Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Dunham Jr.
Jerry, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. My early days were filled with Saturday morning cartoons, comics, video games, and countless drawings of my favorite superheroes, villains, and cartoon characters. Decades later, not much has changed. As a high school senior, I decided I wanted to become a visual storyteller. I received my bachelor’s degree in media art and animation while working as a caricature artist at a popular amusement park. I also took on freelance projects designing logos, t-shirts, comic books, video games, and book covers. I’m now primarily focusing on developing the Tuff Teddys brand. I create children’s books, posters, stickers, and look forward to producing a Tuff Teddys animation series.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think any creator’s journey is a walk in the park. Trial and error, self-doubt, and frustration are just a few words that come to mind. Some days inspiration hits hard, and other days, not so much. I find myself often relying on the advice of those that have had success in this industry; including Inktober challenge and short-story creator, Jake Parker’s mantra, “finish not perfect”, as well as my all-time favorite animation director, Lesean Thomas’ ted talk “Failing Your Way To Success.” On my “artistically challenged” days, I remind myself, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint – just keep moving forward one sketch at a time.”
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the JD Creative story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m a freelance illustrator and designer. I specialize in character development, storytelling, and world-building, but I’m a cartoonist at heart. I’m beginning to garner a fanbase and some notoriety for my Tuff Teddys artwork and storyline. The “Tuff Teddys” are teddy bears who join forces to make-up a secret organization designed to protect children from the evil deeds of boogie monsters.
My proudest moment so far was Black Comics Day 2019. I wrote, illustrated, published, and shared my first Tuff Teddys children’s book. The response was overwhelming. Receiving positive feedback and watching kids, parents, and peers enjoy my creations made the sleepless nights worthwhile. As an artist, my love for storytelling sets me apart from other illustrators. Typically, writers don’t illustrate their own stories and illustrators don’t write their own books – I do both. I enjoy coming up with characters and creating the worlds in which they live. These are my favorite parts of the creative process. We all have unique stories to tell and no two people can tell them the same.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe good luck is when preparation meets opportunity, and bad luck is when you’re unprepared for an opportunity when it presents itself. Whether in business or in life, a missed opportunity is a lesson learned and usually a hard one. You must ask yourself, “will I step up -or- make excuses?” It might not always work out as intended, but the greater the risk the bigger the reward.
One Sunday afternoon a friend and I decided to attend a local art show. It was at this show that I met Keithan Jones, owner, and founder of KID comics. He offered me a vendor table at Black Comics Day on the spot. Some would call that luck, but when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance, despite my inexperience and hesitation. Someone once said, when an opportunity presents itself, say “yes” then figure out how to do it. I had no idea what the outcome would be, but the opportunity rejuvenated my creativity and inspired me to further develop my brand. I pushed myself harder than ever before. Even with luck on your side, hard work is a must. Nonetheless, I would consider myself a very “lucky” man if everyone who reads this interview decided to follow me on Instagram @jerrydunhamjr.
Contact Info:
- Website: Here are links to my online stores where you can find some of my products.https://teespring.com/stores/jerrydunhamjr
https://www.etsy.com/shop/jerrydunhamjrTuff Teddys can also be found on Amazon.
- Email: theartofjerrydunhamjr@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrydunhamjr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartofjerrydunhamjr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jerrydunhamjr
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/jerrydunhamjr
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