Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jen Kwok. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I learned to do what I do by following my intuition and creative impulses. Sometimes I wish I had gone to school or had more of a formal path, but spending my 20s and 30s trying anything and everything in NYC was the ultimate training ground. Knowing what I know now, I would have embraced myself more as a multi-passionate person and seen it as a strength rather than a source of confusion. When I first started out, it was less common to be a multi-hyphenate, and people would try to put you in a box. As a creative person, you cannot limit yourself to someone else’s imagination or expectations, even your own. If there’s one thing I understand now, it’s that artists are ultimately responsible for learning the craft of ourselves, and discovering and evolving with our own processes. Outside opportunities can be conduits for or distractions from that process–or more often, somewhere in the middle. As a creative, it is essential to learn when to say “yes” or “no”. Yes to these projects, no to these notes. Yes to this style, no to that idea. When you’re someone who works in multiple genres, the number of opportunities, tools and decisions also multiply. It’s your own self-knowledge and acceptance that will determine what decisions you make, and that is what ultimately determines the path of your artistic integrity and growth.
Jen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got into the arts as a writer, performer and administrator because I really believe in the power of creativity to heal, transform and transport. I have felt it first hand as an audience member and fan, and it is amazing to be involved with bringing those feelings to someone else. My first professional experiences in music were as an intern in college. I interned for the local opera company, my college’s performing arts center, and a record label. I was actually a business major, but being able to apply those skills to something that I loved so much satisfied both my idealism and the need for something tangible to come from my work. Going into non-profit arts management was one of the most important things I ever did because it allowed me to have a day job supporting other artists and organizations while also supporting the pursuit of my own art. I’ve worked in almost every part of an arts organization, from programming and production, to finance and accounting, and being an artist myself, Having all these experiences has allowed me to understand how things work from different angles, and gives a unique perspective and holistic approach to my work. My expertise as a non-profit controller and finance manager has been designing and implementing financial systems that work for the people who are carrying it out–processes that are both compliance and artist-friendly, and alleviate some of the fear or stigma that surrounds money and the arts. Being an artist and embracing change and growth has also allowed me to specialize in helping organizations create or improve new systems as they expand operations. I love this work because it combines so many different parts of my brain, and it also has structures and end points that are a bit more elusive in the creative process. For me, standing in the back of a full theatre is almost as electric as standing up on stage.
My first experiences in comedy came from taking improv classes at UCB and trying stand-up. Once I started incorporating music with comedy, it’s like everything made sense. Songs wrote themselves and it felt like all the disparate skills, ideas and feelings floating around in my soul finally had a place to go. To this day, I think my ability to combine humor with an emotional core is my superpower, both as a writer and a person. As a creative, there is so much emphasis on finding the moments of inspiration or flow. For me, those parts of creativity are about being and allowing. As a professional creative–someone who is hired to make something to fit a project or brief, being able to engage with a piece of work beyond moments of pure connection is just as important. That’s where the “logic” of creativity comes in. Being able to edit and mold your raw ideas and material into something that can immediately be understood by another person is where craft comes in. I am most proud of my ability to combine both sides of my brain to create a piece that “makes sense” while still retaining the gut punch moments that compel you feel or laugh. As a songwriter, my very specific skillset is being able to take something painful or complex, and distill it into the musical container of a comedic song. Songs have the unique versatility of creating a tiny sonic space where we can experience our feelings and ideas with some distance and abstraction. There is something so magical and medicinal about it. It’s all the things we usually have a hard time expressing alchemized through the safety of rhythm, the catharsis of melody, the comfort of harmony, It’s honestly the best job in the world.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The main mission of my creativity has always been connection. I think back to my earliest memories, and it was simply making people laugh, whether it was having fun during a study group or disarming potential bullies. Humor is one of the most powerful tools we have to change our perspective or the energy in the room. I learned early on that I was not the kind of comedian or writer who could “punch down”. Everything we express is creative energy. For me, the goal is to have that expression be net positive. I make everything with the hope and intention that it can connect with some else in a positive way, whether it lifts their mood, allows them to feel seen, or inspires them to bring some more net positive into the world. I try to do this with music. I try to do this at the grocery store. I try to do this anywhere and everywhere. I don’t always succeed, but that’s what I’m aiming for. And to do it in the way that only I can. That’s the daily mission.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
A few years ago I cleaned out my email. I had over 600 audition emails from agents and managers over the course of 10+ years. If you look at my IMDb you will see that I definitely did not book 600 roles. To be an artist who wants their work to be seen on a larger scale is to face rejection. To be a performer is to face rejection, period. I remember my first time truly bombing onstage. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. The judgment, the shame, the sheer panic and anxiety of an audience rejecting you in real time to your face is some people’s worst fear. I got off that stage and felt terrible, but the next morning I knew I wanted to go back up. I knew the awkwardness of flopping, but I also knew the joy of making an entire room laugh. But all these moments pass. Resilience is about taking the good with the bad. I see it as a sine graph. Just like life, an artist’s creative journey is a series of waves, of ups and downs. Even beyond your relationship with an industry or an audience, the most important part of resilience is your own the willingness and desire to keep showing up for yourself even when things get hard, internally or externally. That is a choice you make. Sometimes it’s easier than others, but it’s a muscle and a process that you can strengthen and master.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jenkwok.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenkwokjenkwok/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenkwokjenkwok
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-kwok-music/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jenkwokjenkwok
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jenkwok/sets/songs-for-one
- Other: https://maestramusic.org/profile/jen-kwok/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jen-kwok/373695306
Image Credits
Amy Nghe, David Bluvband, Tamara Smith