We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Boarman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to inspire others to carry on through adversity and loss. I always say “I’m simply here to help you, ” which could mean helping you through a loss, helping you through something you are wrestling with internally, helping you find your purpose, or helping you make a big life decision. There are so many ways to work through all these things we face in life, but I believe wholeheartedly in the power of writing it down. Our brains aren’t designed to stay in overdrive, our spirits aren’t meant to carry the burden of a broken heart, and our bottled-up emotions can come out in unintentional and harmful ways. Inspiring someone to pick up a pen and notebook and hash out their deepest, most inner thoughts on paper through journaling, is my true passion
Growing up in a small town with a close-knit community and experiencing several hard losses, I’ve experienced the love and support of my community. Feeling the love and support from others inspired me to find ways to pay it forward and help others through their toughest moments.
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?
As a young girl, I always turned to my journal when I felt like I couldn’t understand my emotions. I started off with a cheap black and white speckled composition notebook and a blue Bic pen. It didn’t matter what was going on my life, I always knew I could sort it out on paper.
When I lost my baby brother to suicide, I picked up my journaling habit again and tried my best to sort out the confusion and hurt I was feeling. Knowing I’ll never get the answers I so desperately longed for, I had to place all this built-up frustration somewhere. Journaling was a saving grace. As I started to get a handle on my grief, my habit of writing fell off. I picked it back up many years later after the loss of my mom, then my dad, both to cancer. Again, I knew I’d never get the answers to the questions I had swirling around in my psyche but remembered again how writing things down on paper helped me organize those swirling thoughts and I began feeling less overwhelmed by it all.
After discovering how writing impacted me in such a positive way and reflecting on the community support I received through my toughest days, I decided I needed to do something a little bigger, so I started a blog. My blog is titled “The Journals”, and the initial purpose was to share my stories and struggles with others. It was a great way to connect with others who were hurting and going through loss. It was an avenue that connected me to people who needed the same support I did. I always shared my love for journaling with those who reached out and the idea of journaling was met with such resistance because they felt intimated with no idea where to start. I knew I had to find a way to give people a place to start.
This is where my blogging evolved and I began incorporating more about journaling in hopes I could inspire others to just get started. I also created The Growth Deck, which is a powerful journaling tool designed and written for reflection and growth. I’ve since created 2 more decks – The Bloom Deck and The Confidence Deck – and have a fourth one currently in production that will likely be released by the time this article is released. Each deck includes 52-cards, with a quote, scripture, or affirmation on the front for you to reflect on, with a corresponding prompt or series of prompts that you will respond to in your personal journal. Since the launch of the decks, I’ve been working on building a community called The Journals by Jess to share tips, tools, and inspiration for people to begin journaling and find a way to make it stick.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Honestly, up until a couple years ago I would’ve laughed out loud if you’d called me a creative. I always had this idea that I was a structured, scheduled, and rigid person that didn’t have time for creativity but that’s simply not true. We all have creativity inside of us. It wasn’t until I started writing for my blog that I could appreciate the art of putting words together to impact others and help draw out emotions or inspire them in some way through my words. It’s something anyone can do. I recall making the declaration when I promoted my first blog post on my personal page that “I’m a writer. I’m not a perfect writer, but I’m a writer.” I’d always had a dream of writing and never thought it would be a part of my story. The blog seemed so far-fetched just three years ago and now I’m writing a book. So, don’t tell yourself you aren’t creative because you are. We use creativity every day through managing schedules, problem-solving, taking photos at just the right angle on our phones, or making a pretty post for Instagram. I challenge everyone to tap into their creativity every day and see what shows up. You might be surprised.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Sure, my mom was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in February 2013, and despite all the treatments she passed away in October of that year. Managing her care while working full time, being a mom, and running her household and mine was overwhelming at times. With the help of my family and friends, most of the balls stayed up in the air. Then, in February 2014 my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He passed away in September 2014 with no treatment. Going through both of those losses back to back was really hard to manage but I kept leaning into my faith and knowing there was some sort of purpose in my pain.
Resilience was modeled to me through watching my mom fight for change after my brother died by suicide. She charged so many local efforts to prevent suicide and offer up support for those left behind after a loss by suicide. Watching her truly turn her pain into purpose and honor my brother’s life by helping others is what carried me through those few stressful years and the years of grief following.
Both my parents were great models of resiliency for me and I live each day trying to make a difference in the world and the lives of others just like they did. Everything I do is an effort to make them proud and carry on their legacy of compassion, kindness, and generosity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jessicaboarman.com/
- Instagram: @thejournals_byjess
- Facebook: @TheJournalsbyJess
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-boarman-44255a15b
- Twitter: @jessicaboarman
Image Credits
Olive & Fig Photography