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

Hi Zen J., thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I first met my daughter, Rosie, she held a ragged stuffed rabbit in her arms that was once her mother’s when she too was a little girl. I took on her father’s role in his absence, and Rosie, her mother, and I became family. As a survivor of sexual and physical abuse, it became my mission to protect Rosie and provide comfort and sympathy to all children and our inner child.

I write magical realism and fantasy stories as Zen J. Jackson for middle-grade to young-adult readers. In a world where we don’t always get to choose our parents, role models, and teachers, my books provide brave and unlikely heroes to connect with. Along with my Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing, my purpose has always been driven through storytelling. My imagination was always the safest place to find comfort in an otherwise chaotic childhood that has shaped me into the mindful and intuitive being I am today.

The Bunny Book & the Creature of Boseman Farm is book One of a three-part series dedicated to my daughter Rosslyn & all the heroes growing up following their dreams despite the odds.

Zen J., 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?

I got into story-telling when an idea came to my mind inspired by my closest loved ones, and upon narrating it, the tale brought my listeners to tears. Realizing the impact that sharing my stories had on others, I became aware of it as a divine gift I could not keep to myself. It became my responsibility to my creator and my community to not only entertain those who read and enjoyed my stories, but to remind ourselves of the beauty, magic, and miracles we can witness and embrace in our everyday lives despite any challenges that come our way. After spending every free moment I had to write out my entire first manuscript, my wife crafted and composited it for print. We used a self-publishing company to invest in our storytelling business where we write, film, and produce uplifting and mystical tales from short films to webisodes, books, and flash fiction pieces with a mission to empower and inspire all ages.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can shift its focus towards when in need of a product or service to initially think of the closest person they know who offers it before leaning onto a larger or impersonal business. For example, as a storyteller, my friends, family, and co-workers in need of a story or entertainment will first think of me, and say, “I’m in need of a new book, do you have anything available?” or, “I am about to watch something. Do you happen to have any new episodes out?” Changing our mentality to automatically seek within our community before trying the next local mom & pop shop, and finally shopping at the major corporation for any of our products and services can greatly impact the support towards creatives & allow their ecosystem to thrive.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs are important when it comes to authenticating and protecting original digital artwork. There are so many digital artists who produce content that can be copied & pasted without originating the source creator of it for ownership. The original producer ought to gain a residual or percentage when their creations are shared. I think NFTs have a great foundation and intention, but developing a new wave of currency will require improvements and environmentally conscious efforts.

Contact Info:

• Website: zenjjackson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenjjackson/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZenJJackson

Image Credits
Denise Clarke