We recently connected with Jess Mahogany and have shared our conversation below.

Jess, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Well, when I look back, I can say that I took more risk than I believed I had, which I am proud of and think I need to continue doing more of – but the risk that is standing out at this time is the move I made from Florida to California, pretty fresh out of undergrad, and alone. I will say that I knew someone there that was able to make the transition smoother, but staying with them was temporary, and I had NO job, thus limited funds from savings (as a previous college student soooo, we are not talking a lot of money). This is when I had my first burst of confidence to begin pursuing my entertainment dreams, but it would still be a long time after this that I would finally commit without the distraction of a plan B taking the drivers seat. I made a decision to move, and within a week I arranged transport for my car, packing up as many items inside as I could so that they could be delivered to Cali, and I hopped on a plane to the state furthest from my family as possible, aside from Hawaii. This was a HUGE risk for me, being so far away from safety, in a very expensive place (regular gas was at $5 or more at this time – ridiculous), and with only one other support person that, was not really a supportive person – you know how that goes. I intended to begin figuring out the acting business but the first order of business became, survival.

I need to find work, which I did, but one job soon became two out of necessity – as in the process of trying to secure jobs, one of the postings turned out to be a major scam in which FBI were involved, however not before I lost LOTS of money, and ended up at the bank needing to resolve the matter.

Now, this is important because it was at this bank that I met the banker, who upon looking at my ID saw that I was from Florida (Yes, I did not even have time to update my ID before chaos ensued) and she stated that she too was from Florida, and had come to this state for the same reasons I did. Not only that, but she was beginning to cast for her first theatrical production, and invited me to audition. Talk about tragedy into triumph. Here is the epitome of the phrase, “disruption always follows intention”. I had the intention of doing one thing, disruption followed, but led me right into the work that I intended to obtain. This risk overall, even with the hiccups, led to my first paid theatrical stage play, and more connections within the industry, but more importantly, it was a big aid in the belief of self, my resilience, talents and abilities.

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?

So as the title suggests, I wear many hats – even some beyond what is listed above; so I will speak of them in terms of the creative versus the healing aspects of what I offer and how I got involved in each. When it comes to acting and entertainment, including spoken word and hosting, I will say that all begin with the dream. I have wanted to do that for as long as I can remember and before I knew it was an options. I always focused on more “realistic” professions to aspire to (oddly, none of which I actually ended up in) because acting was something for other people. In my mind it felt like only a dream. But then I also learned that I had a knack for writing, and especially for poetry. Poetry led me into the world of spoken word, which is more of a performance based freestyle poetry writing. I learned that people performed their work, and even competed. I was never much for competing though I have entered a slam or two, max, but not because I take issue with it; I love it, but writing for me could not be contained for competition. I write for the message, the healing, the relief, the education, the venting, the love, the inspiration it gives; I write for the totality of the art and thus limiting my work is too tough and it is more important that I bring forth the intended message. What I want people to get from my writing, is victory, triumph, self love and love for the world. I want to challenge, teach, inspire, and yes, sometimes there is even a warning in there.

For acting, that too is about being able to tell stories in this compelling and visual way, as we know the power of the arts and acting is most certainly an art. Allowing people to be seen, heard, felt and understood, and then properly portrayed is important to me, and also cathartic – which is am impact I believe can be contagious. I got into acting because when something is a dream, even if you do not engage in it on a public level, you still likely engage privately. Just like I would engage in writing when it was meant for no eyes other than my own, is the same that goes on with acting. It was getting out of my way and taking a leap of faith that led to me doing what I do anyway, for the public.

But, because I initially felt that acting as my full on profession was this tremendous undertaking that could ONLY take place in Cali, I of course pursued education in more “practical” fields. Once I joined the workforce I began to see that I was able to hold space for stories just as much as I could write them out in short stories or poems. This eventually led to pursuing the career in mental health, because there was healing to be had in many if not all of the stories people would tell.

So I now combine all that I do in that, creatively I incorporate mental health tenants in my work, so that there is always a message to take from the entertainment – what we like to call, edutainment. It is important to provide hope, relief, education and calls to action, even when I want people to relax, have fun, and just BE.

