We were lucky to catch up with Jenni Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jenni, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I say often that “I hope my grandkids think I’m cool,” but in reality, I hope cool isn’t in their vocabulary. I hope it is replaced with aligned, creative and innovative. I moved from the United States to Paris with no family or friends and began to fabricate a fully creatively sustained life for just me and my dog. This isn’t something most women have been able to do in the past, certainly not in my family, and I hope my legacy echoes somewhere into the lineage of my family that bravery is a choice and a privledge.
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 a twenty eight year old writer and business owner. I run a podcast and photography company in Paris France along with a Substack titled “Cageless”. The aim of all of my work is the inspire, educate and encourage others to live freely and heal loudly. I began expressing myself creatively at a very young age, but after I graduated from film school in 2018, I have been a freelance multidisciplinary artist. Photography and video directing are external passions of mine and writing and podcasting are more from my interior world. I love expressing and contemplating bright moments and ideas, both for myself and clients. I love challenging the traditional point of view. I love capturing life in its truest, most beautiful form.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I have had to unlearn many lessons in life, but I think the most prominent one was the lesson that you always have to put your best foot forward. But when I realized that when my “best foot” meant constantly performing and aiming to achieve perfection (in my work, personal life, spiritual life) I was just wearing a mask. Being your most authentic self is the best way to create a life you love. The sooner you are you, the sooner the people looking for you will find you.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Building an audience on social media came by complete accident, but I am grateful for the people I have had the opportunity to speak with and connect with online. I have been making videos with my Mom’s camera since I was kid. I studying cinema and have been a part of the entertainment industry in many capacities from a young age, so when I started making TikToks during COVID, I was truly just expressing myself and my thoughts. The more traction my page got, the more connected to others I felt. And when my anxiety came into play (about views, being perceived and performing to make people agree with me) I realized that the authentic magic I felt could only exist if I was saying and creating things I believed in. If I could give advice for those just starting to build the social media presence, I would say: be yourself. You won’t be able to survive otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thejennijohnson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennijohnson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejennijohnson/
Image Credits
Dog photo by Jon Taylor Photography @jontaylorphoto