Meet Jess, founder & creator
Jess has always been an artist.
___________________________________________
In her earliest years she worked with graphite, colored pencil and paper. Inspired by the wild, she loved to draw and study the animals of our great American landscape. She spent countless hours of her childhood, sprawled out on the funky orange carpet of her grandparents home office, flipping through all of their Wildlife Fact File binders. Do you remember those?
Throughout high school, Jess's interest started to shift from the classical arts to photography–maybe it was all of those images she saw in the binders? Jess began to feel an urge to document experiences and as she grew into backpacking and exploring, she even aspired to be a photographer for National Geographic.
___________________________________________
At this point, Jess decided it was time to start her scholastic career. Learn more below!
Scholastic Career
Jess began her studies with Washtenaw Community College where she pushed her interest in photography to the next level. She studied camera operation and function, studio and darkroom. Jess even had the opportunity to work in the Photolab, where she learned how to clean and maintain cameras and lenses.
From there, she studied Outdoor Leadership while continuing her studies in Photography at Northern Arizona University. Jess began to document her outdoor experiences, including a 6-day excursion in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. She has captured striking images of our National Parks, epic trails, landmarks, wildlife refuges and preserves.
Several years later, Jess moved back home to study at the University of Michigan where she began exploring graphic design through their Art & Design program. Jess learned about color theory, composition, typography and how to navigate a variety of design software, including Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Rhinoceros 6.
It wasn't long before she knew she wanted to carry her creativity and expertise into the community. With the opening of Wildwood Creatives, Jess aims to help small businesses and non-profits build and refine their brands through the extraordinary world of design.