. Learning photography is learning the art of visual storytelling through light, that’s really it. There’s an old phrase, that I’m going to butcher: Photography is a medium that so few truly master, and that any fool can engage in. Photography is a language that’s not spoken via the camera, it’s spoken via the eye. The camera is just there to grab it and turn it into something 2-d. I actually treat my gear quite poorly, which is a habit I should break, but I suppose that just goes to show how I feel about Photography vs. Storytelling.
Now don’t get me wrong, I mean I absolutely love Photography. It is the medium for me and I hope that I get to do it until the day I die. We’ve had our ups and downs, Photo and I, and I’ve had my spells where I didn’t even want to look at a camera, and certainly didn’t want to look at some other asshole’s pictures. Luckily, I’m currently riding quite the creative wave and, as with any artist, I’m constantly searching for way to cultivate and contain that internal creative process. My process is sort of a short one. I am very easily visually stimulated by all things, be it cinema, live theater, illustration, graphic design, and of course other people’s photographs. I’m mostly inspired by real life and by light. I soak in what I need to, my brain just sort of has its way of filtering it down to what I need to retain. And when I come up with a conceptual project to tackle, be it for personal or professional reasons, I don’t have to spend much time coming up with the concept. A one frame story. Sometimes a multi-frame story. But my vision is always to have each image stand alone. While I’m shooting, I respond to light mainly, followed by facial expressions and the impact of the situation. Getting the decisive moment… that’s the name of the game.
For work, as a portrait specialist, each client has a story to tell, whether they inform me of their vision or not. And most times, I really don’t have a lot of time to uncover what their story really is anyways. But, it’s ok, because people wear their stories, their goals, their fears, their past… it’s all worn on their faces. It’s in their eyes, their posture, their hair, their clothing. I don’t consider it profiling, really, though I suppose that’s sort of how it comes across. To me, people are who they’re meant to be, who they’ve designed themselves to be, and they hold themselves as such, based on the circumstances in their life. Categorically, there are only so many different personality types, and though I can’t name them all, I know them when I see them. I photograph my clients this way. I let them be who they want to be, what they want to show, and obviously who I’d like to see them be.
My personal work is a different animal. I’m not even sure I can fully explain what I’m trying to do with my life’s work except I’m just trying to document my life. Most of the time, I shoot first and ask questions later. I’ve asked myself a million times, “So… do you know what you’re trying to say yet?”…. and my answer to myself is always, “I don’t think so.” And that’s ok. It’ll make sense when it does. Photographs eventually have a historical significance to them, regardless of intention or execution. I believe the importance of my personal photographs can’t be assumed or steered toward any one message I feel currently explains my life. My favorite philosophy I live by: “There’s too many things to care about in this life. Pick your things, let everything else go.” I sort of wish more people felt the same way, but unfortunately there’s a lot of pressure on society to have a hard and fast opinion on every topic. And as an artist… I won’t force the matter on what I’m trying to say. I’m telling the story of my life in real time, I don’t need to know what the punchline is yet. Taking images that satisfy my visual cravings and encompass a facet of my life, that’s all I’m trying to do (as of today) with my personal work.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
The creative process isn’t something that’s easily ignored, and art is all around us all the time. I guess if there’s someone reading this and they’re wondering how they can accomplish what they have in their mind with a major lack of funds, you just got to find a way to adapt. Sell DVD’s and books, consider a different medium, execute where you can. Not to be crass, but I’d be flabbergasted if I ever heard someone with something burning inside them say “I sure would like to make art, but I don’t have any money.” Having very little money is almost part of the equation when you’re beginning.
I’m not one to talk, however. Photography is a rich man’s hobby and a poor man’s career. I’ve met very few truly successful photographers that did not come from money. I did not come from money. Money has always been something odd and elusive to me and anything I’ve learned about to how to manage it, I’ve really only learned from personal experience. My parents have attempted to teach me what little they know, but no offense to them…they aren’t artists. There have been times where I’ve made so much money, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed like it would never stop, like I’d really made it. And then shortly after that, broke as a joke, wondering how bills were going to get paid.
But I digress…. back to the potential creative individual still reading this that has financial hardships…. In today’s modern age, you have several options at your fingertips to get creativity out. There’s a girl I follow on Instagram that exclusively does self-portraits with her phone (they aren’t just selfies) and layers illustrations over them. They’re beautiful and all done from her phone. Truly, our computers and devices are the only thing you need to be creative. They are, after all, our primary means for communication now. Art is communication, and if you have a story to tell… you have a number of ways to get it out and in front of people.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Well, I’d like to think you’ve actually seen several photos I’ve taken already, but that’s probably wishful thinking. I’m afraid I don’t have any shows or exhibitions in the works at the moment. My work is frequently updated on my website, though:
I try to upload daily to my Instagram account, where I’ll combine my personal and professional work. Seems silly to split the two, in my humble opinion, so until further notice, all of my most current work can be viewed there:
https://www.instagram.com/frakerphoto
You can also add me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/frakerphoto
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jordanfraker.com
- Email: jordanfraker@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/frakerphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/frakerphoto
Image Credit:
All images: © Jordan Fraker Photography
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