We recently connected with Skylar Jackson and have shared our conversation below.
Skylar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
In most instances, when a child expresses they want to go into the arts, it’s discouraged and met with opposition. I’ve had other adults tell me, “What’s your backup plan?” and “You need a job that will make you REAL money.” I was blessed to have two parents that never told me that. Not only did they encourage me to follow my dreams, they enrolled me an acting classes, gave me opportunities to use and develop my talents, and supported all of my performances.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My artistic journey began as a child. Once my parents saw my passion for performing, they encouraged me and placed me in every acting class we could afford. My greatest acting teacher was Tyler Perry in the form of Madea. Watching someone act, write, and produce placed a seed in me that I didn’t realize was growing until I got older.
When people come into contact with my work, whether it be content I created, a story I’ve shared, or me as a person, I hope they feel loved, think a little differently, and had a good laugh. I hope that my work can change the way we see the world, ourselves, and others. It’s not an easy thing to strive for but I will continue to try no matter what.
What I’m most proud of is the start of projects like Stories Retold Podcast and Virtual Bible Stories. It was scary for me to start because I had no real experience and in the beginning of a pandemic. While they are now on pause, there is so much potential and I never would be striving for what I am now if I didn’t have the faith to try.
As a creative, you have to have faith that you will survive, even if you fail or things don’t turn out like you want. I couldn’t have done anything I’d done so far without God. Even my mistakes work out for the best. I would be lost without Him!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Knowing that we get to create something that wasn’t here before. Hopefully, it will outlive us or, at the very least, live on in those who get to experience it.
Have you ever had to pivot?
If you told me in high school that I would be working a desk job, I probably would have cried. I planned on graduating from high school and moving to LA to be an actress. But I didn’t.
I ended up going to Kennesaw State because it was affordable, they had a good theatre program, and my sister went to school there too. That experience ended up bringing me to my minor in Africa and African Diaspora Studies, joining Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and gaining connections across the Atlanta arts community. After that, I worked as a substitute teacher for a few years and when I was ready to start grad school, my subbing reputation opened the door for my first full-time job as a substitute coordinator. This job was perfect for going to school because of the time that I had.
Over the years, my dreams have pivoted due to learning new knowledge and learning myself as I continue to grow as an artist and person. I’ve grown from just wanting to be an actress to wanting to be in multiple artistic fields, including producing with my newly found production company. Now, I work as a fundraiser and grants writer for a theatre. Here, I’m able to make connections in a professional setting and learn valuable skills in raising money. I’m in the perfect place to prepare myself for the next steps, whether it be as a producer, an actress, a writer, or all of them simultaneously.
Contact Info:
- Website: skylarresna.com
- Instagram: @skylarresna
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skylar.resna.jackson/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skylarresna/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2z0-ME9lK4Bu6PLYOdj1eQ
- Other: https://anchor.fm/storiesretoldpodcast
Image Credits
Paige Lutes