Meet Jasyn Turley

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

Jasyn, 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?
How do I keep my creativity alive? Does it ever really die? I watched this video on youtube called ‘How to be Creative: How Artists Turn Pro’ by Story Tellers. It’s one that I visit regularly to rewatch because I think there’s some very helpful advice inside that video. In an overly simplified summary, it’s not doing your art, in my case writing, that is hard. No, it’s the act of sitting down to write that is hard.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times I feel like my tank is just depleted, and nothing is pushing me forward. It comes in waves of manic highs and depressing lows. But I’ve found over time that the inspiration, the motivation, and ‘Muse’ for better terms are still there.

The worst I had it, was when I was working full time and going to College Full time. It felt as if all creativity in me had died, and I was just this hollow shell. Or better yet, a bird with clipped wings, and all I wanted to do was fly; to write. Those three years remain among the most miserable I remember being. But it wasn’t permanent. Sometimes that motivation and inspiration is absent but that doesn’t mean it is forever gone. It’s repressed in me via being burned out.

I recall my Pastor’s sermon on being burnt out. Do you know what he said? Elijah the Prophet was once burnt out, and an Angel came to him. Made him slow down, and rest. Eat. Then rest some more. Sometimes you have to take a step back and care for yourself. So I’ll take days to sleep more, eat a little bit more, and slow down. To heal from the burnout and I’ve found that it helps.

I don’t think creativity can die. But it certainly can be repressed by life, work, and other things that keep us creatives from our craft. For me, the trick is just sitting down to do the work, while taking care of myself from time to time. Slow down, and don’t forget to smell the roses.

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?
In short, I am a lover of literature. Stories, prose, history, and books in general. There is something to stories that are simply special. I harken a lot to what JRR Tolkien has to say about this. Though he was referring to Fairy Stories, I feel like it can be expanded to other formats as well. “Stories exist to serve virtue,” they satisfy “primordial human desires,” and convey “the essential truth,” and “primal reality of life itself.” Among other things, I side with Tolkien on this.

Now I don’t expect others to agree with me on this. That’s not the point. This is simply where I stand. As I like to say, “when the Muse beckons, I must answer.” Which leads me to an exciting step in my writing career. A focus on short stories and Flash Fiction. I aim to tell compelling anthologies of the world in which my books take place. I don’t want to just make literature for folks to enjoy. I want to craft and create meaningful experiences with characters who go through the lows and highs of life just like everyone else. I want people to resonate with, cry, laugh, and mourn with these characters as these are realities of life itself.

In short, stories are special and there is a reason why such works like ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, ‘The Shining’ by Steven King, and ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ by Wilson Rawls are timeless, and I believe Tolkien hammers in on that near perfectly if not perfectly.

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?
The first thing that was the most impactful is what I said before. Paraphrasing ‘Storytellers’, is that working on my craft isn’t the hard part. No. Generally, it is sitting down to work on my craft is the hard part. The inspiration and muse will come to me afterward if they hadn’t prior. Though the latter is the most sought-after scenario for me.

Another bit of wisdom is another paraphrasing, this one from Captain Barbosa from the First Pirates of the Caribbean. Though taken out of context, but used in conjunction with a lot of advice from Steven King. I don’t think there are rules to writing (or whatever craft you may be working on). More like guidelines that serve to assist. Otherwise, a dogmatic approach to these guidelines becomes restrictive.

Tertiarily another bit of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way is that there is hardly Black and White. In so many contexts, situations, and scenarios, what have you. I see so much gray that speaking in absolutes has become near impossible for me. I know not everyone believes in God, but for my money, the only Black and White I feel confident is about the finished work of Christ. Anything else comes into the gray, and I know that may bring up a whole lot of questions and ridicule. But that’s a simplified factor that’s impacted my journey. In stories as well as in real life, there is so much gray, in darker and lighter shades. If you look at a color chart, between black and white, aren’t there many shades of gray from lighter to darker? Anyways, this keeps me from judging and aids me in sympathizing if not empathizing. In stories, there are just as many diverse characteristics of people as in real life. Not everything is as it seems.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My answer isn’t singular, but plural. But in descending order, it starts with my mother who has always been a source of encouragement, enthusiasm, and support. I cannot write how much she has done for me, or else this interview would be too long. My brother, who has played a critical role in the main series I’m writing. From day one, to now.
My father, who has given much advice and knowledge of which has become essential in the narratives of my stories.
My incredibly supportive sister.
My best friend with his enthusiasm.
My college professors and their education in particular fields of Mythology and Anthology have become incredibly valuable.

There are many more, but these are just to list a few. There is a quote from Hillary Clinton that I do like “It takes a Village,” and I feel there is truth in that.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Author Photograph professionally done by Megan Teeuwen, of ‘Megnificent Designs & Photography‘ Book covers are made by the very talented: Jelena Gajic [you can find her at 99designs, or email her at zelenagajic@gmail.com]

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