Willie Jackson_The Creator’s Journey #31 (part 4 of 5)

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Willie Jackson On The Power of Empathy

“I would recommend observing the things that make you feel something. What makes you angry, what frustrates you, what’s intensely triggering for you, and why? And as you sit with those things, and as you look at the common elements between them, ask yourself how this shows up in your work, if at all? Are there common elements here? Do these observations relate to your work in any way? I would start there as a means of infusing purpose and passion and meaning into the work that you do.” ~ Willie Jackson

My conversation today is with Willie Jackson, the founder and publisher of Abernathy, the magazine for black men. I knew I wanted to talk more with Willie when, after sending him an email about 9 o’clock one night, he phoned me immediately to chat about the possibility of us having a conversation for this show.

Willie is a take-action, live-in-the-moment guy who sizes up information quickly and apparently makes smart decisions! Willie’s formal education, and most of his real-world work, has been in the area of technology solutions, including stints at W3 Edge, a Boston-based interactive web development and marketing agency. He served as chief technology officer of The Domino Project, a publishing company in New York City started by marketing guru, Seth Godin, and has been an IT consultant with Accenture in Atlanta, Ga.

What peaked my interest in sitting down with Willie for a conversation is his move to being a writer and publisher, and the processes he relies on to build a publication’s voice.

Willie tells us that the trajectory of our lives and the adventures we experience and the quality of our lives is largely defined by how we deal with fear and uncertainty.

Through storytelling and through empathy, Willie believes we can affect change in the hearts and minds of people.

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