Today we’d like to introduce you to Wesley Jones.
Hi Wesley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m an Illustrator and Designer from Gainesville, Florida. I went to catholic school my whole life, which has long-lasting influences on my work today. I moved to Savannah to start studying illustration at SCAD in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the city was pretty much a ghost town. Last year, I worked as a graphic designer at Gold Rush Vinyl in Austin, Texas, where my work was featured on the Today Show. I’ve since begun doing freelance and working on my first graphic novel. Recently, my work was featured at the SCAD Atlanta campus in an exhibition of current student and alumni work. Currently, I live with my dog in Savannah, finishing up my degree and developing my illustration portfolio for my future clients.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been easy! The pandemic presented lasting challenges, beginning with trying to make connections when I was first starting school. Now, the struggle of remote work still being a burgeoning form of communication, as well as issues trying to travel for current jobs, has caused some issues. Working in the visual arts is a notoriously difficult career with limited opportunities, so I’ve had to be very proactive, even while in school, to try and secure some job prospects to beef up my resume and portfolio. Now, with the hot topic of Machine-Generated imagery making cheap graphics accessible, the role of the illustrator has shifted some. This is part of the reason why I’ve pivoted to writing my own content. Even if there’s less security as a novelist, there’s a lot more freedom in self-expression and creating art based on topics I think are important to share.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an illustrator, mostly, and I work in illustration for publishing. In the past, I’ve worked doing design for music publishing, which is always very exciting. Getting to develop visuals for musical artists is really creatively fulfilling, and there’s a lot of freedom for experimentation and developing unique visuals. Currently, I’m trying my hand at creating motion graphics and visual effects for a short film, which is a great project with a great team full of creatives. I’m most proud of the moments where people have recognized my work. Social media is a stressful element of my career, but when I post something inspired by a musical act and they respond positively towards it, that’s always a great feeling. I’ve always gotten feedback that my artwork is evocative of different emotions, and I’m able to capture feelings really well and sell the stories behind them. I’ve always thought of myself as a storyteller first and a designer second, and that has always been my philosophy when I’m making work. I have essays from when I was applying to schools about the significance of storytelling to me, and that’s a feeling that’s only increased as I’m entering the professional world. What pulls audiences towards any form of art is the stories and emotions that art impacts upon them, so I’m always trying to use that skill when I create.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Just create! I always hear people say, “Oh I could never draw like that”, and that’s a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. If you never make anything, then you’ll never get any better. The improvement I’ve had since I started drawing has been really substantial, and that’s mostly due to the hours I’ve put into bettering my work. Everyone’s art is going to suck when they’re starting out, and that only makes what you’ll grow into all the more exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: wesillustrates.com
- Instagram: @wesillustrates
