“Slow down, find beauty in the mundane, find moments of play”
Meet Jordan Slater. Jordan is a 2020 graduate of Illustration and Painting at Marywood. This inspiring woman proves that even though your life is seemingly planned out, one trip can change your entire perspective. Jordan is proof that a change of scenery can be the beginning to a new journey you never saw coming! Continue reading to see how a plane ticket to Italy opened new doors for a Marywood Alumni.
In school, Jordan went above and beyond her classroom studies, by getting involved in clubs like Zeta Omicron Kappa Pi, Delta Epsilon Sigma, and serving as an annual student Orientation Leader. Currently, she still an overachiever as she is an adjunct instructor here at Marywood University in the School of Architecture, a graduate student working towards her Masters in Architecture, a painter, and a freelance designer. She just started her job as a Foundation Design Adjunct Instructor, and has also held teaching positions with AIE NEPA/PAEP along side various design jobs.
What was your favorite part about studying Art at Marywood?
I think the best choice I ever made was to take part in the study abroad program in Florence, Italy as well as the Venice/Padua study tour lead by Mark Weber and Ryan Ward. Italy continues to be a source of inspiration for me. My semester in Florence was one of my favorite semesters. I took some amazing classes like Fresco painting and visited so many cities on some art history trips. I am so grateful I was able to do that here.
I think one of the other great things about Marywood were the connections I was able to make. I still stay in touch with some of the faculty members and they’ve been able to offer advice, chat about art and life, as well as write the occasional letter of recommendation. I was able to pursue many job opportunities through these connections.
How did your art education at Marywood help your career?
I think Marywood really helped expose me to a variety of ways of making. I never felt like anything was off limits. I was able to develop a great studio practice during my time in the Advanced Painting classes. There were plenty of opportunities for experimentation and discovery.
My illustration classes really allowed me to push my rendering skills and become proficient at a variety of programs and techniques. This helped me be able to easily pick up any new software that I needed to learn as a part of my design career.
What attracted you to this career path?
For teaching, it was something that I was always doing even before I started at Marywood. I used to teach at a local dance studio in high school. While in school and after, l had the opportunity to continue teaching for different organizations and offer private painting and drawing classes. Even when I had other full-time jobs, I always had time to teach. I am really thrilled to be back teaching in the community here at Marywood.
As for Architecture, it has been a very windy and not always clear path, but looking back, it feels like I’ve come full circle. As the daughter of a contractor, architecture was always in the back of my mind. I think I was always deeply aware of how spaces can influence us. Going to Florence and exploring various places really helped solidify these ideas. When I returned for my last semester as an undergraduate, I started making paintings about memory and place. Post graduation, I found myself working on various projects that used my illustration skills to visualize spaces in the built environment. Everything kept pushing me towards this path. After three years of these experiences, I decided to go back to school for my masters.
Did your career path match your vision of a career path? What is different?
I thought I had my whole life planned out at 18 when I stepped onto campus for the first time, but I most certainly did not. I was exposed to many methods of making and creativity. The semester abroad in Italy especially influenced me. Eventually I found something that allowed me to combine my interests, skills, and ideas. I think if I’ve learned anything it’s to go with the flow and see where life takes you. Don’t treat anything as if its set in stone.
What is your favorite thing about your current job?
My studio practice gives me opportunities to focus on problems and find a creative solution. Hands on
making, allows me to get into a creative flow state. Nothing else matters then. Just making. I love
stepping back at the end and seeing what I was able to accomplish.
My students always have new and fresh ideas. It challenges me to be open to different was of thinking,
and how I can help them pursue different ideas. The students are always keeping me on my toes. I learn
a great deal from them as much as they learn from me.
Are you currently working on any interesting side projects?
Between teaching and finishing my degree, I don’t always have a lot of spare time. However, I am
currently working on taking a detail from my Materials and Methods class last fall and casting it in
bronze. For the class, I created a 3D print, but it was supposed to originally be bronze. I have done a
small test pour and now I am going back into the 3D model to make some adjustments. I think it is the
coolest thing ever. I loved every part of the process, and seeing the piece in the right material is so
satisfying. I am really impatient though and definitely tried to take the piece out of the mold before it
was cooled properly.
What are some of the biggest rewards in your career?
I love seeing when a concept “clicks” for a student. It has been amazing to be able to watch a student’s
progress over time. Its one of my favorite things about teaching.
What is something that would surprise people about your day-to-day?
The amount of coffee I consume! The time I spend on process and working through problems away from my desk. With the number of things I have to accomplish in a day, it might seem like I’m glued to the chair in my studio, but I find that my best ideas come from taking a break and experiencing other things. I usually have a breakthrough moment while doing something that appears unrelated, but evidently becomes very important.
What inspires you?
I find inspiration in just about everything. Here are some of the highlights: Nature, waterfalls, rocks, moss, walking through Italy, wandering on the cobblestone streets, getting lost, Richard Serra’s Torqued Ellipses, spaces that confuse me, sounds, smells, light, shadows, materials, thresholds, painters, churches in Italy, the way materials come together, the Siena Duomo, dappled light.
Anything else you would like to share?
I always knew when I was deciding where to go to college that Marywood felt like home. It was so
natural to belong at Marywood, that I took it for granted. It was only after starting my master’s
somewhere else, that I realized how important that community and sense of belonging was.
Any advice for current art students at Marywood?
- Go to Italy at least once! ….It doesn’t matter how much it costs, it will be worth it.
- Slow down, find beauty in the mundane, find moments of play.
- Don’t take anything/yourself too seriously.
- Document everything in your sketchbook, don’t leave the house without it. Practice drawing a mark everyday.
- Treat the studio/design practice seriously. Doing a little bit every day matters more than spending lots of time on one thing all at once.
- Go to every art show/opening/concert/performance. Draw inspiration from everywhere. Do things outside the studio, take breaks and go for walks.
Jordan is one of those people who sees the world from a different point of view. She immerses herself in anything and everything she can. After just talking to her for a short amount of time and reading about her life, she inspired me to take a more open approach to life and the turns it throws at you. Even when she is not teaching, she still has a way of showing people new things and ideas. I hope you too have learned somethings about life and inspiration from Jordan!
To take a peak into her unique and creative life, check out her Instagram!
Thanks for reading ~Kelsey Green