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

Hi Jorgen, what matters most to you?
I believe character is more important than reputation. I have always tried my hardest to be true to myself in both my work and my life. It’s all personal when you’re a creative. I hope my reputation is built off of people knowing my character, hopefully enjoying it, and want to work it that again and again. I thrive off of working with people who stand for something and offer that into their work and the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A lesson I learned along the way is to tinker in anything that catches your eye. If you like something, make it a hobby, read a book about it, pull out your sewing machine from middle school and make that something you want, damn it! It will not only enhance your life but also your soul as a creative. Especially this year! When there isn’t much pressure to work as a creative (because there isn’t much work to do, help!) I am trying go back to WHY I started a career as a creative in the first place, before my rent depended on it – when I dance and acted for FUN. It’s not easy every day to feel inspired or hopeful right now, but I am trying utilize this year to create for the love of it again. A lesson I am now currently learning about myself and my career. She’s such a journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My FAVORITE is when @chlobrud / @chloeheartsart comes to visit me, my Sat Lake sweetheart. She has been making trips out to me since 2016 and we have our week perfectly mapped out at this point. I live near both Alfred’s Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee so we start our mornings with a walk around the cute studio city neighborhoods and go for a Alfred’s iced Latte or a New Orleans-styled cold brew from Blue Bottle. We spend our afternoons shopping every thrift store in the valley. Our two top areas to shop are Ventura Blvd. in Studio City and Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank. There are SO many shops and good finds but I have to shout out @ChanceVintage on Ventura and @Best.Friend.Central on Magnolia. Both are perfectly curated and I love the owners of both! Chance is a sportwear, 90’s – 2000’s, and good denim heaven. Best Friend Central has the perfect feminine, glamour vintage that begs for a night out dressed up with the girls. Another must is going into The Real Real on Melrose the luxury vintage consignment store to see our two of our favorite stylists (and best friends!) @oliviakalae and @laurennnwilliams who are fashion forces. We love to do rooftop bar for a Diet Coke with lime and a snack before getting back to get ready for dinner in our new thrift fits. Last and most importantly we love our girlfriend dinners with @nataliethewolfqueen, and again Olivia and Lauren. On our last trip we hit Gracias Madre, Rosaline and Mama’s Shelter. Also, a night of takeout from Jon and Vinnys while watching the Lakers is a must with Natalie. Good friends, good fits, good food. I’d say we do trips pretty good!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
YES. I grew up loving the importance of community that church gave me, when I moved to LA I wanted to build a community that worked for myself and others. A long time friend of mine was beginning her company You Got This, Girl! which was created to cultivate a community both in person and online for women and I jumped on board as an intern when it all began in 2016 and I’ve spent 3 years as a Creative Producer since. I’ve gotten incredibly close with the women who I get to do this with and they really have been a support system to me in life and we truly have been able to bring to life some pretty incredible events along the years. I am so grateful to be apart of creating a community for ALL women to better themselves and support each other.

Website: www.jorgenmakena.com
Instagram: Airjorgen

Image Credits
Art of gals dinner by @chlobrud / @chloeheartsart Last two photos courtesy of @JoandJax

Nominate someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.