We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wesley Teague. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wesley below.

Alright, Wesley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

A vocation can be deeply fulfilling but it’s okay to acknowledge the days where everything is mundane and boring. Not every workday or job needs a fireworks show. There are “fruitless” days and that is perfectly ok. Professions allow for everything: paying the bills, building character, helping others, etc – they’re like a one-stop-shop for growth. While I’m lucky to be doing something I love, I’ve had my fair share of head-scratching days.

As a teen and young adult, I’ve done everything from riding a tractor on a sod farm at 4am to playing “demolition derby” with old homes at an arsenal. I did construction and landscaping, and even translating for a spell. Those jobs all had several things in common: they had a clear start and finish, making it easy to quantify my workday. Yet, being a creative is like having a mental circus running 24/7. Wrangling ideas and putting in hours of research often feels like I’m chasing the wind, especially when there is no end product.

Juggling these moments becomes an art form. I’ve learned to embrace both the ordinary and the extraordinary. Don’t get caught up in the need for every aspect of your creative journey to be sensationally fulfilling.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Long story short, I traveled a lot in my early 20s and my parents gifted me a camera in 2009. That really sparked a love for what I do now. My wife and I sell travel artwork to retail and wholesale companies. We shot weddings for 15 years and selling prints was our exit strategy or holding pattern from that industry. It has since turned into more than just a transition.

As far as content creation goes, I’ve always loved entertaining. I’m an enneagram 7 according to my wife (it’s too boring for me to care about haha). I started making silly videos in college. I had a short lived dream of becoming an actor one day. I never made that move, but creating content on social media is a fun way to scratch that itch.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I feel like I was behind each wave of social media. I was slow to catch on to the “new it thing.” It took me two and a half years to grow from 6k followers to 145k followers. It took me a year before I got paid for making any content. It’s easy to look at other creatives and be jealous. Keep creating. Take breaks, but be consistent if you are really trying to grow an audience.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Retirement haha. We got out of shooting weddings because we didn’t want to be 60 and still working on the weekends. I’m sure somewhere down the line, I’ll need to pivot again. The main goal will always be to provide for my family. Everything else is secondary. That’s the boring answer, but it really drives me to keep creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wesleyandemma.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woonteague/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@woonteague?lang=en

Image Credits
Wesley and Emma Photography