Meet Jack Gregory | Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Gregory and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
I saw greater results when I decided my health and well being was more important than the work. Early on in my freelance career I had accrued a number of great clients and high profile gigs, but I was always behind the eight ball when it came to successfully running the business aspects of being an entrepreneur. My hubris at the time was such that I believed my creative skills would easily translate to the administration portion of running a business. Any time I found myself deeper in a hole, whether that be financially, schedule wise or relating to work / life balance, I concluded that I would be able to figure everything out myself. After a case of supreme burn out (hospital visits) due to my inability to properly run my life, the moment came where I was able to say to myself out loud, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” Having hit my rock bottom business wise, I was open to make any and all changes to ensure I was never in a situation like that again. I started doing outreach with entrepreneurs to get a better sense of what was working for other creatives. I stopped internalizing everything and started asking questions. Did some deep dive work on myself exploring patterns in my life that lead to my initial ruts. I surveyed what my actual monetary value was as opposed to letting clients determine that number. I learned to say “no” to work if the assignment didn’t gel with my schedule or if the budget was too low for the proposed scope. I made sure to carve out time for myself everyday to be physically active. I started to focus on gratitude in all other matters of life. I came to the realization, the work comes and goes, but there is only one me. Nothing, NOTHING, in my industry is worth losing sleep. Because of the work I have done on myself to find a greater sense of balance and personal worth, my business life has improved. The quality of my work increased more so due to charging appropriate rates and not being overbooked. My rolodex of clients continues to rise as a result of having a high quality portfolio. My mental state is not fried all the time and my physical state feels remarkable.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I do not have a signature style or look associated with my work. I never really know what I am going to create until the subject matter is brought to my attention. I usually let the subject determine my approach or stylistic choices. By working this way, I go into every project with fresh eyes and a greater sense of wonder. It keeps the work enjoyable for me and prevents the feeling of becoming stale with the process.

Every artist will have their own unique journey filled with various experiences. If another individual did everything exactly the way I did things, I can’t say with certainty their outcome would be the same. A lot of the positive outcomes I have experienced are due to having the right person seeing my work at the right time, or to be more succinct, luck. I eventually learned that networking is just as important as creating the work. For years, I lived under the impression that if I shared my work online, that effort was more than enough to gain attention. The reality is, no one is going out of their way to look for you. It is paramount on the part of the artist to make themselves known to the people with whom they wish to connect.

I can’t express how important it is to check one’s ego. If somebody is going to go out of their way to provide an artist some critical feedback, listen. Early on in my career, I would share my portfolio of work with studios or agencies and would always say, “If my portfolio is not up to par at this time, please tell me how I can improve because I really do wish to work with you at some point.” Nine times out of ten, I would get genuine critical feedback which was beyond beneficial to my growth.

Building a career in art requires dedication, persistence, and a willingness to embrace both successes and failures along the way. There can also be a great deal of extreme selfishness on one’s part to find the degree of success they are trying to obtain. For my part, due to my career, there have been an innumerable amount of last minute cancellations with friends or loved ones, missed birthdays or life events, missed travel plans, resentments, grudges, etc. While I have had the privilege to knock out numerous “bucket list” projects as an artist, those career conquests have yet to successfully fill voids in my life or fill in for other shortcomings. Success in one’s career, however an individual defines success, does not equate to “life problems solved,” While I give gratitude every day to do what I do for a living, I also understand my career and successes do not define my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In no particular order: • Olvera Street
• Grand Central Market
• The Broad
• The Redwood Bar & Grill
• La Cita Bar
• Delicious Pizza
• Gjusta
• Griffith Park
• LACMA
• ASSSSCAT
• Clark Street Diner
• LAFC match
• Dodgers game

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother for her constant support. T.T. for providing the path to get to LA. J.P.F for providing the path to self worth.

Website: https://www.artstation.com/jack_c_gregory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_c_gregory

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackgregoryillustrator/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackGregoryArt

Image Credits
Jack C. Gregory