177 | BEST OF: Part 2: Faith, Fame and Personal Growth with Jonathan Jackson

We’re re-running our favorite episodes from The Business of You archives. If you missed it the first time, or just want to listen again, check this one out!

In Part 2 of my conversation with Jonathan Jackson, we dive deeper into his faith and passion for creative storytelling. 

If acting, music and writing were all about entertaining people, Jonathan would have left the industry behind a long time ago. Instead, he uses multiple creative channels to weave authentic stories of redemption, grace and humanity for others – through song, spoken and written word. 

While Jonathan still acts, he primarily builds his influence on the foundation of storytelling in every form it takes, with poetry and music taking center stage. 

Jonathan recently released a new book called The Harrowing of Hell: An Epic Poem exploring what happened between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. To Jonathan, it is the story of the Hero of Heroes.

He has also authored other books including a work of Mystical Poetry entitled “Book of Solace and Madness” and the non-fiction prose “The Mystery of Art”, which has been translated into multiple languages. 

His band Enation has performed alongside artists such as Echo & The Bunnymen, Sarah McLachlan, Echosmith, and more. Their newest album, Ultraviolet Empire, was released in the fall of 2020 and was co-produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Colin Linden. 

Jonathan Jackson is a five-time EMMY® Award-winning actor and Critics’ Choice Award nominee who has starred in numerous TV and films, including ABC/CMT’s hit drama “Nashville” (2012–2018), “General Hospital” (1993–1999, 2009–2011, 2015), “Tuck Everlasting” (2002), “The Deep End Of The Ocean” (1999), “Insomnia” (2002) and “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” (2004). He also appeared in episodes of “One Tree Hill”, “Boy Meets World”, “The Twilight Zone” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

Trust the timing

Jonathan Jackson is a believer in divine timing. 

Rather than many business strategists who will tell you that there is a “right” or “wrong” time to put your work out into the world, Jonathan recommends that we as entrepreneurs turn inwards. Do you feel like the work is done – and is the world actually ready for it? Do the conditions feel right to you? 

Jonathan has multiple albums, several books and even some screenplays that await the right conditions. They are in various stays of completion, but they all have one thing in common – it’s not the right time yet. 

In this episode, Jonathan serves us a welcome reminder that much of life and business is about timing. 

Don’t be afraid to explore your interests

If you’re someone with varying interests, it can be easy to cave in to others’ advice to just choose one focus. But Jonathan Jackson gives us his honest advice: Don’t. 

In his young adulthood, Jonathan was an actor while he sought to learn songwriting, screenwriting and more. He never lost sight of his own passions and followed every thread as far as he could, creating new spaces for his own exploration. The results have been incredible. With his most recent book he released an original score of music and occasionally hosts live performances honoring the work. SImilarly, he believes that we can all weave our passions together when the timing is right.

Rather than seeing our interests as boxes we have to fit into, he encourages us to stay open minded and see the broader picture. Your interests may seem disparate now, but how could they be woven together in new and innovative ways? Those are the questions worth asking in life. 

Soundbytes

4:53 – 5:26
“I look at art and poetry and storytelling as all one reality. To me Christ is the great storyteller. He is the eternal poet, the master of story. You can’t get a greater story than the story of Christ. The beauty, tragedy and triumph.”

7:59 – 8:17
“I don’t feel like every project has to be overtly religious in any way, shape or form to be beautiful. I just want it to have some kind of meaning. Some kind of honesty about the human condition.”

Quotes

“I had these deep experiences with Christ. To be, theology is beauty, and poetry. It’s not about a religion, it’s about life.”

“When I’m looking at music, storytelling or films, I can’t see the world outside of the beauty and challenging reality of Christ.”
“Orthodoxy has helped me to see the whole world as a sacrament.”

“When I was younger I was looking at it like acting was the central focus of my income. But I saw the writing on the wall a long time ago, that that was not going to be enough for my soul. Developing my writing and music was a way of engaging with the world in these other ways.”

“There is a strange kind of tension between the flurry of inspiration, creating things, and waiting. We have four albums we’ve created and not released yet, because we’re waiting for the right time. I have a handful of books that have been written and screenplays – we don’t know what we’re doing, really. There is intentionality and prayer and vision, but we’re trying to be flexible.”

“As a writer, I want to live in it for a while, go away from it and come back. Again and again. It’s a testing thing, a maturation process with a particular work. My lived experience finally matches the intention of the work.”

“I’ve learned over the years that the music and the story is about connecting with someone’s soul and heart. That’s the stuff I care about.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Podcast Resources

Visit Jonathan Jackson’s Website at https://www.jonathanjackson.com/ 

Find Jonathan on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JonathanJacksonHQ/ 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jonathanjacksonhq/ 

Subscribe to Jonathan Jackson’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4KKxEIbF5kAGOSi26Nx3Bg 

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