We were lucky to catch up with Jaclyn E recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jaclyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The short answer to this question is, the best investment I’ve ever made is in myself. The long answer is the story I’m about to share with you today.

When I was 19 and recently graduated from highschool, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I decided to take a gap year for college and ended up starting it, but not going back. I was not the academic type. I prioritized “street smarts” and people skills over “book smarts”. Now that I look back on the success my music career has brought me, I’m so glad this was my decision.

At the time, I had some money saved up, but not a lot. With the little money I did have, I invested about $1,500 in a Bluetooth tower PA system, a Yamaha digital keyboard, microphone, cables and stands. 4 years later, I look back and realize this was the best investment I could have made for myself.

Not only have I made my initial investment back in full, but it has opened the door to long term profit, growth as a person, life-long connections with other musicians, and amazing gig opportunities where I’ve traveled the world and gotten paid to do so.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am more than happy to re-introduce myself.

I am a professional singer who plays piano and travels the world performing cover songs and original music.

I believe the hardest thing for creatives and artists, is to take that first step and put yourself out there. People tend to stay in their own head sometimes and due to this, they are afraid to act. It’s unfortunate when this happens, because it makes your indecision a permanent decision. My solution to this is to always take a chance on yourself, even if you’re terrified, because it’s the best way to grow. Humans shockingly learn more from our mistakes than our success.

I provide entertainment for all kinds of events but what I’m most proud of is writing my own music.

I am releasing my debut EP on October 14th, 2024. It is called Fight or Flight and is available on all streaming platforms under my artist name, Jaclyn E.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing society can do to best support independent artists is to venture out from what they normally listen to on the radio and come support live music and independent original music on streaming platforms.

This can be done by asking a performer at a gig where they can listen to their original music or following a performer on social media so you have access to their live performance schedule .

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when people share with me how my music made them feel. For me, music is entirely about transmitting feelings into sound. To be able to connect with others in this way, where they can experience my music through their heart and soul, and leave the venue feeling better than how they came in, makes my music journey worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/jaclynjellybeanmusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynemusic?igsh=MTN3ZjlqMHhmZzFkeA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jaclyn.E.Arnold?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jaclynemusic?si=m4tEBgrNEZ9DcoYf
• Other: Spotify Link(original music)

  https://open.spotify.com/artist/17jwSbg0NzmcOkVtr8J5pJ?si=nACIMwtlRjiCnLo_pf10VA

Image Credits

Casey Lewis

(Second picture)