JESSE BOULEY 09 AP

Jesse Bouley

Based in Lowell, MA

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

My current creative practice is driven almost entirely from my time spent at RISD. After graduating, I missed situations where you were prompted with a problem or challenge and then given total freedom to address the issue at hand in your own way. I was unable to find anything like this in the corporate working world. Trying to find the creative environment that I was missing led me to my current situation. I have taken a low-stress full time job outside of the design industry and opened a studio where I am able to work through any creative idea that I have with the same freedom that the RISD environment offered. This has allowed me to keep passion and motivation in my work because I only focus on projects that are exciting to me. It has also pushed me to experiment with many new skills and media that I don’t think I ever would have encountered in a traditional working environment.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

I am currently using my studio to work solely on projects of my choosing and then offering what I make for sale in the shop at the front of my space. This is a very different experience from punching in and getting paid to bring someone else’s idea to life. It feels great to work as a designer and be given a client’s design problem and then work with them to come to a solution that they love. Working this way is rewarding but it usually comes with restrictions and compromise due to the client’s opinion, budgets or bottom lines. The final product isn’t usually exactly what you would’ve chosen or what you wanted to do as the designer. The most rewarding aspect of my current creative work is when anyone at all is interested in what I’m doing. I am making things that I want and that I like and just presenting them to other people. There is nothing more satisfying that connecting with a customer or even just a viewer who is excited about something that you made that is 100% you without compromise or direction. As an artist/designer this is really motivating to me.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

My line of leather and textile items have been my current passion for the passed couple years. It started with a project to create my version of a waxed canvas and leather backpack and it has developed into a small line of leather and waxed canvas products. I have been working through the products in this line slowly and refining them over time. I have an idea for something I want, I teach myself how to make it, I live with it, then I remake it based on my own critique of the original. I have not taken any of these items outside my studio to offer them to the public so I am excited to receive feedback at RISD Craft.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I removed the challenge all-together. I have specifically chosen to work full time outside of the creative industry to pay the bills. When I worked creatively full time, I found that much of the joy I derived from creating was missing and I also found that I was too drained and unmotivated to work on inspiring projects after work. So I made a choice. My current secular position has taught me extensively about business and business management but it leaves me creatively hungry. There are many days where I’m counting down the time until I get to punch out and go work another 6-8 hours in my studio on something that I’m passionate about. I am also personally not always creatively motivated. Since my studio doesn’t carry the burden of paying my bills, I can give it a break when I need to and use my free time to do other things until I feel inspired to work again. Working this way has ensured that all of my projects are done with passion and nothing is forced or rushed through just to meet a deadline or get paid.wer

To see more of Jesse’s work, visit his Instagram