Meet Jordan Owashi | Pressed Flower Artist, Marketer & Visual Designer.

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

Hi Jordan, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in San Diego, but I have strong Japanese roots and was fortunate to be surrounded by my immediate and extended family growing up, who all influenced me in one way or another. My mom was always helping me explore my creativity through arts and crafts growing up in any way possible. I remember when I was in fourth grade doing my mission project, most kids create a replica of their mission, but instead I wanted to sew a quilt with pictures of my mission printed on fabric. True to form, my mom helped me figure out how to make it work, and I got my A 🙂

My grandma on my dad’s side was also a huge influence. She was extremely creative and taught me things like crocheting, ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), cooking, and more. I think she’s also who gave me the travel bug – I remember her house was full of trinkets from places she visited. I’ll admit that I haven’t done proper ikebana in years, but I like to think that a lot of the principles she taught me influence my oshibana (Japanese art made with pressed flowers and other natural elements) work that I do today.

I think that growing up in a fourth generation Japanese American household was also a pretty big influence on me. In some ways, I always felt like I spanned being Asian, but not “being Asian enough” to some of my Asian friends – like my parents didn’t make us take off our shoes before coming into the house, which is one of the most typical things you’ll encounter in a “true Asian” household. I think another important thing to call out is that my grandparents were all interned during WWII, so when they were released, there was a mentality of assimilating – both being proud of their heritage while also adapting to American norms. I think this all fostered an environment for me where I could continue to explore my creativity openly, with support from my family. My parents were always so supportive, and I wasn’t pressured to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. I’ve dabbled in so many types of art, and while I love them all, I’ve found something special with my oshibana work. I didn’t even know about it until after I started making it (I guess that’s the fourth generation in me). It’s something that feels so natural and I definitely get sucked into my flow zone when I’m creating – hours feel like minutes. I think in some ways I was destined to discover it when the time was right.

The last part is my exposure to dogs. I don’t know if I was born a dog-lover, or if I became one because we always had dogs, but dogs are a very prominent theme in my artwork. I love creating them, doing pet portraits, really anything with a dog!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Though I’m dog person through and through, I always say I’m the cat with nine lives. My journey to art is certainly not linear. After getting my degree in costume design, I actually left the creative world for about 6 years to pursue a career in public relations for luxury travel, but eventually realized that I was missing a huge part of myself by not allowing myself to create.

I started small, watercoloring cards for people’s birthdays, and when I got engaged, I decided I was going to design everything for my wedding, including invites and signs. That led me to explore graphic design, which was a step in the right direction, but not exactly the right thing to fulfill what I was missing. Then the pandemic hit. I was out of a job, home all the time, and fortunately healthy, so I had energy to do things. That led me to digital illustration (I wanted to save paper), and trust me when I say, those early illustrations were horrible! To anyone just starting out, don’t feel bad if you want to throw out everything you’re doing. Just keep going!

I was so embarrassed to show my artwork to the world in these early days, that I made an Instagram account for my art, but didn’t tell anyone about it. My first step was to share it “secretly” with strangers. The simple act of posting my work online helped me grow my confidence. The vulnerability that comes with sharing your art with the world is the hardest thing for me to overcome. I still work on it every day. I still have the thoughts of “what if they don’t like it” every time I send a custom piece out. I don’t think that will ever go away, but it’s helped me to trust my gut and remember that someone is hiring me because they like my style, so do what feels right to me.

I went from digital illustration to watercolor and pastels, and now I’m making oshibana art, which is a Japanese style of using pressed flowers and natural elements to create pictures (though I’ve put my own spin on it). This art form feels so true to me. In some ways it’s like a puzzle, finding the exact right flower or petal to put somewhere. It’s become part of my daily routine to the point where if I go too many days without creating something, I don’t feel like myself.

Another challenge is feeling blocked or losing inspiration. I went through a few of those phases, and what always gets me out of it is creating something of my dog. He’s my biggest muse, and it always seems to pull me out. I’d say to anyone going through a rut, look around and just let the world inspire you. Don’t force it, it’ll come – trust it’ll come.

As many artists, I will always grow and evolve my work, but I’m just enjoying the process and taking advantage of the ride!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since starting to forage and press my own flowers, I’ve changed how I look at the world. I love finding hidden nature spots with cool leaves and flowers. So I’d probably want to get out of the city, maybe head to the desert or San Diego where there’s some open spaces to walk around and forage.

But in LA, I always love Venice Beach – you’ll never be bored and it’s a top people watching spot! Plus, it’s so dog-friendly, and I’m rarely seen without my dog.

I love KazuNori – it’s a hand roll spot in DTLA that’s owned by the same guy as Sugarfish. I used to live in the valley, so another favorite is Daichan, a great spot for homestyle Japanese food. I’m also a huge pasta-lover, and I love Tardino Bros in Pasadena – the shrimp pasta is my go-to, and definitely eat the garlic bread.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to dedicate this to my Grandma Aiko – she instilled in me the foundations of ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, which greatly influence my oshibana work today.

If I can choose two dedications, then also my dog, Yodi. He’s my biggest source of inspiration for my art, and no matter what’s going on, he’s always there for me.

Website: https://jordandawnowashi.etsy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanowashidesign/