Poetry Jackson’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Poetry Jackson . Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Poetry , it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I think many people quietly struggle with admitting they’ve never found their true calling. There’s a fear of saying out loud, “I don’t know why I’m here yet,” because society makes us feel like worth and purpose have to be proven early and often. That silence can create shame and disconnection. I believe worth isn’t tied to having it all figured out it’s tied to being human, to showing up, to evolving. We’re all still becoming, and that’s nothing to hide.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am LaJae Essence, publicly known as Poetry Jackson. I’m an artist, poet, mother, and builder of legacy. My work is rooted in creativity, spirituality, and community, but also in love and family. Whether I’m painting a masterpiece, writing poetry, or curating a space, I’m always asking: What will this leave behind? How will it nurture those coming after me?
Now, as I carry new life inside me, that question feels even more sacred. Birth itself, whether through art or motherhood is revolutionary. It’s a refusal to let the world remain the same. My brand is about honoring that power: creating beauty that heals, challenges, and inspires, while holding love, family, and community at the center of it all.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Bonds break when pride, fear, or silence keep us from showing up fully. I’ve seen how withholding love or honesty can create distance, even where closeness should be. Bonds are restored when we choose vulnerability, forgiveness, and truth.
For me, that shows up in art and in love. As a mother, and as a partner, I’ve learned that support and openness are everything. Having a partner who believes in me, who helps hold space for my dreams, makes the difference between burnout and balance. It restores me daily, and it reminds me that love is not just a feeling it’s action, consistency, and patience.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Some of my deepest wounds came from being unseen, unheard, or underestimated, navigating a world that often tries to place Black women in boxes too small for our brilliance. The world doesn’t always allow space for us to be both soft and strong, both mothers and revolutionaries.
I healed by creating. By turning pain into poems, by painting my way through grief, by building projects that make space for community joy. Motherhood has been its own medicine too, it mirrors me, grounds me, and teaches me. And now, carrying new life, I realize healing is bigger than me. It’s about leaving the world softer and more expansive for the child I’m bringing into it. Resilience for me is not only about strength it’s about love, partnership, and legacy.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to building a legacy where art, love, and family all move in harmony. My murals, mosaics, poems, and projects are seeds for generations. I want children decades from now to see my work and feel possibility bloom inside them.
Motherhood has sharpened that vision. Everything I create now feels like I’m building the world my child will walk into. And I couldn’t do this without a supportive partner someone who helps me balance the demands of art and family, someone who understands that legacy is built together. That’s revolutionary to me: proving that you don’t have to choose between your goals and your family, between love and legacy, you can build them side by side.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel peace in the flow of creation when the brush meets the canvas, when words find rhythm, when the spirit is moving through me. I feel it when my child’s laughter fills the room, or when I place my hand on my belly and feel the heartbeat of the life I’m carrying. I feel it when my partner and I are aligned, supporting each other’s dreams while building a home rooted in love.

Peace for me is balance family and art, goals and rest, love and purpose. It’s knowing that what I create inside and outside of my home will echo forward. That is my legacy: not just the murals on city walls, but the foundation of love and stability my family will carry into the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Poetryjackson.com
• Instagram: @Poetry_Jackson
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/poetry.jackson.7/?

Image Credits
Photograph – Art studio shoot (Kaaron Supra K Holloman) @Supa_Hotsoup
Photograph- Cousinz Festival exhibition shoot (Tyrone Pleas) ty_pleas

(Also please feel free to edit and crop the images, all of the images are raw and I have permission from the photographers for them to be edited)