Jessica Walsh, who lists art director, designer and business partner as her job titles, is headlining Auckland's Semi-Permanent this weekend. The 28-year-old, who was born and raised in New York, talks to us about her career path and why good design is so important.
1. What drew you to pursue a career in the design world?
When I was 11, I became obsessed with an online digital pet named Kacheek, which was part of an online game called Neopets (dorky, I know). Part of the game allowed you to create a website for your digital pet, and I became obsessed with making Kacheek the best webpage ever. So I taught myself HTML, CSS and various graphic programs. By the time I was 12, I had so many other kids asking me to make webpages for them, and I decided to make an HTML tutorial website that taught other kids how to code. Google ads had just launched and out of curiosity, I tried putting a banner ad on my website. All of a sudden, I started getting these large cheques in the mail every month from Google, and at that point I realised I could make money from what I considered to be my passion. That is what gave me the confidence to pursue a career in design.
2. How did you get your break in the industry?
When I graduated Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), I had a really tough choice to make. I was offered a job opportunity at Apple computers. I was enticed by the idea of a laidback California lifestyle and comfortable pay cheque, however something in my heart was telling me that I'd be happier in New York in a design studio where I'd get a variety of design challenges. I took a low-paid internship working for one of my design idols, Paula Scher, instead of the job at Apple. It was a huge risk for me but I learned so much working there. I threw myself into the work and worked nights and weekends on freelance projects to pay my rent. My break came when Paula recommended me for an art director position at the design magazine Print. Kristina DiMatteo was the art director at the time, and while they were looking for someone with five to 10 years' experience, she loved my portfolio and took a leap of faith and hired me. It was really at Print Magazine that I developed the surreal, handcrafted and playful style that I am now known for. Eventually, people started to recognise me for this style and I started to get hired by larger clients.
3. How would you describe your own work?
Bold, emotional, provocative, surreal.
4. Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I believe my ideas and inspiration comes from everything I've ever seen, done or dreamed in my 28 years. I frequent museums and shows and look at all kinds of creative work, such as painting, sculpture, fashion, furniture design and photography; I go to shows, listen to music, and have conversations with friends. I read books about psychology and science, and blogs. These things all influence me. Creativity is all about making unexpected connections, often times mixing existing ideas in new ways. The more experiences and knowledge I have in my conscious (or subconscious), the more interesting connections I can make. I try to not look within my own field for inspiration, or to take inspiration to heavily from one area, as that's when I run into danger of repeating things that have already been done.
5. What does an average day entail for you?
What I love most about my job is that every day is different. One day I can be focused on new client proposals; the next I can be art directing a photo shoot. The next day I can be doing branding strategy, or focused on writing. This diversity keeps me on my toes and keeps me learning. What excites me is tackling unique and interesting challenges and creating work that is beautiful and functional.
7. Why is good design important to you?
Good design can move people emotionally. It can create beauty, it can create delight, it can make people laugh, make people cry, it can make people's lives better. Design can be a communication tool, just like writing or cinema or song writing, and with good content you can do many things.
8. What projects are you working on?
At the studio we are working on a wide array of client work: a few branding projects, a television commercial, a book design, and an iPhone application. But I am most excited about my personal work lately. I am working on a new project with my friend Timothy Goodman (The same guy I did 40 Days of Dating with). It's a social experiment aimed at tackling some of our fears and insecurities as human beings and using design and illustration as a tool to communicate our stories. We are going to release it at the end of this summer.
Semi-Permanent runs from July 3-4 at Victory Convention Centre, 98 Beaumont St, Freemans Bay, Auckland.
