Hello, I'm Jordyn Patrick
For me, history isn’t just a collection of dates and artefacts; it’s the complex tapestry of human stories. I’m a freelance historical consultant, content creator, and academic who connects the dots between history and modern pop culture.
Let's clear one thing up right away: I am not the historical accuracy police. I know that historical fiction in film, TV, and gaming uses history as a canvas, not a constraint. I don't look at a script just to red-ink the details; I look at it to help you find the human element. My goal is to serve as a creative partner for directors, screenwriters, and game developers, injecting inspiration and deep cultural context into your worldbuilding.
My Story
From Muddy Trenches to 3D Models
My obsession with history and archaeology started as a kid, took me to the fields of Ireland for training, and ultimately led to me becoming a published author and scientific researcher.
The study of the past always felt like a side quest for me, something I was wholly obsessed with but never considered could be my career. After a lunch time chat regarding my love of historical research, a professor of mine questioned why I was not a history major and advised me to seriously consider making it my career. This led to being put in touch with another professor, who knew a geologist, who knew of a field school and before I knew it I was spending a whole summer on an excavation site falling head over heels with medieval archaeology. I returned home in the autumn and immediately changed my major with my undergraduate university and altered the trajectory of my entire future.
From then on my path unfurled before me. I worked tirelessly to catch up in the program so I could graduate on time and supplemented my studies with archaeological and museum internships. My remaining summers I returned to Ireland to gain more on-site experience working as a T.A. and site advisor.
I had a goal in my head now and nothing could stop me from accomplishing it. I graduated with my B.A. in History and went on to complete a Masters in Celtic and Viking Archaeology. I had the wonderful opportunity to work for Scotland's leading independent charity in the heritage sector, Archaeology Scotland, for several years before I felt the siren call of research beckoning me back. I put together a proposal and began my Doctoral studies at Durham University
Through my research at Durham I have had the immense privilege to travel all around the UK, working on sacred stone monuments. Under the wonderful guidance of my supervisors, I have been able to learn multiple scientific technique to aid in my investigations and how to efficiently work in laboratories as well as in the field.
It was actually my doctoral thesis that bridged the gap between my love for field archaeology and my interest with cutting-edge technology. I wanted to solve a complex puzzle: identifying the vibrant, lost world of polychromy, the painted pigments, on early medieval sculptures. Standard observation wasn't enough to fill this massive gap in the research; it required a highly specialised toolkit. Suddenly, my days were spent visiting humble roadside churches to working in carefully curated museum storehouses utilising high-fidelity 3D modeling and photogrammetry to bring these faded monuments back to life in digital spaces. Where permitted I learned how to take samples and had the amazing opportunity to learn how to handle advanced instrumentation like SEM-EDS, pXRF, and Raman spectroscopy, developing a protocol for identifying, protecting, and studying these faint and often forgotten traces of historic art.
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Yet, while my days were anchored in scientific data, my nights had always belonged to the arts. Having minored in creative writing during my undergraduate years, alongside a youth spent in competitive singing and community musical theater, I have always been deeply drawn to the power of performance and storytelling. I knew how much work went into building an immersive world, whether on a theater stage, a television screen, or in a video game landscape.
I began to realize that the entertainment and creative industries didn't just need historical data, they needed people who understood how to translate that data into compelling, human narratives. I took a leap, reaching out to established industry consultants for advice, and began pitching my services to scriptwriters. Before long, I was collaborating with creatives to help them ground their worlds in authentic, visceral history without sacrificing the pacing or drama of their art.
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Along the way, I’ve had the immense privilege of sharing my findings with the broader historical community. I have published multiple articles on archaeological topics, co-authored chapters for academic reviews on early medieval sculpture, and collaborated with my former professors to co-author a text to act as a primary source guide designed to help the next generation of students navigate the "great conversations" of our past.
Ultimately, everything I do, whether I am calibrating a laboratory laser to analyse a centuries-old pigment, collaborating with a director in a writers' room, or guiding an immersive journey through a historic landscape, comes down to a single core belief: a fascination with the profound potential of humanity. It is easy to look at the world today and see our negative impacts, but our history tells a parallel story of immense beauty. When we look closely at our material past, we see brilliant ingenuity, breathtaking art, and undeniable proof of our deep empathy, written directly into the ancient bones of communities who cared for their vulnerable.
For me, studying the past isn't about looking at what is gone; it is about touching the very best of who we are as a species. By bringing this resilient human spirit to light, I hope to inspire modern artists, empower heritage institutions, and give curious travelers a deeper, more meaningful connection to our shared global story. The past isn't just a collection of dates and dust, it is a mirror to our humanity, and I am honored to help you look into it.
Whether you are a heritage organisation, scriptwriter, or traveller wanting to connect with Scotland's past, I want to hear from you! Let’s build something incredible together.