I believe that is what sets me apart. When I see a lot of mental health information, it is usually presented in an uber professional way or maybe set in a skit, which I do love – however I wanted to engage the senses in a different way, sometimes more light, more poetic, more real world based and actually demonstrating how complex it is to tackle mental health, and how to find or create the beauty in it all.

I am so proud that I have been able to merge mental health education and spoken word together, and that I can create content relatable for ANY crowd or venue – this I am sure of. The creative and healing work is something that all people need, and I am able to produce that, which is why I call myself an artistic healer. It is not just about one or the other; with me, you will get both.

One of the main tenets I am focusing on is the ONENESS of all within the individual. We get so caught up in the differences that we lose focus on the beauty and necessity of them. The more time I spend in each of my fields, the more I see this to be the greatest truth. We create the differences not to divide, but to increase our optimization as human beings. That is one of the main message I want to send, and I think there are unique ways this has to be done. Sometimes, I have to do that by focusing on one community and uplifting them, while with another I am educating, but with all, the aim is to instill pride and self acceptance in all parts of self, with the intent that this will encourage people to make the same space for others and their uniqueness, that they want and know they deserve for themselves; because they love themselves that much! When I love me and all of my “differences” and allow them the way I should (even if that means change is necessary, and thus the complexity begins) then I am able to allow the differences in others too. But be careful here, as allowance does not mean acceptance, and this is maybe a new poem in the making. I will use the tool of poetry to education on this difference, but in a way that is entertaining, inviting and hopefully, inspiring change for those who need/desire it.

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.

I think that – well, for one this presents as a trick question to me because I see PEOPLE in general as creatives, but that would be a long story to get into so, for sake of argument and assuming we are only speaking of artistic creatives, I think sometimes others struggle to understand the sacrifices and the “why” behind them. I think they truly sometimes view our work as trivial or as hobbies, despite how many people have said they have “healed, grown, learned, etc” from them. Sometimes, the work does not even have to be that “deep”. Sometimes, it is about making people laugh, cry, feel seen even within a piece that was written simply to vent – not to inform. Sometimes that is what people are getting and a smile can be the greatest gift a person has received that day. Yet, often people will treat this industry as if, again, it is a hobby – not that serious, and does not deserve the respect for our time, energy and especially sacrifice, because one thing it is not for many of us, is lucrative. Then there is the extreme vulnerability that is required when you are a creative. You are making something special to you and that you want to reach people in a way, and yet you know that you are opening yourself up to feedback, judgement, critique etc. You are opening your “baby” up to harmful personalities; you are risking your work to the power of negativity bias and testing your resilience with each output. So, even if it were a hobby, the risk of putting it out there is not a game in the least bit.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am not sure if I have a particular story from my journey, more so than the journey itself. This whole thing illustrates my resilience; that I am even continuing to take it, trust it, try it – illustrates my resilience. From my age, gender, weight, look, personality and even my complexion, I receive messaging that says “maybe you shouldn’t” or “maybe you wont be accepted”, but something keeps me on the journey, even when I have to slow it down. I have been attempting to get an agent for a while now, and while some do not give feedback, others who have been kind enough to take that time, have reported a common theme – my look fits the few other clients that they are focusing on. It is no secret to anyone that these things do matter, and yet while I know it is something I will come up against, I also know it is something that is not going to stop me. I know it is not about talent because 90% of the people I work with have agents, yet we are still in the same call backs – I just don’t have to give away any of my funds yet (possibly a bonus lol, but I also know I am getting less access to certain calls).

I have been knocked down, taken a self imposed major pay cut so that I could make sure I have room for some of the roles I get while not interfering with the clients I do have and their ability to schedule, and yet, with my support (who IS actually supportive) – I am continuing to put myself out there. Through all of the No’s; through people who try to have power in the most trivial ways; through the roles you go out for an hear nothing back at all – through it all, people like us, continue; I, continue. I give it another try, and then another. So, the whole journey – from overcoming the disbelief in access, from overcoming imposter syndrome within the therapeutic field, from thinking that societal -isms were more powerful than me and my God given will – all of it illustrates my resilience. All of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessmahogany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessmahogany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessMahoganyBlog/

Image Credits
Jess Mahogany, Amber Cunningham, Vim and Vibe Productions