In Conversation with Jess Wheeler
Jess is Creative Director/Partner @ SICKDOGWOLFMAN and Co-Founder of SLATHER SPF. His work has been awarded locally and globally, used by 50 Cent to reignite his infamous beef with Ja Rule, appeared in a Netflix documentary, sparked an interview with Rolling Stone, been plastered onto placards at political rallies across the USA, been sold as NFTs and even acquired by the Melbourne Museum and State Library of Victoria for their permanent collections.
He’s also held the position of State Head of AWARD School, lectured at Copy School, mentored RMIT students on their capstone projects, contributed to Russell Howcroft & Alex Wadelton’s ‘The Right Brain Workout’, and pens popular creativity newsletter ‘Death to Shit Ads’. (Although many of his school teachers would probably fall off their chair hearing any of this.)
He also finds writing in third person incredibly strange.
What's the story behind how you first got started in the creative industry?
It’s a bit of a wild ride. In short, I wrote a Gumtree ad for an enchanted BBQ that went viral around the world.
Longer version here – https://deathtoshitads.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-get-a-job-in-a-creative-agency
What's been the most unexpected lesson you've learned so far in your career?
Hard question to answer. I think, at large, maybe that it’s ok to be yourself. More than ok, it’s imperative that you do so as to not go completely insane. And I wish I’d known this a lot earlier in life. It’s something I’m still figuring out at 41.
All through school I was told to ‘stop being disruptive’ and stuck in the corner, and told that I would only ever become anything if I fell in line.
In an early corporate career, I was put into all these talent programs but also encouraged to conform to thinking and being the same as everyone else; A lifetime of some form of unique ability acknowledged but simultaneously told to stomp it out. Rather counterintuitive, don’t you think?
It wasn’t until I did AWARD school that I found myself in a room having my ideas and insights actively encouraged. A lightbulb moment. But then, once in the industry, you encounter a whole new set of challenges. Where your talent and voice and opinions are accepted, but only to the point where they aren’t threatening someone else’s status quo.
But in the end, if you avoid conflict to keep the peace you start a war within yourself. So, be yourself, share your thoughts and opinions, and you’ll attract the right kind of people. Sure, you’ll piss some off along the way as well, but they probably aren’t really people who are meant to be part of your journey anyway.
Do you ever think "Yes, this is why I do this"?
While they’re probably becoming a little more few and far between, it’s probably the ‘is this really my job?’ moments. When you arrive on set, and that stupid thing you wrote down on a piece of paper 6 months ago has now led to a whole bunch of talented people working hard to bring it to life. And often people far more talented than I.
Russel Boyd has shot one of my ads. So has Ari Wegner. Twice. Ridiculous. Now, running a small indie, maybe some of those moments are the wins against the behemoths. When you get invited to go toe to toe with a global network and take them down. That’s always a validating feeling.
Any tips for staying motivated?
I think self-motivation is really important. I don’t mean to keep plugging the blog, but I wrote a piece about ‘finding a way to poke your own bear’ on this topic - https://deathtoshitads.beehiiv.com/p/poke-the-bear
You don’t want to be a creative that has to always be kicked into gear by external factors. You have to swallow a lot of poison in this job. Conservative clients. Questionable feedback. Irrational budgets. And if you let that poison sit in you, it’ll kill you. But if you can turn it into fuel to motivate you to come back with something better, then that’s a key to longevity. Most of this job is rejection, getting knocked down, having your work torn apart – that’s the truth of it. But if you can keep channelling those setbacks into challenges, rather than seeing them as insults or attacks, you not only have an infinite well of motivation, but resilience as well.
How do you manage your time between personal creative projects and work deadlines?
I get asked this a lot. I’m not very organised. My ‘process’ is kind of not to have one. I run an agency, I have two young kids, two cats, a kelpie, I write, I paint, I’ve made music in the past, I’ve created viral social media accounts, political satire, programmed a bot, written AI code, and now started a sunscreen brand. I don’t really have a plan or method for any of it. I just do it. Maybe that’s the answer. Just try things. Play. Experiment. Bring your ideas to life and push them out of the nest and see if they can fly. Most of them won’t. Who cares. Try something else. Great creatives have a need to make things. It’s innate. I see creativity as less of an activity to ‘find time’ for, but more a way of being. Maybe it’s an unhelpful answer, but I don’t really have one otherwise.
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