Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordan Lyles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jordan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In March of 2024, I released a film entitled Mouth of Babes. The film is accompanied by a book that dives into the work process, symbolism and themes of the film. M.O.B is a musically inclined documentary with an original curated soundtrack, directed and composed by myself. The film is inspired by the workshops of Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, a renowned writer, educator and publisher that has dedicated his career to addressing the ills afflicting black culture in the United States. In this film, In the film, I paint a picture of harsh realities in the lives of our youth. While some of the issues being discussed are universal, it focuses in on the black community; expanding on the idea that the issues that affect black communities are not by coincidence, but by design.

Jordan, 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 am just a vessel of God. I wear many hats and I’ve been blessed to excel in a surplus of avenues. I prefer to let the work speak for itself. I am proud of the gift of completion— the ability to complete projects. As for discipline, I think the ability to keep your eye on God’s longterm guidance in a microwave society is a rare trait and I just hope to bring people back to the present moment one interaction at a time.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes, my books— “Baby Boys With Hoop Dreams”, released in 2023 and “Mouth of Babes”, released in 2024. There’s not much more valuable than self analyzation and awareness. These are books that document and dissect my own thoughts without influence of someone else’s life perspectives. It’s like reading comments before watching a video, we tend to feel the weight of people’s opinion before developing our own viewpoint.

In comparison, when it comes to reading books that are to advance self, I first form my own view of self to carry a sense of a solid foundation before letting someone else diagnose or feed me a narrative that feels good to hear. We must remember how unique we all are and understand that the main thing we all have in common is the need for God. I encourage everyone to write a form of an autobiography, even if not published.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think non-creatives are blessed to just enjoy creative things like a normal human. Imagine how a construction worker looks at the infrastructures in the big city. It’s like viewing life through the lens of an x-ray. One may look at the buildings as just a nice view to take a photo, but the builder knows what it took to create it. I think an insight I’d give a non-creative is to understand that art goes through a series of stages and phases before becoming something for the public to experience. So, just appreciate heartfelt art and again, the art speaks for itself. You can tell the difference between a home cooked meal and a fast food meal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jordanlylesmusic.com
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jordanlylesmusic?feature=shared
• Other: https://youtu.be/hdMgz1f-SyY?feature=shared

Image Credits

Stills from the film Mouth of Babes.