Meet Jaylen Stapleton

 

We were lucky to catch up with Jaylen Stapleton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaylen, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

I’d like to say my optimism comes from fear. As surprising as it seems, fear has the ability to ground us – keep us sharp but also keep us free – I believe that in this game everyone should fear something. Whether it’s an unwanted outcome, disappointing those you love or fearing an almighty being. Growing up in the Christian Faith it was always apart of my mindset that whatever happened was supposed to happen. At the end of most my family’s prayers we say, “May your will be done” when communicating with God. I believe this is where my optimism holds its roots. The act of submission by putting my life in the hands of an eternal creator, I have no choice but to live life like a story and enjoy the fruits of God’s labor, no matter how I may temporarily feel about it. Every turn out is a win, every trial still holds victory. As an infinitesimal human being walking the foundations of a universe that I have no capability of comprehending, I have no right to look upon life with regret, pessimism or sorrow. The birds don’t worry how they will eat and yet they still soar the endless sky. The grass never worries what it will wear and yet every pasture on this earth is decorated with the most beautiful flowers. To me, that is the stem of optimism. All the complexities and perfections of the natural world and how it points to a personal creator who must have also personally created me. I have nothing to fear but that creator alone. Long story short, Doris Day said it best. “Que Sera Sera, what will be will be!”

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?

There’s about eight billion of us currently sharing just this one planet. Only seven major bodies of land while a good chunk of that land is occupied mainly by animals and nature. Most of us are clumped up in our small little cities anyways, and this is only taking into consideration those who are presently here today. Never mind all of those who came and went long before us. Despite this astronomical amount of people sharing one single planet, each and every being has lived their own unique life. Which can only mean that each and every being holds their own unique perspective. This is what fascinates me most in life. The idea that even though my sister and I have lived in the same house and under the same parents, we can never say we view the world exactly the same. Perspective is a beautiful thing. Every story, every belief, every past experience can conjure up such a beautiful essence in which makes you, you and me, me. I believe it is only through art that we can attempt to live through someone else’s perspective. Film, for example, gives us so many elements that allow us to say goodbye to what we think we know and completely emerge within someone else’s mind. Music, being so powerful in its nature, is enough to change feelings, atmospheres and even trajectories in terms of one’s flow of thought. I chose to become an actor and a singer/ songwriter because I always wondered how the world may have looked from the outside in. It was only through acting and music that I felt I could thoroughly and actively appreciate someone else’s being to the point where I could bring it to life on screen and through melody.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three most important things I tend to remind myself of is that I am not entitled to anything in this world, I should never underestimate how much I can impact someone’s life and lastly, when we loose, we win. I believe whenever we are most happy, loved or successful in this world, it usually results from us not longing for it. Or at least not taking what we already have for granted. This world owes us nothing, God owes us nothing and yet we still are blessed with so much. It’s only after we sit back and appreciate what we don’t ultimately deserve, that we start to notice an abundance of bliss added onto us.

Due to my attraction towards perspective I learned through my teenage years just how much we mean to one another. What we say, the things we do or the way we react to another’s situation, all carries so much weight. Ultimately we have the power to shape those around us into who they’ll become based on how we treat them.

I’ve stated before that I believe everything has meaning and everything happens for a reason. With that being said I don’t believe we truly lose or that we truly win. In every loss there is something to be gained and in every victory there is a new burden to bestow. It’s only up to us how we learn from either.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Aside from equipping me with social awareness and intelligence, the most impactful thing my parents did for me was also where my love for this craft began. I was about five or six so I don’t remember the day or the month – every day is sunshine and rainbows when your that age. Anyways, picture you’re six years old. You’re returning from a long school day anxious to go home. Dad comes to pick you up and his lips voice seven words any young child would be thrilled to hear. “You want to go for a ride?” My eyes widen, eyebrows raise in curiosity. Where are we going? How much fun can this be?, I think to myself. After a long, bumpy, window doodling car ride. Big red lettering appears in the reflection of the glass. “MULTIPLEX CINEMAS” plastered on the front of an enormous building. Naively approaching the entrance, my frail hand grasping my fathers finger. The doors open and immediately aromas of fresh buttered, salted and popped corn kiss my small button nose. Lights emanating from extensive screens against my small visage. A new life changing experience for me has officially been discovered.
My love for cinema was born.
Now although I may have only attended a screening of the fourth Shrek film, my father had unlocked a new chamber in my heart. As time went on and I grew older, I was able to experience more films through him. Whether at the theater or simply in the comfort of our own family room. Learning from my favorite characters’ experiences, embarking on an emotional journey and obtaining valuable life lessons. My interest in acting began to brew. Interpretations of many films allowed me to grow as a person and understand life as a whole.

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Image Credits

Roy Rodriguez Marcelo
Jeremy Gumener
Erwin Kersellius
Martina Graña
Chije Kang
Isabel Padilla

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