Hey Y’all. Today we introduce you to @thegoodhood the second half of @hoodzpahdesign. Jen doesn’t love airplane bathrooms and makes Harry Potter style eyewear very fashionable. Jen is light fun and full of good vibes.

1. Why is design important?
It is and it isn’t. Design is only as good as the experience it’s tied to. I love all kinds of designs that maybe aren’t the best executed, but they stand for something that has nostalgia or spurs good vibes. It’s why I love the Waffle House logo, or the Lakers logo. In a design vacuum, they have issues. But tied to their brand experience, they’re everything!

2. Tell me about Kentucky?
Kentuckians are loyal as all get out. That leads to strong traditions. When we were in high school, the cool kids were in the FFA (future farmworkers of America). Homecoming we had tractor pull races, our prom was in a cave (Mammoth Cave, baby!) and my sister and I had our birthday party in our barn. Our grandma had 12 brothers and sisters and they all raised families locally so we had to be really careful we didn’t date our cousins without knowing it. Gotta do that family tree check.

3. Jen Fun Fact:
I have dated 2 warlocks without trying to. That has to be a high percentage compared to the national average. I was employee of the year at California Pizza Kitchen. I once got to do a locker room interview with the Anaheim Ducks by moonlighting as a reporter for the magazine I was a designer at. Lots of towels. Lots of steam.

4. Differences from Amy:
Amy wants to do everything yesterday. I usually have the mindset: let’s order a pizza and drink a few beers to wrap our heads around it, then we’ll start. Not to say I’m lazy, but I like to marinate in things before launching. I also can’t ingest as much murder media as her. Amy’s appetite for true crime content is as bottomless as the mimosa bar at Sunday brunch.

5. Happiness advice:
Life is full of a range of emotions. Happiness is only one of them. Expect the whole spectrum. But be wary of the wallow, though. Wallowing keeps you stuck in park.

6. What is your dream job:
I never had something I thought I absolutely had to do. When I was young I wanted to be a Disney animator. But I’ve always been open to random opportunities. I’m stoked with my job at Hoodzpah. As far as a dream client: working with the NBA or an NBA team in some way would be rad!

7. When are you most afraid:
It doesn’t get me as much anymore, but as far as long-term recurring nightmares: Scream movie franchises completely undid me. Before that, it was the Secret of Nimh. That movie was terrifying as a kid!

8. Window seat or aisle?
I don’t care because I stay in my seat for the long haul. Airplane bathrooms are the enemy, to be avoided at all cost.

9. Important ingredient to success:
An odd concoction of dispassionate passion. You have to care enough to put out work and put in time, but also have to learn to grow a thick skin to rejection and failure. If you’re too passionate, one hiccup can derail you because you’re running only on emotion. That’s where the dispassion comes in and you have to show up even when you don’t feel like it, put in the time even when you’re uninspired. A constant balancing act. Because some days are cupcakes and some days are urinal cakes.

10. Hoodzpah is the apotheosis of years of failed creative business plans we had as kids.
Amy and I tried to sell our own comic book series when we were 8, greeting cards when we were 10. We tried to become the next Rogers & Hammerstein and write our own musical at 12. All huge flops, haha. We finally found something people were willing to pay us for: design. Thank goodness.

11. What do I need to do before I die?
Make a graphic novel.

12. What do I want for my birthday?
Food, treats, and adult beverages.