Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Mason.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always had a deep fondness for the arts, which was mainly music for me growing up. I would spend hours listening to new CDs and watching the latest music videos for my favorite artists. Eventually, I grew the desire to create art: however, I lacked the talent to become a singer or the natural skills to become a rapper. What I did have was the ability to write my thoughts and feelings down on paper. The words of my favorite songs always drew me into the song even more. My conclusion led me to decide on poetry as my outlet to express myself.
I began writing poetry during my freshman year of high school. It started off as a hobby of mine that I would only do sporadically to write down how I was feeling at the moment. For the next few years, I would occasionally share my poems on Facebook for family and friends to read. The feedback was overwhelmingly supportive of my new craft. My family would ask me to recite poems at family gatherings and I would also showcase my talents for events.
Going through college, I continued treating poetry as a side hobby. I was still posting on social media from time to time and continued doing a few performances here and there. It wasn’t until after graduation that I was inspired by a friend of mine who was also a poet. He was able to independently publish a book via Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. His story inspired me to turn my hobby into something greater.
I began working on my debut poetry book and it was tough for me to create in the beginning. It was not until the summer of 2018 that I finally found my spark. Unfortunately, it came due to the loss of my grandmother and a poem I recited at her funeral. It was only after the funeral that I decided to name my first book “Dedicated 2 U: For my Lois” dedicated to my late grandmother.
The book was released in 2019 via Amazon and was a success among all of my supporters. Shortly after its release, I began work on my second publication, but once again there were struggles. My source of inspiration came during the pandemic as I witnessed our country battling systematic oppression. As I watched African American men being wrongly murdered, I wanted to share the insight of a black man living in America. Thus, my second publication was entitled “The Life & Times of a Black Man”. The book highlighted the mistreatment of my people but also touched upon the more personal and intimate side of what it meant to be a black man.
My books are now available on many platforms: Amazon, LULU, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, and several others. I am currently working on my new book entitled “Life is Beautiful” which highlighted the mistreatment of my people but also touched them and will be out in a few months. Since I moved to Dallas in 2021, I’ve also ventured into spoken word poetry. I can now be found at Open Mic nights across the DFW area on a monthly basis. I am building my brand, The Café’ Mason, to become the hub for all future works. My brand will expand to other areas of art and will also soon be releasing merchandise and apparel.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Turning your creative vision into reality comes with several challenges along the way, both creatively and on the back end of publishing the work.
At many points during my creative process, I’ve experienced what most people would refer to as “writer’s block”. This occurs when a writer simply cannot gather any inspiration towards his or her writing topic. Oftentimes, writer’s block can be caused by self-doubt or simply a lack of motivation. Whatever the cause may be, this obstacle puts a detrimental halt on the creative process; moreover, it can severely delay intended release dates whilst also draining confidence.
For my first two publications, tragic events have been able to pull me out of my writer’s block to allow me to become more passionate about the subject. For my first book, it was the loss of my grandmother that unlocked my brain to find my path. For my second publication, witnessing the tragic murders of people like George Floyd gave me a story to tell that had a purpose.
After all of the writing has been completed, there is still the task of compiling everything into one to form a physical book. Being an independent author can be very stressful due to me having to do everything on my own. This includes creating the cover, the structure of the book, the order, as well as tailoring the publication to meet the publisher’s requirements. This process alone adds even more time until the book can officially be released.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a creative writer, who at the moment specializes in poetry writing and spoken word performances. As it stands today, I have two independently published books, “Dedicated 2 U” and “The Life and Times of a Black Man”. Both are available on multiple platforms such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Books-a-million. Additionally, I am known for my spoken word performances across the DFW area.
My work tells the readers a story and poetry is the creative writing tool used to bring those stories to life. Through literary tools such as symbolism and metaphors, I am able to grasp the attention of the reader in order to take them on a journey.
My poetry reaches a broad audience by telling relatable tales of the human experience, something we can all relate to. My poetry knows no bounds. I write on topics such as love, loss, pain, overcoming, and joy and comment on society and its flaws, along with the flaws of mankind. The plan for the next year is to expand into more spoken word, translate poetry into music, as well as creating children’s books
I am most proud of my family members for being able to see me accomplish my goals. So much of my journey is rooted in family and it is my true goal in life to make them all proud of the man that I am becoming. At times before my first release, I doubted myself and did not believe anyone would read my work. It was at my grandmother’s funeral that I performed a poem dedicated to her. It was an emotional, daunting task for me, but the reception made it all worthwhile. My entire family and community loved the poem and rushed to tell me how outstanding it was. Later that night at home, my dad came up to me and asked if I had ever though about publishing my work. I had never told him that I was in the beginning stages of crafting my book, so it meant the world to me that my family believed in me so much.
What sets my poetry apart is the relatability factor. I am able to portray deep, profound messages to the audience that they are able to not only comprehend but feel on an emotional level. We live in an era where poetry has become a dying art form. But here I am, attempting to revive this historic art form. I am choosing to use the beauty of words, to tell the story that all of us are enduring.
What were you like growing up?
Even in my younger days, I was drawn to the arts & entertainment world. My personality was that of a quiet dreamer; someone who enjoyed watching or listening to fantasies and dreaming of a world of his own.
I played basketball outside every day and even had dreams of being in the NBA one day, even though I knew it wouldn’t come true. When I wasn’t playing outside, my attention was glued to some other form of entertainment such as television, movies, video games, or music. My parents was always watching a movie in the evenings or playing music in the mornings. His interests in movies and music help to spawn my artistic side. He was my inspiration to dive into music, which later led to my pursuit of poetry.
My childhood was centered around family, a family rooted in religion and education. I was in the church every Sunday and I was always atop my class rankings. I valued making my family proud by being diligent in school and ensuring I had a future secured for myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Jaymason40
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jaymason_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTq12WRqVFWK3sRsL0o_tpg
Image Credits
India Williams
Mary Jones
