Meet Jesse Draxler | Artist, Illustrator, Photographer, Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Draxler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I’ve never let giving up be an option. I set the age of 30 to be working for myself in a creative field, and while I missed that mark by a few years, I never gave up. I didn’t even know how I was going to be able to do that, I didn’t have a real plan, I just kept creating whatever it was that I felt like I wanted to create and I took opportunities for exposure whenever I had the chance. It was an uphill battle, especially while residing in the midwest where opportunity isn’t as readily available, but I never stopped. I had a sense that I could do it if I just wanted it bad enough, like I could will myself to happen.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I don’t have a lane per say. When people ask me what it is I do I tend to laugh because I don’t know how to answer the question in a succinct way. I say I’m an artist, a title I wasn’t comfortable holding until recently and still feels stiff sometimes, but it works for the purpose of answering the question. I create images. Sometimes the images are for myself and sometimes the images are for other people or companies. I go about making the images in a wide variety of ways – collage, painting, photography, drawing, and digital applications. Sometimes the images exist as physical objects that range in size from very large to very small. Sometimes the images exist in a finished state only digitally. From time to time I show the images in a gallery.
When creating the main thing I try to do is entertain myself, both in process as well as visually. By entertain I mean I want to feel something from what I am doing, regardless of who or what it is for. In that way I put a meaningful piece of myself into every single thing I do.
It’s very much about mood, the mood is the first thing I think about when going into creating something. I don’t see visuals in my mind or have elaborate ideas, I just try to feel something.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hit Taco Loco in Laguna for the Seabass tacos. Crystal Cove, and Victoria Beach with the castle over there as well. François Ghebaly Gallery near Vernon, along with Nicodim and Vielmetter since we over off Santa Fe already. The Last Book Store. Lunch in Lil Tokyo. Maybe the Moca depending on what’s exhibiting.
Rancho Palos Verdes around dawn for the coves and tide pools. Fog is a bonus depending on the time of year.
Hiking in Topenga and hit the beautiful Lake Shrine at the Self Realization Fellowship while over that way.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a friend, Sasoon Markarian, who let me use a portion of his studio gratis when I first moved to Los Angeles about 7 years ago. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have been able to make the move with my practice in tact. He’s the kindest dude to everyone in his life, so much love and respect for him.

Website: jessedraxler.com

Instagram: instagram.com/jessedraxler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesseDraxler

Image Credits
Evan Dunning