We recently connected with Jesi Rok and have shared our conversation below.
Jesi , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Creativity, in itself, is more than just a thought or an idea on paper. It is a way of life. The goal of being creative usually ends with completing a project. When it comes to completing a project, there’s typically trial and error and or, new and improved skills involved. With that being said, to keep my creativity alive and growing, I have to change the “ project “ sometimes to change my perspective and, or improve a skill set. With that, it allows me to never be comfortable in my work and makes me push for more creative thoughts and projects. If you find a way to push your creativity, you can develop new ideas and find new pathways that can lead to different doors that can be opened.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
First, let me start by giving thanks to God for this opportunity to share my story and a big thanks to my lovely Louisiana mother and my late Nigerian father for providing me the tools and mindset to get to where I am now. I started learning how to play the piano as a young kid maybe around 7 or 8 years old. At that time, it was more of a hobby that my parents had provided for me. I hadn’t thought about music production as a career at that time. My dad was a computer programmer tech and he taught me and my younger brother a lot about electronics and technology. Me and my brother also worked with our local church’s AV team on Sundays, learning the technical side of audio engineering and camera production. I think a crucial starting moment happened while I was in middle school. I was on the football team then and me and a couple of my teammates and classmates had a class based in performing arts. Our class was scheduled to perform different types of plays in our assigned groups. The group that I was in decided that we were going to do a performance based off of the famous group “ The Temptations “. We performed to the classic song “ My Girl “. I never really saw myself as a music creator but, more of an athlete, so this was pretty new and different for me. To my surprise, I enjoyed the whole experience. In high school, I remember when I got my first car, a 97 Ford Explorer. I wanted an updated audio system in it but didn’t want to pay to have someone install it so, I did a lot of trial and error installs until I finally was able to get it to work. That was a big moment for me when it came to the technical side of audio. The biggest part of my audio background came a few years after I graduated from high school. A good friend of mine known as
“ Fli Beats “, introduced me to an audio production software called
“ FL Studios “ and showed me the beginning stages of producing music. This was the official start of my music production journey. Now, I’m able to produce, record, mix and master my own music the way i want. I still continue to learn new techniques and skills by listening and watching professionals on their own ways of production. My younger brother, Geoffrey Irokwe, is an actor with years of experience and has had the opportunity to play many different roles in major TV shows that are on all platforms. Together, we created, own and operate a multi-media production company by the name of “ Collection Of Visuals “.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Honestly, the best skills to have, to me are, being able to listen, being humble and understanding perspectives. The reason I say that is because, if you can accomplish at least those skills, you can learn and create anything that you put your mind to. Having those skills helped me to really sit back and learn from people who have already accomplished what I’m working towards and, it helped me to set aside my own pride, which allowed me to see and hear the lessons I needed to learn. It might sound hard but, you can really make it a simple goal by just learning how to sit back and watch. Not just to see but, to listen to understand.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
At first, my goal was just to accomplish what I was chasing in my music and to create the best possible content that I could but, as I got older and struggled with my own trials in life, it became clear to me that my dream was bigger than just me. I started to realize that someone out there may need the same type of encouragement and motivation that I received. Now I see the mission as being the possible example for that someone or, being the motivation behind the dream that someone else may have. I’ve learned that life is more than just,“ I “ and “ Me “. Now I’ve discovered that it’s much more about,“ Who “ and “ What “, do I stand for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/jesirok
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesi.rok?igsh=MWVmejRlY3duNzdqMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesi-rok-8b6a521ba?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jesirok?si=UXVVlb6tZVHC-y4e
- Other: Apple Music: Jesi Rok
Spotify: Jesi Rok
Image Credits
Collection Of Visuals
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
