Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jack Wade. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jack, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Am I happy as an artist/ creative person and do I wonder what it would be like to have a regular job? Such a simple yet deep question. In short, yes, all the time actually haha!

What is happiness? To me, I understand it as a state of joy. It’s something that can come and go. As a human being I am both happy and unhappy but as an artist I experience deep satisfaction in being a part of the creative process and having the opportunity to make something that evokes emotion in another person.

Do I think about what it’d be like to have another job? Oh yeah plenty of times. Since what I do artistically is how I make a living, it’s challenging, there’s risks and a lot of unknown. Nothing is guaranteed and theres a high amount of self responsibility. Naturally the thought of a “regular job” comes to mind but what reels me back in is the feeling of satisfaction I get when Im taking part in the creative process and to make a living doing that is a blessing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a creative person with many outlets but the ones I’m pursuing as a career at this moment are filmmaking/ videography and photography.

My intro into making videos came into my life in the 4th grade (2009). My teacher at the time, Steve Alvarez from Naples Elementary, introduced my class to claymations (a video form where you photograph a clay figure and move it slightly each time in-between photos to then play out the images quickly as a video). We made some claymations in the class but at home I started making my own. Later, at my middle and high schools in Bonners Ferry, my teachers were open enough to allow me to do video projects as my book reports for books I had read where my friends and I would act out scenes from the book. My interests around that time were military focused so our projects were of us out in the woods with fake explosions, ghilli suits and airsoft guns.

Since those days, Ive done a wide range of projects to hone in on my interests within the video-space. What I offer through my business (Visual Collective) are wedding films and brand content creation. Whether it’s a wedding or content you’d find on instagram for a brand, I focus on how it makes me FEEL. The story, music selection, music timing, color, shot choice, the build up of excitement and the space between the excitement are all tools that get woven together to make the viewer feel something.

While I have a business in videography, I am also a documentary filmmaker. My current project, with my very close friend Adam Schluter, is called “Hello From a Stranger”. Hello From A Stranger is an original documentary following photojournalist, Adam Schluter as he unearths deep life lessons through unscripted conversations with strangers. We break bread with unsung heroes of the everyday and walk a mile in their shoes on this global hunt for modern life’s most endangered “species” – genuine human connection.

My mission is to create from my heart and be of service to those I work with.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of pursuing something creative is two parts for me. The first is seeing how others respond to what I have made. If it’s a similar response as what I experience, then I feel seen and understood. If it’s different, then it becomes a learning moment in seeing a different perspective. The second and deeper reward of being creative is self discovery and self exploration. I’ve learned so much about myself in just creating and reflecting on the process. It can be a trip to look at old work and learn new things about myself through it!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

For me, two things stand out when I think about what has shaped my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy. I used to listen to the MFCEO Project Podcast when I first started exposing myself to entrepreneurial thinking. That was such a powerful source for understanding how other entrepreneurs think and the drive that’s within them to make it happen. The thing that shaped my philosophy was learning about stoicism, an often misunderstood term. This shifted the way I consciously respond to situations. For that I recommend The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://visualcollectiveofficial.com
• Instagram: @jack_waade