Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Walsh.
Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in tech/creativity at a young age. At 11 years old I was designing and coding websites. This started as a hobby, but I unexpectedly started making money from it, which gave me the confidence to pursue design as a career. With my background in digital, I went to college at RISD to learn more of the tradition and craft of art/design. It wasn’t long after graduating college that I was managing and growing a design studio while producing/directing large-scale advertising campaigns and TVC/print productions. I think I found success at a young age because 1) I worked really, really, f*cking hard all the time 2) I have incredible amounts of passion and persistence for what I do, 3) I’m resourceful and scrappy and have followed through to get things done and figure things out on my own 4) you can’t ignore that some amount of privilege and/or luck plays a role in almost every success story.
I’m the founder, CEO and ECD at the creative agency &Walsh. We have about 40 people on the team right now. As creative director and design director, I’m overseeing all our design and art direction and creative/strategic work. I like for my role to be at a high level overseeing the work, but I’m also not afraid (and enjoy) getting into the weeds and details when needed to push the work along. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, which I think you have to be in this role. As CEO of &Walsh, I oversee all of our client and internal operations including the management of clients, finances, recruitment, resourcing, personnel, social media, new business, photo studio, etc. Another large part of what I do is managing the social impact initiatives that are a part of &Walsh, Let’s Talk About Mental Health and Ladies, Wine, & Design, as well as a photographic series called Sorry I Have No Filter.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve faced adversities in my life that have provided challenges in getting here such as being a woman in an almost entirely male-dominated industry at the top, dealing with mental & physical health struggles, among many others. However, I’ve also had many privileges being white, having access to good education, etc. It’s important to recognize privileges and understand that hard work, passion, or persistence is sometimes not always enough to make it to the top. Some people are faced with adversities so difficult to overcome. Having faced both struggles and hurdles in my life while also having privileges has made me want to advocate for others. How can we use those privileges we have to try to create change? Trying to use our business resources and team creativity to try to advocate for more diversity and social causes, or shine a light on important topics like mental health, or pass on opportunities or shine a light on other’s work, these things are really important to me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
People have described my personal work as “colorful, bold, emotional, surrealist, and provocative.” I do have certain visual sensibilities. I am drawn to that surface as theme in my personal work. With that said, we don’t have one set style for our branding work with clients. Our goal with brands is to help them discover their own unique brand personality through our strategy phase. All our creative work is a reflection of the brand’s unique personality: from copywriting, typography, and color choices, to the images we create. This helps a brand build equity in something true and honest to them, which helps set them apart from their competition. I don’t believe in putting my own personal style onto a brand unless it’s a match for the brand’s personality and makes sense for the brand’s goals & target audiences.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
My greatest joy is releasing a project I’m proud of into the world and seeing people connect to it or engage with it. I love creating work that touches people, is relatable, gives back to the community, or that starts a dialogue on important topics. Projects such as Ladies, Wine & Design, 12 Kinds of Kindness, Pins Won’t Save the World, 40 Days of Dating or Let’s Talk about Mental Health are a few examples.
Contact Info:
- Website: andwalsh.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andwalsh/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/andwalsh/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@studioandwalsh?lang=en
Image Credits
Creative Agency/Design Studio: &Walsh
