We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aspry Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aspry below.
Aspry, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I spent 25 years working in broadcast television. News, entertainment and sports. Along the way, I met some good people and some people who I found far less impressive. But, I think that’s just how everything works…
A friend of mine told me about a guy he knows – a rigid fellow whom my friend referred to as a “walking computer.” That “walking computer” actually works in I.T. and loves his career. I’ve been a writer, in some form or another, my whole life. And I’ve never felt more comfortable; at my happiest, than when I was writing my first novel, “Protectors Of The Light Crown.” Very much like that I.T. guy who found a profession that vibed with his personality, I think true joy is found by busying oneself with activities, tasks, and concerns that resonate with who we are deep inside. And, perhaps, real unhappiness is being stuck doing all the things we don’t want to do for a lifetime.
Working in TV seemed like a good idea back then, but I should have been writing instead. I’ve finally answered my calling full-time. What you call a “regular job” is quite regular to me, because it’s who I am. Best choice I ever made.
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?
Growing up a comic book geek in predominantly black Asbury Park, NJ, I was annoyed with how few fantasy heroes (and villains, for that matter) looked like me. The gap between minority and white characters was massive. I waited and waited for it to change, but it never really did.
I was published professionally in the community newspaper, The C0aster, at the age of 16. From there on, I fancied myself a writer, showing up in poetry and sanskrit magazines, taking on the role of high school newspaper Editor-In-Chief, and working for the Asbury Park Press that summer before university. I wrote screenplays, and also for websites since then. Years passed, and still few new, interesting, black comic book or fantasy heroes popped up. Eventually, I got the hint.
“Protectors Of The Light Crown” is a fantasy book starring a far more diverse cast of players than you’ll see from most any author in the genre – including modern day stalwarts like J.K. Rowling. All those years of waiting for change only told me one thing: the job was mine all along. Sorry I took so long to make that happen. If you’ve ever wanted creative inclusivity in the world of sci-fi/fantasy, you have only to Google my name.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
What’s wonderful about this grand mystery called “life” is how we can all learn from one other. A so-called “non-creative” can still sit down to a little Chopin, a bit of chamomile tea, and get lost in pages of fantasy. That person doesn’t need a desire to create characters or build worlds in order to enjoy thought-provoking fiction. But perhaps they need to fill that escapism void from time to time. Lucky for them, people like me walk the Earth.
I’ve never constructed a computer, nor do I have any idea what goes into the inner details of making one happen. But some of those “non-creatives” do. Thanks to them, I can surf the internet, write my chapters, engage in all manner of technical free-wheeling without an ounce of understanding how it’s possible. Maybe I’m not all that tech savvy, but some folks are, and I’m lucky to have them walking this Earth.
We don’t have to understand each other all the time. Just accepting each other is a vital step in the right direction. I recommend that.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a broadcast media veteran of over two decades, I found out something incredible about halfway through. I was reeling from CNN layoffs, a job I had enjoyed for about eight years, and found myself wading through the turbulent waters of the freelance world. Work came and went, but there was a point where I was collecting a lot of money from many gigs.
I remember double-dipping one day – working the morning at Fox News and jetting straight over to MSNBC for the evening shift. One leaned Conservative, the other Liberal. I saw both networks reporting the same news, but saying it very, very differently. Not only were they pandering to their selected audiences, but also delivering the information in ways that fueled their political agendas. I was disgusted. You know, they call it network “programming.” Put some emphasis on “programming.”
From that day on, I noticed the days of Kronkite, even Rather and Walters, were gone and never coming back. It’s not news. It’s toxic, biased, self-serving and hard on the heart; a burglar disguised as a security system. I never looked at my profession the same way again. In fact, I couldn’t say goodbye to it fast enough.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aspryjones.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asprywrites/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aspryjones/
- Twitter: @AspryWrites
- Youtube: @AspryWrites
