We recently connected with Jonathan Sims and have shared our conversation below.
Jonathan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is actually a combination of two. Both projects are different, but they share a common goal. I created a non-profit organization to connect a network of creatives in a collaborative format, and to use creative arts to teach life skills. My first project titled, Improvisation in Interpersonal Development, was designed to use a form of acting to develop people skills–active listening, empathy and confidence. Improv is a form of acting that is unscripted and requires on-the-spot thinking; almost like real life. You’re not walking around with a script of what you plan to say to people you’re engaging. Being able to engage in an exchange with another person and add value to the conversation by simply listening and being empathic can take a person further than they could image, because with a positive interaction, you’re leaving a lasting impression on the individuals you’re interacting with. While improv is spontaneous, it can be taught and harnessed. I challenge participates to engage in various activities that require active listening and effective communication to have a meaningful interaction. As a manager at a software company, who also engages in interview processes, I can provide participants with tools they can use when seeking a job. Like how to prepare for the interview, and what types of responses to keep handy in any questionnaire. I have a segment in the course called a compelling story. It’s the responses to the one question an interviewer will likely ask every time. “Can you tell me about yourself?” I ask the participants to list out the most interesting facts about themselves that are informational, yet will leave a lasting impression. If the interviewer is seeing 100 candidates, you want them to remember you. Keep those interesting facts at the top of your mind, and so you don’t sound rehearsed, rehearse them in a way that will sound conversational. The feedback I get from this course is phenomenal, and leaders want me back to engage more.
The second project is fairly new, but it’s also designed to impact personal development. It’s called “Creative Minds”, where the focus is to unlock personal growth through cognitive behavioral art therapy. I’ve dealt with depression, anxiety, and stress throughout my life, and as I got older, it’s become harder to verbalize those stressors in a way that will grant relief. I understand seeing a therapist is a viable option, but sometimes you want to express yourself in a way that doesn’t involve others. Having a moment to your thoughts and working through those emotions can be healthy if you are able to do so in a controlled way. I know some people self medicate, and often find themselves feeling worse than they did prior to indulging in a substance. I’m able to take a moment of anguish and channel it on to a canvas and take control of it’s meaning. Instead of sitting in a depressive state, unleashing onto a canvas with acrylic and a pallet knife is an invigorating release. I show others while navigating those thoughts to paint what you feel. Use that negative energy and pour it onto the canvas. Be impulsive with the brush, be misguided with the color pallet, and let go. I try not to know what I’m trying to paint, because then you become fixated on perfection. In a moment of a mental crisis, the last thing you want to do is try to perfect the piece you’re creating because it becomes more like something else you have pressure to achieve, rather than a safe space to release. It is the true calling of abstract expression. The fulfillment is seeing what you created at the end of your session, where you took a manic moment, and created a thing of beauty and peace. I have over 30 pieces and I can remember each emotion I felt during their creations. It doesn’t always have to be a moment of a depressive state. I also invite strenuous day-to-day activities, or maybe something you experienced for a moment–whether it be in the past or present. The course invites vulnerability, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Creating art allows one to be more intune with their emotions and they’ll be able to speak on those emotions openly when they are explaining their artwork to others.
These two projects are near and dear to me because they are the two I designed from my own experiences. Dealing with loss and becoming a recluse, who only leaves the house to get the mail. I’ve gone through sleep deprivation, poor nutrition habits, bouts with vertigo caused by stress, blackouts, health scares, and closing off the people closest to me. I experienced the type of suffocating anxiety that made me question my sanity. Finding meaning in those experiences through artistic expression is what I needed to renew my purpose. I hope the programs have the same impact on the participants who engage.
Jonathan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m the executive director and president of Enjoy The Movement, Inc, a non-profit org. designed to educate underserved communities in creative arts. Our goal is to train and build a network of creatives in various forms of creative expression to collaborate and develop a repertory ecosystem. I have been in the industry for 16 years as an actor, director, writer and artist. I bring experience in theatre, playwriting, screenwriting, and directing for the stage. I’m an abstract expressionist who incorporates storytelling in my artwork. Our organization provides masterclasses designed to develop personal and interpersonal life skills. I’m most proud of the feedback I get from clients and participants. Some express wanting to get serious in the arts while others express satisfaction from the overall engagement from the courses. A big part of why I do this is to be a resource and give exposure to the youth in underserved communities. Art saved my life, and I appreciate the purpose it’s given me. Our clients can expect to be challenged and they’ll find an appreciation for the arts in a way that’s not just visual. When you learn the backstory of artwork, or the meaning behind someone’s vision, your perspective changes. You are more engaged with the “why” rather than the “what”.
