Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Fremgen.
Hi Jordan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story as a designer and photographer starts around 15 years ago when I first moved to Nashville. I was 21 years old at the time, a fresh college dropout, and just trying to find my way in life. I used to tell people that moving to Nashville was my way of “starting over” since I went through a bit of hardship during that time, but now looking back I’d say my life truly began for the first time when I made the move.
At the time I honestly had no idea that design and photography would be my career one day, but I found a love for it very quickly in 2011 from serving on the media team at my local church. From there I found myself landing an internship with a local branding agency that would be pivotal in taking me from a design hobbyist to a creative professional.
After a few years into my professional career I definitely considered going back to college to really solidify my knowledge in the work I was doing, however things were moving quickly and it was one job in particular that helped me realize that my industry experience was enough.
In 2017 I accepted a position to be a high school design educator with Metro Nashville Public Schools where I developed and led a multi-level design/photography curriculum that aligned with Nashville State Community College’s design program, giving my students an opportunity to earn dual credits and industry certifications.
After a little over 4 years of teaching I finally decided to transition back to the design field full-time and since then I’ve just been maintaining that focus to never stop learning and never stop growing wherever my career takes me.
Today, I run a freelance brand and marketing business with an exciting side mission to soon launch a mentorship program for growing creatives.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It certainly has not been smooth. Being self-taught has definitely created a lot of challenges because I had to figure out how to look at each project (especially in the early days) as a lesson to teach myself something new, all while maintaining professionalism.
However, one challenge that still effects me today is being turned down for jobs solely because I don’t have a degree. I’ve even had employers tell me they won’t even look at my portfolio because of it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance graphic designer and photographer that specializes in brand and marketing strategy. I also have a love for education (given my background) and have a desire to give back to the creative community, which I believe is what sets me apart.
Over the past couple years, I have been working to launch a mentorship program for junior designers as well as those starting from the very beginning of their career. I know that I can’t replace the abundance of online tutorials available for free out there, so I tell people that my vision is not to replace that, however it’s more to help designers advance their careers through 1-on-1 coaching by providing actionable guidance to sharpen their skills and gain industry insight.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
It’s funny because the work I’ve done and the clients that I’ve had would not make it easy to guess that I am heavy metal vocalist in a band. Sometimes I wish I had positioned myself to do more work for the music scene that I enjoy so much, but that’s just not the way my career unfolded. I have a very clean professional side of my life and then a heavy metal side as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jordanfremgen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanfremgen
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanfremgen/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanfremgen
