Illuminating Me: An Introduction

Whiskey strong or honey sweet: You get what you get with me

Tell us a little about yourself.

Somehow, these words always make me freeze. Ice breakers want us to skim the surface of ourselves and offer something up for public consumption. But I haven’t defined myself by just one or two things since adolescence so it’s hard to distill who I am into a few short, trite phrases.

Then I wonder if the order in which I share says something about me. If I begin with Mother before Writer, have I somehow subverted my feminist ideals and defined myself by my relationships to others? If I begin with Writer before Mother, have I failed to communicate how much I love my wild and wonderful children and somehow relegated them to second fiddle? If I don’t list my preferred gender pronouns and sexual orientation, have I failed at being fully inclusive and intersectional? If I tell you I am a Capricorn sun, Gemini rising, and Leo moon, have I let the stars define me rather than defining myself?

I suppose the first thing that you’ve learned about me is that I am an expert-level overthinker.

Illuminating who I am is more than a brief biography at the bottom of a page that reads:

Crystal Jackson is a former therapist turned author. She is the author of the Heart of Madison series. Her work has been featured on Medium, Elephant Journal, Elite Daily, Your Tango, The Urban Howl, Positively Positive, Sivana Spirit, Mamamia, and The Good Men Project. When she’s not writing for Medium and working on her next book, you can find Crystal traveling, paddle boarding, running, throwing axes badly but with terrifying enthusiasm, hiking, doing yoga, or curled up with her nose in a book in Madison, Georgia where she lives with her two wild and wonderful children. My Words Are Whiskey is her first book of poetry.

While all of this is true, it doesn’t define the whole of who I am. But for the sake of brevity, here’s an introduction:

Once upon a time, I was a therapist. First, I was an addictions therapist. Then, I worked with families and children in the community. But I didn’t stay a therapist. It wasn’t the life I wanted.

Later, after a divorce, relocation, and getting my bearings as a single mother of two, I began to write. I started with articles published in online journals. Later, I began a novel. It became a romance novel. Then it became the start of the Heart of Madison series, which — to date — contains four novels. After the first two were published and before the last two came out, I published a book of poetry in a pivot I can only blame on quarantine. It is also the first in a series.

I began writing full-time with fiction novels, daily non-fiction articles on Medium, and content work. My life began to take shape. I am a mother and a writer, a writer and a mother. But I’m other things, too. I’m a really passionate advocate of social justice. A wonderful girlfriend (says I, but I’m sure my partner will concur). A happy world traveler. A fan of adventures big and small. A lifelong bookworm. A new and enthusiastic gardener. A poet. A dreamer.

I once claimed I was an empath and an introvert before discovering I was a hyper-vigilant extrovert — a story for another time. Every day, I discover new things about myself. I let old ideas about who I am fall away and embrace a clearer idea of who I can be. I keep learning. I am not perfect. I am not even close to perfect. But I’m loving myself anyway.

Was this too much? Not enough? I’m sure I’ll overthink about it.

Long story short, I am a storyteller. Sometimes, those stories are the raw, unvarnished truth. Sometimes, they come wrapped in fiction or in poetry — in free verse or rhyme. Sometimes, I write them for you.

Mostly, I write them for me.

It’s not an ice breaker. But I hope it’s been illuminating, at least.