We caught up with the brilliant and insightful J.K. (Jodie) Kennedy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
J.K. (Jodie), 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?
Two years ago, during a particularly difficult time in my life, racked with stress and anxiety, I knew it would be VERY easy for me to slip into a slew of unhealthy habits if I didn’t choose to start a healthy one. I decided to start writing creatively. While a normal person would have made an appointment with a therapist, I decided to open an instagram account where I challenged myself to write one thought or emotion I was experiencing everyday and post it to keep myself accountable. I wrote a lot as a kid but then life happens and focus turns to career and away from creativity. Slowly, I began to put my anxiety to work, turning unproductive feelings in to useful ones. At first, this process felt strange and embarrassing but then, against all odds, people started following along, liking the content, even sharing it! I was completely astonished. Turns out, we humans have A LOT more in common than we are led to believe. So many common emotions, experiences, and thoughts about this crazy world we live in. Turns out creativity IS therapy and the benefits are immeasurable.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Roughly a year after I began my creative writing journey on social media, I received a curious email from a publisher! They’d found my account on instagram and were offering to publish a book for me! Here’s where the imposter syndrome kicked in. The internet is full to the brim with scams and I was sure that this must be one, so I wrote a snarky email back inquiring “how much would this cost me” to which my (now) editor replied “in traditional publishing, we pay YOU”. I think it took me six full months and the approval of a draft of the books cover to fully accept that someone wanted to put my writing in my very own book. Fast forward to Oct. 1 2024, Clumsy Beauty, my debut poetry collection was released on all major book seller platforms. Inching towards 2025, I’m still pinching myself. To my surprise, the excitement didn’t stop there. In the past couple months since the book’s release I have had to opportunity to do a mess of things that, 2 years ago, would have had me shaking in my boots; guest columns, podcasts, book signings, release parties, even an appearance on the news! I had forgotten that I can still surprise myself and boy does it feel good. In mid December we are taking the show on the road and heading to Denver for a signing. I’ve learned how to advocate for myself, creating a website, new merch to sell, reaching out to bookstores, and most of all, how to say no! for what isn’t meant for me. What a gift no can be.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The two most difficult things to learn that have been imperative to my successes are vulnerability and patience with myself. Trusting-in and loving myself were not my strong suits going in to the creative process but the more I handed my heart over to what I was creating the easier the way became. This goes way past advice for writing, this is life stuff. The more authentically you live your days the more your life will begin to feel like your own instead of some random story you’ve found yourself in the middle of. Before I began this creative adventure I felt like a stranger in my own timeline, no real connection to what I was doing professionally. It wasn’t until I got REAL honest with myself that things began to change. The great news is, it’s really hard to lose yourself for good. There is always time to rediscover yourself, what you love, what fulfills you. There is still time to get whole and once you do you might just fall in love with your life.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I am seldomly a normal amount of “whelmed”, I’m always over or under but thankfully I’ve learned to manage extreme highs and lows and the trick, at least for me, is to change lanes. When I begin to feel like I’m nearing a cliff emotionally, I zoom out and walk myself back. Stop what I’m doing, take a walk, wash the dishes, dance, sing, snap out of it. I also like to tell myself, “will I even remember this issue 5 years from now?” 99% of the time the answer is no and that realization is enough for an almost immediate de-escalation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jkkennedywrites.com
- Instagram: @jkkennedywrites
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