I met my friend Jason Reynolds randomly two years ago. It was a Monday night at Busboys and Poets - the district’s version of a college student union but with better food & atmosphere. I sat at a long wooden table crammed with people, laptops and endless coffee mugs. Everyone was staring at his or her computer screens intently…well everyone except for Jason. He was writing with pencil and paper.
Now, immediately this struck me as peculiar. The last time I touched a #2 pencil was when I completed the LSAT.
Why would anyone resort to such an ancient writing tool?
Curious about what he was jotting down and his Basquiat like hairstyle I said hello…our conversation unfolded he was a writer, hence his inclination to pencils and composition notebooks. We talked at length (and like most people good with words he was charming). After our initial meeting and the mandatory facebook "add" we became fast friends.
Plainly, Jason is a good dude and amazing poet.writer.artist. The University of MD graduate lives in NYC full-time and is 1 half of the fantastic duo Reynolds & Griffin.
Here are his words of advice to me (and you):
What is your artistic pursuit?
My artistic pursuit? Must there be only one? I'm a bit spastic when it comes to my artistic pursuits, only because I find that it's natural to want to dabble, and experiment with multiple arts, if you are a creative person. But naturally I'm more drawn, or better skilled at one. Or two. Well, one really, and two kind of.
I would just like to continue to write books. Lots and lots of books. I've written quite a few, some published, some not, and at this particular point in my journey, I've never wanted to write more. I've never been so sure that, being an author is what I want my profession (to continue) to be. There is something magical, something distinctly human, in storytelling. The way language can be used to shake and move the heavy things, and beautify the ugly things I find absolutely intoxicating.
But, I also want to make music. It's sort of a secret dream. I play instruments, and write songs, and sing when no one is around. Before the years out, I WILL perform somewhere. I have to. For me.
How did you start your endeavor?
I started when I was kid (that's what everybody says. "I been singing since I was born.") I was ten years old when I wrote my first poem. It was for my grandmother funeral. My mother printed it on the back of the funeral program. Lets just say, my first ten poems, were all at funerals. But I've always been a book worm. I got books for Christmas, and had to give book reports to my mother. I mean, I had to give her an oratorical performance, about the book. Hardcore. Before I knew it, I was in New York City sitting at some huge table, with a bunch of women talking about how Harper Collins is happy to have me. Life's a trip.
What inspires you?
As cliche as it is, life inspires me. I'm a pretty emotional guy, so most of what I create comes from inside. Most things are autobiographical. But I also find it pretty cool to let the mind roam and see what kind of cool story I can make by twisting some of my innards into more interesting plots. Even in my poems, I try not to make them so human, so regular, that they come across as mundane. Instead I try to walk the line between sincerity and wild creativity to be connective, as well as artistically inspiring.
What's your greatest challenge?
Patience, and balance. I'm a workaholic. I set unreasonable deadlines for myself and am willing to sacrifice a limb to meet those deadlines. But once I'm done, I get really anxious about what so and so thinks, the agents, the publishers, the audience. So then the emails and stalker shit starts and I have to calm myself down, and tell myself that I've done the work, and I've done my best, give it time, let them all experience it, as I have. Tough.
What's your greatest success?
Naturally, I want to say landing the Harper Collins contract with my buddy Jason Griffin. I would be remiss if I left him out. But yeah. That's the obvious one. But I think what was more amazing, was actually going somewhere and seeing people read my work. Watching them flip though the pages and smile and laugh and frown. And the emails, from prisoners, and eighth graders, and ministers, and teachers, and grandmas...I don't know how to really explain that.
What advice would you offer aspiring artists?
My advice is to do it. Do it. Despite your training, despite your skill level, your talent - do it anyway. It's art. It belongs to you. It's yours to shape and mold, and break and make whole again. I went to see Ray Bradbury speak, via Skype (which was weird) here in New York. Someone in the crowd asked him what his advice was. He said something to the effect of this: "If you are sitting here, and you are a student, or an aspiring writer, what the hell are you doing sitting here listening to me for? What the hell are you thinking about? Stop thinking, and analyzing so damn much, and start doing." Pretty much.
Jason Reynolds is in the process of working on another brilliant piece of work with his partner Jason Griffin.
Please support their Kickstarter campaign …you can make magical art happen.
LEARN MORE: Blog: http://increase-decrease.com/ -- Read/buy the book: “My Name is Jason. Mine Too”
Artistically Yours,
Glo
23. Dec, 2010 
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