We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Loryn Jackson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Loryn below.

Alright, Loryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I don’t like wishful thinking, but reflection is necessary in personal development. That being said, I know if I had started my career sooner, I would have learned so much more about the industry and would have a much better advantage and be taken more seriously. However, if I did start sooner, I don’t think I would have the intimate life experiences that I do now. I mean, hindsight is 20-20, but I think there are some qualities I had to learn first to be a better humanist.

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 am an actor, model, and tarot diviner. I was first introduced to the acting industry through my management team. I dove into acting about 5 years ago when I told my, now, manager that I wasn’t breaking through with any modeling agencies or gigs on my own. They suggested that I try acting. I immediately fell in love with the craft, and now, there is just no turning back for me. I am currently signed with an amazing agency that makes me feel very seen. They also care about my love for acting and are VERY active about my submissions, which is hard to find in such a large city. My focus is on film/TV and my favorite genres to act in are drama and comedy. I would love to perform in a play one day, as stage performance is a dream of mine. I am also a tarot diviner for those who seek clarity from the natural world. I have been reading tarot for 11 years. In 2020, I successfully ran a pop-up tarot service and will be relaunching my services again in 2024. (I’m pretty excited). Something that I am most proud of is my resilience. I think I am stubbornly resilient, like, if I see myself somewhere or with something, I get there or that eventually. I’m not sure how it’s done, and I don’t know the combination or code, but I’ll call it resilience for now. (lol)

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first began my acting career, I took a linear approach to success. I was booking back-to-back work and felt so alive. Then, suddenly the bookings stopped. I changed my appearance, screamed, and cried about it because not only were my finances threatened, but so was my ego. After 1 year of auditions and no work, I felt that my social honor was destroyed. I mean, for the most part, we audition for commercials and are lucky to get a theatrical audition. I had to ask myself “What the hell am I doing this for?” I knew I loved the art, but the sacrifices were challenging. Then I saw a post on Instagram that read “Success is not linear” and that blew my mind. I never considered the thousands of actors who spent their entire lives practicing and don’t book most roles they audition for. At that time, I really began to shift my perspective around acting from the art being a fruitless road to stardom to the art being a fruitful journey about storytelling and compliance with rejection. I had to learn that acting was less about me and so much more about servitude and that acting is both an internal and external collaborative effort. I mean, how can one be a good storyteller of others when one is so busy trying to tell their own story? I know it’s so hard to show how selfish and egotistic we can be, but this is something I had to seriously unlearn before I began loving the art.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I remember feeling the frustration of knowing I had to evolve, but it was enough to make me want to walk away for a while and come back stronger. I knew that I had a calling in storytelling through art and I always have such a blissful time working on set. But I knew I needed to change my perspective around why I chose this craft. I called my agent, I paused acting for year, finished my undergraduate degree, started seeing therapy, and began writing. This was a special moment for me to touch grass and remember that there were other aspects about me that made me magical. I started a small tarot business where I was able to connect with my inner sense and counsel those in need of guidance. Through writing, I am able to reinterpret stories from the world around me and manifest characters that I wish to perform. I also get to practice my own lines and practice makes perfect, which is fun. Long story short, when I finally came around, I called my agent and let them know I was ready to hit the ground running. Now I audition daily and like it’s a gift, and I find myself holding the same pride as I did the first day I ever auditioned for a role, but without the negative emotions and perfectionism that were present in my early days. I reunited with my inner whimsy and found magic in the work I do. I feel like I am more pleasant to work with now, too. I don’t feel nearly as stressed out about auditions, and I have time to pursue my M.A. in sociology on the side, which is pretty amazing for me as a first-generation student.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorynjackson
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorynjackson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loryn-jackson
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/i/flow/lorynjackson

Image Credits
Daniel De Leon Studios Goodley Productions JLD Photography