Photo by Skyler Fike
Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Rogers.
Jeff, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started college as a music major playing drums and percussion. I got into that through playing music in school. It was my dream to play in the drumline at the University of North Texas (best drumline in the world!). I passed the audition and played at UNT, but as that first semester went on, I came to the realization that I was probably going to have to be a band director or doing session work or tours that I might not really want to do. So, I changed my mind and decided that I could always play the music I wanted to on the side, but my first love was art. Ever since I could hold a pencil, I was drawing. My grandmother was a really good painter and did these beautiful Southwest style landscapes in oil. She taught me how to paint when I was really young. It stuck. I decided to change my major to communication arts and I transferred to Abilene Christian University, which is about three hours west of Dallas. I finally settled on a graphic design my junior year, I realized I should probably “learn the computer” if I wanted to make a living. I didn’t really know what graphic design was until then, but once I got into the program, I just fell in love with it. I still kept taking music and painting classes that I didn’t really need for my major, but I just felt like I needed to keep doing it for some reason. In hindsight, I am glad I did that. I’ve learned that there is a lot to gain from a variety of experiences.
After graduation, I worked several different jobs in Dallas. My wife and I moved to New York in 2008 where I got a job at an advertising agency called SpotCo creating posters for Broadway Theatre. I was there for three years working for the legendary Gail Anderson. That was crazy. That first year, I felt like I was about to die every day, but I learned so much. I didn’t know what was going on or how to do it. I questioned every decision I made. It was stressful, but I knew I was learning because Gail and the others would steer me in the right direction. Things were much more comfortable after that first year and I found myself getting better really fast. I left SpotCo in 2011 to open up my own studio. Gail and some other designers had left, things were changing at the agency, and I was getting a lot of work on my own outside of SpotCo. At that point, I felt like I knew what I was doing at the agency. I don’t like that feeling. I want to always feel like I’m a fish out of water—like I’m out of my element. I learned that at UNT walking through the halls of the practice rooms and listening to all the drummers practicing —I’d never heard anything like it. It expanded my thinking and made me realize that there’s so far to go. Going out on my own was always something I wanted to do even though it terrified me—that made me think I’d better do it. It took me a year to finally jump ship and do it because it was so scary, but it’s been amazing. I worked from my studio in Brooklyn until this past November when my family and I moved back to Dallas. We ended up having two kids in NYC, something we never thought we would do when we moved there. One kid felt hard but doable, but when that second kid came along… OOF. It’s a hard city with kids and no family support. All our friends were moving away from the city, my work got to the point where no one really cared I was in NYC anymore. So, we moved back, bought our first house and I got a studio at Tyler Station in Oak Cliff. Life is good!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A smooth road?! Who wants THAT?! Obstacles and challenges are what gives meaning and fulfillment to life. I try to embrace them because I know that by overcoming challenges, I will learn something new and that is the point to all of this I think.. at least one of the points. The cool thing about being in a creative field is that there is no limit to what you can learn and achieve. So, yeah, there have been obstacles and challenges. The most notable ones would be moving to NYC, the transitions from surviving to thriving in NYC, quitting my secure job to pursue my own work, health insurance (UGH), getting used to “the slow months”, moving back to Texas, etc. Then, there are the constant struggles of self-doubt, constantly comparing myself with other peers, the false sense of self-worth that comes from social media, running a business and supporting my family, but most of all, trying to be the best husband and father I can be.
I think making bold, risky moves in life whether that is changing a job, moving to or even just visiting a new place, or committing to spend the time to pursue a new interest is so important. It’s only when we can step into unknown territory that we discover new things about ourselves and the world around us.
Please tell us more about your work.
I am a graphic designer and illustrator running a small studio in Oak Cliff. I take on a variety of assignments ranging from everything to spot illustrations for The New York Times, to huge murals on the sides of buildings. Most of my work centers around the use of illustrative lettering and typography but I do a good amount of design projects like branding and packaging. I feel very lucky and grateful to have been able to work on my own for the last seven years after leaving the advertising world. I think what sets my work apart is that I try to embrace a variety of solutions to the design problems I am asked to solve, whether that’s picking up a paintbrush or clicking a mouse. Being back in Dallas is amazing and I have a totally different perspective now after being in NYC for the last decade. My goal for my work moving forward is to be focused on the city of Dallas. I would love to just to work for local Dallas businesses and help make a positive impact on the community where I live and work. Dallas is a cool and exciting town and I’m glad I get to live here again!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
When I first graduated from college with my brand new BFA in graphic design, I promptly went on tour playing drums for Aaron Watson for about a year, then I got a “real job” using my degree. It wasn’t a great job but it did teach me a lot, as most first jobs do. I was there for about three and a half years. Those last couple of years were tough because I knew I needed to get better but I was put in charge of the design team there since I was kinda the only person who had any motivation to do good work. But I had no mentor. I was under the impression that my work had to be perfect before I showed it to anyone. That couldn’t have been more wrong. I finally realized that if I wanted to get better, I was going to have to show my imperfect work to some people who knew what they were doing so they could tell me how to get better. Doing this changed my life! I wish I would have started talking to people and collecting advice much sooner in my career. But I didn’t and that’s ok too. If I did, maybe I wouldn’t understand the value of reaching out and connecting with people. The trick is to learn from our past and to move forward with where we are right now. No use dwelling on past mistakes or wondering “what would have happened if.” Move forward! Also, I think a lot of times, especially these days with social media, we stop ourselves from reaching out for advice from people we look up to because we are a little bit obsessed with making everyone think we’ve got it all together. That is a lie we need to stop believing. I’ve learned that if I can put my insecurities and weaknesses out there instead of hiding them, I can be way more efficient at working on those areas and improving at whatever it is I’m doing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1300 S. Polk St. STE. 243
Dallas, TX 75224 - Website: howdyjeff.com
- Phone: 2148022506
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frogers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howdyjorf
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas 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.
