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

Lisa, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I have ever worked on came in the middle of the pandemic. Sheltering in place and social distancing did a number on everyone, particularly creatives. I was in the middle of producing our first musical stage production, The Draft, when everything came to a complete stand still. I don’t think we realized the extent of what was on the horizon. When the seriousness of Covid 19 unfolded, I think we all were shocked. We were disheartened because of the millions of people who were impacted personally by the virus, and also because a project that we really worked hard on had to be placed on the shelf until further notice. After almost a year of walking in a daze, I began a dialogue with my brother, Vicente Harrison, who is a manager of Parks in Portland, Oregon. As a ranger, he was always out in nature with his family, taking hikes, birding, water rafting, you name it, and they were doing it. He enlightened me on the importance of interacting with nature to bring healing and restoration to the mind, body and spirit. Vitamin D was a constant nutrient that was brought up when it came to addressing natural ways in which to heal the body. Because we were called to shelter in place, many missed out on the opportunity to absorb the benefits of Vitamin D from the sun. We began exploring ways to marry nature through a creative endeavors and that is when the show My Nature’al Life was birthed. My Nature’al Life launched in February 2021 on YouTube with 12 episodes. . At that time, we were able to team up with Grammy nominated producer and Billboard #1 artist , Aaron Nigel Smith. By the second season, which launched in September, we were not only on YouTube but also broadcasting on Comcast in Portland, OR and Cox Communications in Omaha, NE. The purpose of the show is to inspire the Mind, Body and Spirit, the natural way by showing viewers how they can incorporate nature into their everyday life for overall health and wellness. This project is meaningful to me because it’s edutainment, which is education with entertainment mixed in. I have gained so much in this process that I value to this day. Anytime you can help others, especially during challenging times, I am all for it. I am excited to launch Season 3 this coming summer.

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 literally have been writing since elementary school, and since then have written over 100 short stories. I ended up self-publishing my first book, At Last, and on a whim, sent hard copies to a couple editors not knowing that two of the publishing companies were about to merge. The editor of Harlequin loved my book and picked it up as one of the titles to launch their new imprint, Kimani Press. After authoring two books for them, I transitioned into stage production, when I was asked by my pastors to create a play from one of my projects. After studying the art of stage production, I fell in love with the process and my husband, Nate and I established Takin’ It To The Streets Productions, which later became Up High Arts & Entertainment where we went on to write and produce over 15 stage productions around the city of Atlanta. All along, I knew that our reasons for being in this industry was greater than us. We met some amazing individuals who for some reason or another needed a platform to launch their own career paths in entertainment. We were blessed to be a vessel in their personal journeys. I believe that humility, dedication and diligence draws positive experiences, which I am most proud of when it comes to my career successes. The Up High Arts and Entertainment motto has always been “Integrity is our brand”. Since then, we strive to live up to that every day in all that we do.

What led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

I think that most non-creative individuals struggle with understanding the path of the creative because it’s like coloring outside the lines on a coloring book page. We have been conditioned since childhood to do things a certain way to achieve success, even when it doesn’t feel like a perfect fit for us. When a creative decides to live authentically, it can cause friction with non-creative family and friends. I discuss this in detail in my book, “Gifted: Handle with Care.” Recognizing a gift involves more than waking up one day and making a decision to move forward. It takes acceptance of the call. It takes passion, persistence and a plan. Heck, it takes an incredible amount of guts to step outside of traditional norms to be who you are created to be. It also requires strategically placing people in your life who will help you fulfill your purpose. I call these people Gatekeepers. Gatekeepers help keep the creative challenged, focused and grounded. If the non-creative has a vested interest in the creative, he or she should see if they are called to be a gatekeeper. The role is very important and it will help them gain a greater appreciation for the calling on their creative loved one’s life.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As a leader in any industry, I strongly believe that you must be a servant. When people hear this, they immediately think about being a rug for others to walk all over or to be taken advantage of, but that is not it. When I say servant, I mean not placing yourself in the center of attention all the time. Yes, you may be the mastermind behind the business idea, but you need a team working in their areas of strength in order to carry out the mission. I feel it’s not enough to say, here’s a paycheck, thank you and goodbye. That doesn’t make a good manager or business leader. You have to take the necessary time to really get to know the people who work for you. It makes a person feel important to hear you ask how their weekend went and to actually sit and listen to the details. Morale is boosted when you pay attention to their interests, recognize their achievements and contributions by celebrating their successes. At the same time, it means walking them through challenges that helps them to grow. I believe the human spirit desires to connect with others who offer this type of value. When you do this, thoughtfulness trumps money in the long run.

Contact Info:

• Website: theartistcollectiveg.wixsite.com
• Instagram: @theartistcollectivegrp
• Linkedin: Lisa Harrison Jackson
• Youtube: TAC-G (Stands for The Artist Collective Group)

Image Credits
Photos by: MayKinFilms