Writer and creative, Jackson Dame is a 22-year-old Christian with a passion for creativity has written a book titled Ex Materia: How Faith Can Unleash Your Creativity in a World Where Nothing is New. It’s designed to be a practical read that takes a look at intersection of Christianity and the creative process. As part of his quest to publication, he’s launched a Kickstarter project featuring signed copies and other exclusive rewards for supporters.
I caught up with Jackson and asked him some questions related to the book, his life and the creative process at work in his own walk in Christ. Once you’ve read through the post, drop in on the project and consider supporting and/or reach out to Jackson directly. He’d love to hear from you!
Ex Materia Author and Kickstarter, Jackson Dame Photo courtesy of Jackson Dame
Talk a little about your background in ministry and as a creative.
I’ve been involved with the church media scene for a while now. I’ve directed multi-camera broadcasts, produced original videos, and documented events. When I was a teenager, I started developing a lot of creative talents like photography and design. I began to realize I should use my skills to help the Church. I graduated college after studying communications and media ministry. Right now, I’m preparing to transition into a church communications position where I’ll be exercising my creativity to help grow a church and convey God’s truth through social and visual media.
Tell us a little about your book, Ex Materia.
Ex Materia is a book all about seeing God and the Bible as relevant to the creative process. But more than just that, Ex Materia is about the powerful ways that biblical principles can be used to foster a more creative life. I wrote Ex Materia for people like me; Christians who sometimes have a hard time being creative or who might need some extra creative inspiration. I specifically wrote it with Christian creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists in mind.
Ex Materia discusses how faith and Christianity can impact the creative process in a powerful way… do you have a couple examples of how you have experienced this personally?
Most recently I’ve been thinking about how God is in the business of recreating. He takes old and broken things and gives them new life. How does this apply to the creative process? So often, when our projects or ideas might fail to be successful, our initial reaction is to toss them to the side and forget about them. We do this out of frustration. Without realizing it, we might just be throwing away something wonderful.
We need to look for glimmers of hope in our work. I think there’s a lot to be said for examining broken ideas and turning them around for good. It takes work, but who knows what could come of it? In fact, the book, Ex Materia serves as a good example. The original idea was nothing like how it turned out. I almost abandoned the project several times over the past year and a half, but I saw something worth pursuing within all of the mess and worthlessness.
I’m so glad I didn’t give up on it.
Ex Materia is a book all about seeing God and the Bible as relevant to the creative process. But more than just that, Ex Materia is about the powerful ways that biblical principles can be used to foster a more creative life. Photo courtesy of Jackson Dame
Tell us about the Kickstarter project you have going and how we can back you?
After many months of work, the manuscript is basically finished. I sent it to a group of about 10 people who provided me with feedback and confirmed to me that I should pursue getting Ex Materia published. Publishing a book isn’t cheap if you want to do it right, so the Kickstarter is a way to make it possible.
I’m reaching out to the book’s potential audience and asking people to consider supporting it financially. In return, they can get signed copies of the book, handmade notebooks, and more. When you back my Kickstarter project, you’re essentially pre-ordering the book with an opportunity to get some exclusive rewards. I go into great detail on the Kickstarter page, so I would definitely encourage people to check it out and watch the promo video.
Anything else you would like to share?
My mission is to help Christians be more creative, and I believe this book will do exactly that. As a young, first-time author, I’m not trying to make any money off of this project. The budget for the project only includes the essentials for getting the book published; things like a professional editor, printing, and shipping.