Creative Profiles: Jerome Patrick is curious by nature, thoughtful by design.
Meet the Navy veteran creating cartoons and digital products.
Let’s go way back: What was one of your very first jobs, and what’s a lesson from it that you still use today? McDonald’s. “Fear isn’t a stop sign. It’s a direction—step into it.”
If your career was a book, what would the title of the current chapter be? Finding Forever.
What’s a piece of unconventional wisdom or a personal philosophy that’s been your secret weapon in this industry? Channel [your] inner childhood.
You’ve done so much cool work. What’s one project that really sticks with you, and what made it a game-changer for you? I had a project that I was working on that was the genesis of my creative works. It was a cartoon project where I had five characters who utilized their creativity to solve problems. It was a bet from my ex—to create something new after a failed business attempt. It was about looking at what the market was doing at the time, the challenge of delivering something different, and sharing it with people.
We all hit creative walls. What’s a time you were really stuck, and how did you finally find your way through? What I find most useful in dealing with creative walls is just having patience with results and persistence with actions. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Take advantage of times when you can operate in flow. I’m currently working on a platform to support food trucks and local tourism while working a day job. There were times when I considered building these platforms as one unit and times when I felt it should be separated. This was my creative wall. I did my due diligence on other platforms. Sketching experiences. Then taking into consideration my users. This led to the decision to build separate platforms.
What’s the one part of your job that, if you could, you’d do all day long? Discovering problems, designing solutions.
Beyond the work itself, what’s a value or a cultural ideal you want to see more of in the industry? I want to see more curiosity paired with humility in the industry. We often reward confidence and speed, but real progress comes from teams willing to admit what they don’t know and learn their way forward. When people are encouraged to question assumptions and think in systems—not silos—we build products that are more thoughtful, inclusive, and durable. That shift matters because technology doesn’t just scale solutions; it scales values.
Where in the world do you feel most inspired, and why? In my home office. I have children art, my favorite books, and toys, perfect for maintaining the inner child.
Name three books you’d recommend to anyone, anytime. In my home office. “Startup of You” by Reid Hoffman; “Almanack of Naval Ravikant” by Eric Jorgenson; and “Beginning of Infinity” by David Duetsch.
Connect with Jerome Patrick on LinkedIn.
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