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

Yuki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

Looking back at my path, I’m glad that it has taken me longer to achieve my vision. While at times a longer path may be painful, I can see the benefit of delayed gratification. The yearning to be immediately gratified is of course warranted at times but overall can cause more harm than good. The adages “good things come to those who wait” or “Rome wasn’t built in a day” are increasingly becoming foreign concepts within a society that thrives on short-term fulfillment. I’m no different than those who want to experience immediate impact–it’s natural. I’ve just also learned that it’s important to always take a step back in order to gain perspective.

I’m 42 years old and my career as a writer is only starting. I find this exciting since it categorizes me as an “emerging” artist. When I think about what “emerging” means, I think “fresh.” I think “constant challenge.” I think “always arriving.” If emerging means to continually transcend myself, if it means to break out of the shell of my lesser self over and over, then I always want to be in that state of being.

I began my professional pursuit of being a poet and writer in 2015, when I was already 34 years old. Until that point, I had just worked various entry-level jobs that I didn’t really care about. I didn’t have any career dreams. My motivation was only to get a quick paycheck. I also wasn’t really connected to my internal compass during that time, owing to a range of traumas and burying my thoughts and feelings over a lifetime. I had learned that in order to survive, I couldn’t listen to myself. I couldn’t afford to listen to my heart.

Interestingly, my heart finally made itself known during an interfaith panel discussion. I was participating as a representative for my Buddhist community and had introduced myself at the event as a poet. This was surprising to me, since I hadn’t been actively reading or writing poems for many years. It’s like my purpose took over my body, my voice, my actions. My purpose wasn’t going to let me ignore it anymore.

Soon after my strange public proclamation of being a poet, I enrolled myself in a Masters program for Creative Writing. I figured that if I’m going to say I’m a poet, I better learn to become a poet and writer to the best of my ability. From there, with the guidance and support of my writing mentors and writing community, I became fixed upon the path that I’m still on today.

While my self-proclamation of being a poet may seem backwards in process, I’ve come to see that it was actually my purpose all along–it was just a matter of recognizing and embracing it. When I trace my steps, my love and passion for reading and writing had begun from my early childhood and had stayed with me throughout the years. And all the experiences that I’ve had along the way weren’t detours or distractions from this purpose–it was all to help strengthen and broaden my perspective, my character and my story.

Yuki, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I see myself as a messenger, but technically I’m a poet, writer and educator. I identify as “messenger” because it encompasses my identity and what I’m offering to the public–messages rooted in spirituality but expressed in the raw reality of daily life. I document my experiences through writing, allowing myself to be a medium who simultaneously uses the medium of writing to relay what needs to be said. I see my purpose as supporting the efforts of marginalized and oppressed peoples, particularly Black people and women. In this vein, I have honed my skills at observation and documentation in order to continually do justice, literally, through my work. My efforts have culminated into a 3 book poetic memoir series which chronicles my experiences connecting reincarnation to our present day challenges. I recently released the first book of this poetic memoir series, titled RECORD: Testimony of the Divine Feminine. I’m speaking as the long-ignored divine feminine figure who has been the counterpart of the historical male religious figures. My message in doing so is just to show that I’m human.

My work as an educator is being completely intertwined with my purpose in poetic writing. Yes, skills are developed in the course of interacting with and supporting students, which are all useful towards the work in writing, but there is also value in the actual experience. I showcase the range of mutual learning that takes place between myself and my students within my poetic storytelling, as well. In particular, I share moments of my journey in establishing a youth program in a historically marginalized community in Tampa, Florida. It’s called The Battleground and provides tools of empowerment through poetry, hip-hop and martial arts. These moments I have with the youth speak to wider societal themes and serve as specific examples of compassion, courage and wisdom.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn (and continue to unlearn) the idea that everyone has the same path. I think that in our sincere efforts to move forward in our own perceived purpose, we may at times lose perspective on what it is that we are supposed to do. Because sometimes, that doesn’t look like what the majority is doing. This is really tough because it can be easier to follow a template. It’s harder to forge new roads. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do research and learn from other people’s wisdom as well as their mistakes–I think that’s an essential part of the process, too. I just realize that as we gather information from outside sources, the most important guide is the one we have within ourselves. We are literally built to do what we are here to do.

A huge part of me realizing this is a result of my Buddhist practice with the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist community. Through adopting a daily practice that consists of chanting a self-affirming mantra that also highlights the interconnectedness of all life, I’ve increasingly developed my muscle of paying attention to that inner voice. Studying the teachings, too, have enabled me to grow in my understanding of how purpose is expressed according to each life and the person. It also takes courage to follow that inner sense of self and purpose, so a spiritual resource is super helpful in that regard, as well. I think that the mark of a helpful tool is that it guides you back to yourself and the power you already possess.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Directly supporting individual artists and the creative ecosystem by purchasing our works or donating to impactful projects is a vital action society can engage in. Promote the work of artists doing fresh and important work. Besides that, I believe it’s crucial that schools, both public and private, ranging from elementary through university level, provide programs and lessons to cultivate and nurture creativity and the arts. I notice that particularly in my home state of Florida, public schools tend to discourage creativity and artistic expression within the youth as they reach middle school age. This has detrimental effects for the students as well as our culture at large. Perhaps those who don’t directly work in the school system can advocate publicly and privately for the inclusion of more arts programming within their school districts, supported by the established data of its benefits.

Also, if you work at a company or business that may not have a direct connection to the arts and creativity, maybe help to bring artists and creatives to your company. For example, artists can teach workshops on relevant themes that can bolster the company’s work performance and wellness. Or, an artist can be invited to create a project that highlights the company’s values. I have been fortunate to do both of these, teach poetic workshops and create poetic projects for businesses unrelated to the arts, so I can see the practical application of how non-creative entities can support artists and simultaneously connect to the poetic spirit within themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yukijackson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yukijacksonpoet/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yukijacksonpoet?si=ImpDL9JzhBCxR_8D

Image Credits

Credits: Joey Mendez, Michele Joo, Kaitlin Crockett, Tony Gill