Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Cooper.
Hi Jordan , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story really begins with healing, but before I understood that, I was honestly just trying to do my best.
I spent a lot of my life following what my parents and the people around me, told me I should and shouldn’t be doing. I was stubborn and determined, but I also found myself doing things I didn’t actually want to do because, I was trying to figure out how to be accepted and how to achieve the happiness I thought I was supposed to have.
Fast forward, for about five years I lived in Austin, Texas, where I worked for myself, partied and honestly had a lot of fun. I was giving myself more permission to just be me, to live in the moment and experience life outside of the expectations I’d grown up with. In some ways, I felt like I was getting closer to the happiness I had been searching for.
But underneath that freedom, I was still hiding parts of myself, and I was also engaging in things that were hurting me. My dependency on pain medication, along with alcohol, eventually brought me to a low that forced me to take an honest look at myself and the way I was living. As difficult as that period was, I don’t think I would have rebuilt my relationship with myself without reaching that point.
That was when I realized I didn’t want to live a lie anymore.
I didn’t want to keep performing a version of myself that was acceptable to everyone else while abandoning the person I actually was. I wanted to become a healed, healthier, more confident, stable, responsible version of myself and I wanted to be that person whether anyone was watching, judging, pointing at me, or making fun of me.
That’s when healing really began…
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not smooth at all lol.
I’ve had more struggles come from myself than from the external world. A lot of my biggest battles have been with my own choices, patterns, fears, insecurities and the ways I’ve sometimes gotten in my own way. I’ve had to learn that healing isn’t just about what happened to you, it’s also about being honest about how you respond to what happened to you.
I’ve had to face parts of myself that I didn’t necessarily want to look at, take responsibility for the ways I’ve contributed to my own struggles, and learn how to stop abandoning myself in the process. There have been some really difficult moments, but each one has forced me to become more honest with myself and more intentional about the person I want to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional life is honestly a mix of a few different things. I still work for myself, I do work in the experiential marketing field and I create content (@jenuinejordy) as an outlet to express myself, explore my creativity, and connect with people who resonate with the things I’m learning and experiencing.
I don’t really think I’m “known” for one specific thing yet, and I’m actually okay with that. I’m still becoming and figuring out what my work looks like as I grow.
One of the things I’m most proud of is singing again. I’ve started writing my own songs and learning how to record them in GarageBand. I’m still learning, but I love hearing my own voice carry a message that I needed to hear myself. I’ve started building a library of songs that I eventually want to share with other people on my Patreon at Jenuine Jordy.
I’m also really proud that I haven’t given up on myself or my healing. There have been times when I’ve felt incredibly lonely, and creating—especially my songs—has helped me move through those moments. A big part of why I want to share them (my songs) is because I hope they can help someone else the way they’ve helped me.
What sets me apart is that I’m not really trying to fit into a category. I’m being myself. At the core, I’m someone who wants to encourage people to be themselves, trust themselves, and come back to themselves always. And if what I create and who I am reminds them of that then I’ve done my job.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like most about Lubbock is that there are a lot of niche communities, and when you find your people, they can be really welcoming. I’ve met some really cool people here, and I’ve also met people who weren’t necessarily my people, which I think is true anywhere.
What I like least is probably that it can be easy to feel like there isn’t much going on if you aren’t willing to explore and put yourself out there. But, honestly I think that’s true of almost anywhere you live too lol. A lot of how much you enjoy a place depends on whether you’re willing to discover what’s actually there and create a life within it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenuinejordy?stkn=ODhhNW5jNjFpN3h1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EpxZ4LoB5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jenuinejordy?si=gQr_AFer0riP-IKZ
