We’re looking forward to introducing you to Brandon Jackson. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Brandon , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What battle are you avoiding?
This is one hell of an icebreaker question, lol. Honestly, I think I’ve been avoiding adversity just to figure out who I am right now. This year really shifted me—it changed the foundation of who I am as a creative and as a person. Normally, I don’t default to sulking when things get tough, but I finally gave myself space to sit in my sadness, to grieve life expectations, people I’ve lost, and the things most people don’t want to say out loud. That period of grief made me hesitant to embrace change—the very thing people usually know me for. So now, I want to face adversity head-on again, because my best self is someone who’s setting goals, adapting, and juggling different desires. And honestly, in this current climate, that feels super important.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, my name is Don. I’m a Bronx-born and raised poet now living in Dallas, Texas. As a creative, I’ve been able to take on a lot within my field—from being part of Pride Month festivals to hosting sold-out poetry events in my city. It’s truly been an honor to be a poet.
My work reflects the world I live in, and I pull heavily from personal experiences to give people a chance to understand who I am. While I don’t always love how easily my work lets people “read” me before I share my truth directly, it does open the door to deeper conversations about who we are as individuals.
My poetry also gave me the chance to release an EP called Guess Who Called, a spoken word album inspired by one of my favorite artists, Summer Walker, and her album Over It. It’s six tracks about love, heartbreak, and a little steaminess, lol. Love poems aren’t usually my niche, but growth requires change—so I wanted to push myself to try something new.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
This question is crazy—but real. “Don” is the version of me people see when I’m being creative or around other poets, people who don’t always have the opportunity or privilege to see the other sides of me. When I think about who Brandon is, I go back to the moment “Don” was born. In high school, people used to call me Don—or Bran Bran—because when there are 10,000 kids named Brandon, you need a nickname, lol.
I was never really an introvert, but I was often afraid of people taking advantage of my kindness or naivety just for a laugh or something more. So when people started calling me Don, it actually made me feel wanted. Don became the version of me that people looked forward to being around.
I didn’t fully embrace that name until I started taking poetry seriously in 2019. Looking back, I think all the joy, laughter, and the comfort I try to give others pushed me to grow into the person people saw when they called me Don. And honestly, I’m still figuring out if I’m fully living up to that now.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
We’re really getting into this season of my life, lol. I’ve realized I learn more about myself in suffering than in success. Not to sound cocky, but I know that when I put my mind to something, it gets done. The harder part is believing in myself when I’m in survival mode or moving through struggle.
Since moving out here, pursuing life as a creative, and just navigating life in general, suffering has definitely shown up. There were times when people expected me to give up—expected me to surrender to my losses and my high expectations. I’ve spent plenty of nights praying, crying, and trying to make sense of it all. But what I’ve learned is that my willpower is God-sent.
My close friends remind me all the time that, against all odds, I always find a way to show up and show out. And I thank God every day for giving me that inner faith—faith in myself, faith in a higher power, and the belief that even if nobody’s got you, you’ve got you. Sometimes that’s all you need to get through.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I might sound silly saying this, but for me, it’s true love. I know that can sound childish, and it may not speak to everyone, but as a lover boy, I can’t help but believe it’s real.
This past year, I worked on an EP called Guess Who Called?—centered on my personal journey of loving someone, while also pulling from other experiences, emotions, and heartbreaks I’ve had with different people. One thing I realized is that when two people truly love each other—no matter how far apart they are, or how long it’s been—that love has a way of finding its way back.
I think we’re used to seeing “true love” as this love-at-first-sight fairytale: “I looked into his eyes and saw my future.” But honestly, if I had a dime for every time I thought someone at a bar was love at first sight, I’d have a whole lot of dimes, lol. As I’ve gotten older and lived through more experiences, I’ve come to see that pure love doesn’t die with one person. It can reappear in others, especially as our palette for who and how we love changes.
Right now, I’m not loving anyone in particular, but I always tell the people closest to me—whether they’re in relationships or not—to respect and really understand the love they’re in. That’s what makes it “true”—it’s what you’ve been waiting for your whole life, like Beyoncé said.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Ive come to realize how important your actual voice is—not just the message, but the sound itself. Honestly, I don’t always love mine, but after getting paid to use it, I’ve learned to embrace it, lol.
One of my mentors, Ebony Stewart, told me your voice is your connection to the world and something to cherish. And I’ve seen that firsthand—people have told me that simply hearing my work helped them feel seen or understand something in a new way. That taught me the writing matters, but the voice it’s delivered in might be even more powerful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeof.don/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brncoolsly
- Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifeof.don
