We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roderick Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Roderick, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
For a long time I had struggled with the understanding of my work from peers. Whether that be through the years of me writing poetry, novels, screenplay, I have been blessed to find a synergy in the realm of being a writer. Still, I scuffled to provide myself with an audience. For years I’d known the collective group, HOW BAZAR, doing modeling gigs, other performance based opportunities and cultivating relationships I could be proud of. This question reminded me of one instance where I was asked to perform on one of their biggest days and events to date, at the time. An event in collaboration with a local record label titled, DIONDIA, spoke to the essence of my creative journey and to all creatives alike. Ideals of perseverance, authenticity, community; these are but a few examples of how the day went. Designers of fashion, Engineers and Producers of music, Interior designers, hair and makeup artists, the production of this event made me realize how powerful I was to even be acknowledged and thought of around these very talented people. I had written a piece on the concept of the expression tied to “an olive branch”, not only because I had been given one myself, but I had been put in position immediately after to hand out branches of my own. As a creative I’ve strived to speak through my humanity, in strife, I’ve learned to love the process of growing and I genuinely hope that my character development can be seen as a parallel incline in relation to my career as a creative.
Roderick, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
A great hello and welcome to all, about to partake in the story of my origin. I’m a proud Afro-Latino male creative from Gainesville,FL deeply adherent to the arts. I’ve been through side quest after side quest in life, a marine, a tedxuf talk, a community organizer, writer of soul food, the taste of an open minded connoisseur of fashion, food and fervency into all hobbies and interests. I would like to think that my story of writing pushed me into the depths of all of my vast creative endeavors and mental processes. An origin story that’s defined as who I am and growing to be. Roughly around the age of 13, I had experienced a loss that shook me in ways I haven’t been able to replenish. The more I wanted to hydrate myself, the more I found myself writing every little notion about the world I had in my head. This time in my life of confusion, anger, and defeat was the epicenter to the earthquake of creativity that sparked a career. As I grew in my writing, in my life, I came to the understanding that if this was important to the people around me, I would have to cultivate my craft. Many many times I had heard, “please don’t stop writing” as I transitioned from adolescent to young adult I needed a way to ingratiate myself into this new perspective of life. I joined a small troupe of writers at a local high-school and began what I finally saw as real work. From open mic to open mic, bar hopping and venue seeking to spread the story of me. After my junior year, I was approached by my writing coach and asked if I wanted to be apart of a TedTalk. Immediately I said yes, reminding myself that I was up for the previous one, needing to prove to myself that I was there to belong. After graduating highschool I began working on a book of poems and outside thought and perspective, but life has a funny way of making its way into your immediate life. I became a marine and through that I learned a myriad of valued life skills, disciplines and techniques it took to get me through that experience as uncomfortably comfortable as possible. Through the journey of becoming, I continuously learned myself as one does when exposed to the world af large. The moment I knew I wanted to become a creative director, was the exact moment fashion and I had fallen in love. I believe that expression of self is one of the most powerful energetic forms of life. So I began outsourcing for the things I’d like in fashion. From my favorite loafers, to a collection of sweaters and beyond, I’ve come to find a certainty about growing my taste in alignment with how I grow as a person. As I find my way into the business of fashion, through content it’s important that a specific niche of a story is presented to my audience. Palatable enough but poised in its simplicity so that the details of said capsule of clothing, ad campaign to ad campaign, I’ve become obsessed with my motifs as they’ve grown. In acquiring my confidence and courage to take the steps necessary to place myself in a position of work through individuality, I’ve recently started a magazine titled later+daze as a medium to piecing the world together one creative endeavor, one creative culture shift, one creative at a time. Stories have been one of the major ways I’ve been able to make sense of the world, and in my community there’s no drought of perseverance, love, strength, struggle, hate, altruism. At the magazine we offer a variety of services, from content writing to photography/videography and anything in between the two. What sets me apart from any other creative you ask? I’ve become an adapter, a form of release from humanity into a world I’m creating and through this world of luminaries, a call back to the audience we serve, we see that life loves you when you love it. Our altruistic vision and spirit into our business is what we’re most proud of, as it can be very murky when dealing with the true details of creating sustainable business, we pride ourselves on working with our community, working with our closest friends and family, and cultivating all of these relationships in longevity and love. The main thing I want our audience to understand is that we always have the same opportunity to burn brighter in spite of the shade, we must always appreciate the sun. Thank you!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the conversation ensued after the project is finished. As a writer at heart, I’m infatuated with the buzz of any one project, and the immediate effect it has on a particular group of people. I’m a conversationalist, a journalist, and perspective for me is power. Power seeded into all of my creativity, from piece to piece, collection to collection I adore the processes of it of course but there’s nothing like a finished product.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
An expression comes to mind, “Forward always, always forward” coined by loose professions of strength and perseverance from leader to leader. A torch handed to me, from those gone on, the driving force of my creative journey is said expression. If one wishes longevity in anything, one must NEVER give up and that power that comes from repetition, failure, learning is the true power of my brand. I am but a vessel of transitionary thought and inspiration. Forward always, Always forward. 
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Kerosene.killa , laterdazemag_