I wrote my first play after reading about Amiri Baraka’s impact during the Black Power Movement. I thought about how he created BARTS, Black Arts Repertory Theatre School, to give blacks in Harlem a place to express themselves in a more meaningful way rather than rioting and looting in the streets, protesting civil rights. He was a poet and a playwright who wrote pieces that spoke to the generation of that time. It also landed him a spot on the FBI’s people of interest list. I remember wanting to write something to express how I felt, but I also wanted to be a voice for our generation’s protest against police brutality. The play is called “What are the odds?”. It’s about four playwrights who are writing a script together, and they all write a version of the opening scene in their perspectives on an interaction between a black man and a police officer during a traffic stop that ultimately ends with the black man being shot. I wrote the perspectives of the playwrights using rhetoric from the public during the divisive time where it seemed more and more unarmed black men were being gunned down by police. On one side, the people were calling for justice for unjust killings, and that if a black man can be shot and killed by police with no consequences to the murderers, does this country value the badge over innocent lives? The other side is if only the black men would “comply” or the cops feared for their lives; don’t resist arrest, etc. etc, and maybe the police won’t shoot. The third argument is neutral, but also trying to make sense of why the incident happened, because nothing “just happens”. The fourth argument is cause and resolution. What preventative steps do we need to take to end the back and forth, while simultaneously mending the relationship of police and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. I wrote this play after the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. After police militarized a community, attacking with armored trucks, tear gas, and a barrage of rubber bullets. I was angry and I wanted my voice to be heard, but when I tried to speak, it would often be negative comments, and what I would consider unproductive to my mental well being. So I wrote the script. Not only did I feel fulfilled, I was also able to share the story with my peers to start a conversation on how we can take action in our own community. I tell this story because I also teach creative writing and writing with impact. The four perspectives were the ones that I battled with internally. I often find myself starting he argument in my own mind, almost as if I’m practicing how I would respond to a point-of-view that negates mine. As a writer, having all voices to portray a story helps to build a story that doesn’t feel one-sided. As a human being, that internal conflict causes me to disconnect and overthink. Being able to put it on wax and express those emotions in a meaningful way allowed me to recenter and focus on the bigger picture; while keeping my sanity intact.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One year I read over 29 self help books. My goal was 25. I read books by John Maxwell, Robert Kiyosaki, and more. The CEO, at the time, of the company I work for said he read 1 self help book per week, and I didn’t understand why. He said he does it to retrain his mind into thinking success. The first book I read that year was titled Think like a billionaire, become a billionaire by Scot Anderson, and it was probably the epitome of “I think, therefore I am”, as I started to think strategically, rather than reactively. No, I’m not a billionaire yet, but I’ve developed habits that ultimately put me in a position to follow through on ventures I take up as long as they serve me and bring value. All our lives we were taught don’t quit and never give up, when there are times where you do need to give up and quit. Losing at something is not always negative. Sometimes you lose friends where instead of cutting the cord, you cling onto a relationship that no longer serves you. You and that person might have been thick as thieves as children, but as adults, you’re like water and oil. Sometimes it’s okay to let go of that connection and keep the memories of what that connection gave you to move forward. The same principle applies to a job that you don’t owe any loyalty. You have to do what’s best for you and the progress you’re building. Another thing I learned in reading those books is to become realistic about my situation. I used to say, I’m going to be a millionaire, and all I did was work my 9-5 making under 6-figures a year. How? I learned that I have to be a little more ambitious about my approach. Work that 9-5, and use it to fund your own ventures outside of it. John Maxwell’s “How Success People…” series is probably the most impactful to me. I would often ask peers for book suggestions and everyone would always recommend 48 Laws of Power. After reading it, I thought, I don’t have any use for the content of this book. There is no one in my life that I want to step on to get ahead. I would rather work to collaborate and build networks. My suggestion to people is to explore the self help section at the bookstore. Grab the title that speaks to you and your situation. What I find valuable might not look the same to you. I also like to watch old interviews of artist who inspire me like Ryan Coogler, Jean Michel Basquiat or Hebru Brantley. I always find that I have a lot in common with the people I draw inspiration from. Their stories are similar to mine, and they come from humble beginnings. How they discovered the arts is so wholesome. It negates the thoughts that you have to be classically trained, or that you need years of schooling to perfect a craft. You can be self taught and still make a significant impact.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
If you had asked me this question three years ago, I wouldn’t know what you were talking about. Two years ago, I sold my first series of NFTs and I made a decent amount of cash flow from the royalties. The first time I heard of NFTs, a friend of mine who does security for the guy who sold an NFT that was made up of a collection of photographs taken over an eight year span. The NFT sold for nearly 70 million dollars. I went to google and started researching. I found that an NFT can be anything, and the more rare/limited, the better. I got the idea to create a comic book series. I was in the middle of writing my first screenplay and I was experiencing writer’s block. So to keep the creative juices flowing, I developed a story using cartoons. As a car salesman, I would doodle between seeing clients. I created a comic strip that’s a comical play on the mafia, where the rivalry was between paper and pencils. I thought to myself, I can bring that series back and create collectables by separating the pages. So a six page storyline could be something someone would try to collect all six pages if I sold them separately. The paper versus pencils was also a play on my interests as a writer. I created three storylines, six pages each, and minted on the BNB blockchain. Within the first day, the first six pages sold and were valued at over $600. No where close to 70 million, but I was shocked that someone actually found my work to interesting enough to pay that much for it. I would go on to create the other two storylines, which were a continuation of the series, and they also sold for nearly the same value. I can check “sold NFTs” off my bucket list. As far as my view, I think it could be lucrative. In 2024 you have to be a little more creative about what you would mint, and also beware of scams. There’s a ton of risks, so do your research! I get a ton of requests for my artwork to be sold as NFTs where the customers would offer to pay in crypto. Personally, just give me the cash. The pages from the cartoons are available for canvas prints on our website. Drawing is also one of the classes we offer at ETM.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://enjoythemovement.square.site/
- Instagram: enjoy_the_movement_inc
