John Gordon
“All of my work is storytelling, so I need to create more personal stories from real life to draw from.”
With over 18 years in e-commerce and digital strategy for beauty and skincare, John has worked with large-scale and boutique prestige brands such as MAC Cosmetics, Pat McGrath Labs, Skin Fix, Shiseido, and Keys Soulcare. Based in Brooklyn, he’s also an emerging visual artist and a singer/songwriter of soul, R&B, funk, and jazz.
Who’s a creative person people might be surprised to know influences either your music or your art?
It’s a toss-up between two people: Sting and George Michael. Those are the two artists who really made me want to become a songwriter. They helped me look at lyrics and how they make you feel. During these very distinct eras of their careers, I started thinking about the craft of songwriting.
So early on with George Michael, he was such a great talent. Hits like Careless Whisper, he wrote that when he was only 18 or 19. Unbelievable to write at that level at such a young age! Everybody loves Sting’s Police era, but when he started going solo, he caught my attention in terms of writing. Both artists are proof that so much more can be behind a pop sound.
Is there an artistic pursuit you've never tried but would like to?
Sculpting. The aggressive and tactile nature of it draws me in. It looks like it requires a lot of your body to get into it and mold the clay into your vision. And it's DIRTY, a lengthy process. But when that process makes something extraordinarily beautiful, whether it's just a bowl or a pot or a vase or whatever, it's very intriguing to me. I might try it and hate it, but that's one I want to try next.
What’s a city you always want to go back to?
Rio de Janeiro. It’s like home. I've been there a couple of times, and each time … I just don't know what it is, I must have been there in the past life or something. It feels very comfortable and warm and beautiful.
I completely relax there. Everybody's so friendly and GORGEOUS. I mean, my God, the landscape is breathtaking. The food is amazing, too. I can’t wait to go back!
“I think we need to value the beauty of our imperfections, our lines and wrinkles and allow the aging process to take its course.”
What’s a beauty or lifestyle trend you think should go away?
I don’t typically think of trends that way, I mean, they’re recycled and reinterpreted all the time. They come and go, and that’s okay. I look at it as a spectrum, from your basic natural beauty or “no makeup” trends all the way to extreme makeup like Cirque du Soleil or drag looks. There's makeup for everything and for every person, and you should have the freedom to look as beautiful or as crazy as you want.
I will say, not so much about makeup but more along the lines of skincare, there’s an overuse of fillers out there. Some people do the extra cheek fillers, the extra lip fillers, and everything keeps going bigger and bigger.
I think we need to value the beauty of our imperfections, our lines and wrinkles and allow the aging process to take its course. As a visual artist, I get to look with different eyes at faces - each one is so expressive and unique. Fillers and too much Botox take away from that beauty, in my opinion. Have a robust skincare ritual of moisturizers, serums and exfoliators. Eat healthy. I’m all for that. But ditch the fillers.
Can you give us an obscure film recommendation?
So I'm a sci-fi/fantasy nerd, and there are a lot of really funky movies that I've loved throughout time. Did you know there was a 1972 version of Alice in Wonderland? Live action, you know, not animated, and way, way before the Johnny Depp version. It's super, super creepy and you're like, “Wait, what is happening to this girl? I don't want to be here anymore!”
Also there’s a film from the late 80s called Enemy Mine set in the future where humans are at war with an alien race called the Draks. It starred the late and great Louis Gossett, Jr as an alien with this really distinctive makeup, and Dennis Quaid as the guy from Earth. During a space battle, they both crash land on a deserted planet where they have to learn to communicate and survive together.
They slowly learn how much more they are alike than different. I think that is why I love it so much - the message. The movie takes some very interesting twists and turns. I won’t be the spoiler alert! Go watch it.
How do you shake yourself out of a creative rut?
Listening and discovering new music helps, but also just hanging out with my friends. Going out to dinner, dancing, reading a book, just getting out of my head and doing activities that are low pressure, fun and engage me in life.
All of my work is storytelling, right? So I need to create more personal stories from real life to draw from. My first reaction is always, “Let's go do something, let's live.”