Name: Jason Robert Williams
Birthday: 06/04/1979
1. Where are your family roots from? Ireland to Australia to New Zealand—also British and Scottish…so white.
2. How have your parents/guardian influenced you? Hmmm, how have they not!? My Mom was always very creative though she didn’t make her living that way—she always supported my intentions of being a creative professional. She was a true maker. She also taught me to be humble. My Dad taught me to work hard and to play hard, but to make time for both. Very honest, respectful and good humored people.
3. Can you remember your earliest childhood memory of happiness and that of fear? Man, you’re making me dig deep here. I think seeing E.T. for the first time embodied both those experiences.
4. Is there something in your life that you feel very passionate about? I feel very passionate about many things, my wife and kids being at the top of the list. I’ve always been very empathetic, almost to a fault. I feel my way through life.
5. If you could be any animal, what animal would that be? plant? and insect? why? This feels like a setup but what the hell:
American Bison: I like to think of it as my spirit animal. I’m fascinated by their strength and social behaviors, blah blah blah. They’re an American icon.
Honey Bee: Again—fascinated by their social behavior and hierarchy. Though, I wouldn’t want to be a male honey bee.
Cannabis: Duh!
6. What is it about being an Artist/graphic designer that keeps you satisfied for it to be your career? A creative’s work is never done. My job as a designer is to problem solve and there are an infinite number of solutions to a problem—that’s what interests me. It’s the old stereotype that most creatives aren’t interested in math because, in math, you follow a set formula to get your result. You either did all the steps correctly or you missed something and have to go back and do it again. In design, you’re actually creating the formula—whether it be to trigger an emotion or sell a product. The work is subjective and that appeals to me very deeply.
7. What is your process? medium? and influences? I’m always developing and evolving my process but I’m pretty old school in my approach. I sketch, scribble, make lists. I try to flush my ideas out on paper as much as possible before touching the computer. I use the computer for finishing—whether it be Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign or a mixture of the three. Those are my essential tools as far as the computer side of things. Google is a great asset as I’m researching—I like to call it the “Discovery Phase”. I’m not very techy despite what people who know me may think. I know what I need to know to execute my work.
8. Can you tell us something that you just learned that intrigued you? Yeah, I just learned about Ernest Ransome, the father of rebar. Yes…rebar.
9. What is your perception of how people see you? Ugh, I don’t know. I think it changes from one week to the next. Next question.
10. What are you listening to these days? Talk radio
11. What's the best and worst decision you ever made? Not staying in San Francisco when I had the chance. Best and worst decision ever.
12. Can you narrate to me your proudest moment? I keep having them more and more as my children grow and develop.
13. What do you find most ridiculous about life? Insecurities, though I have many.
14. Can you share a topic that causes your blood to boil? Logo design
15. If you could take a peek in your future (say 10 years from now), what would it look like? I’m terrible at looking ahead—I’m very much in the present. I just hope that myself and the people I love the most are still healthy and happy 10 years from now.
Thanks, Jason!! Say hello to Lu and the boys from us. Ya'll fill everyday life with such excitement and laughter. We miss Gainesville so much.
photos used from Jason and Larissa's Facebook Photo Album
