Jovel Roystan
DIGITAL STORYTELLER
“[…] This is all bigger than me—and it's supposed to be.”
What have you been working on? Gas yourself!
It's been an incredible year filled with a lot of new experiences. On the content side, I've been getting back to the things I love about creating—more editorial, more heightened style, more fun. And it's been working. When you've been in an industry for over 10 years, you can get a little jaded but it feels good to be coming back to life, so to speak. I've also been diving deeper into my acting and writing work. I just saw the final cut of my short film and I'm excited to share it with the world in the months ahead. During the summer, I got back on stage for the first time in over a decade and, this fall, I started a two-year program at the William Esper Studio. It's been a great journey so far and I'm loving the structure of the courses. I'm in a good place.
How does your culture inform your creative work?
Over the past few years, I've become much more mindful of the fact that this is all bigger than me—and it's supposed to be. We get blessed to be blessings to others and I've been trying to make sure that my work really empowers and connects to those around me. I try to write characters that expand what it means to be a black man in this world. I put together looks in my content that remind guys—gay, straight or in-between—that they can have fun with their looks and still be the men they want to be. I do my best to sow into the community, whether it's through donations or giving back or shopping black. It has to be bigger than me. Because if that's all it's for, just me, then what's the real purpose, you know? What's an "influencer" who doesn't actually influence?
What is your greatest struggle/challenge these days?
As I get older, the realities of life have been punching me in the face (haha, but for real). Don't get me wrong, there's so much to be grateful for, but I've become way more aware of the pain that a lot of us, myself included, have been carrying around this year. And I suppose that's just a part of life. The difficult thing is not getting lost in it, because there is so much beauty around us. I'm doing my best to be gentle with myself and let sadness be sad, let the joy be full, and let the anger be hot. But then once those feelings cool down, how do we keep moving today? How do we keep showing up today? And I think it's just by taking one step at a time and being present.
What does community mean for you as a creative?
I've really been trying to say "yes" more this year. Yes to invites, yes to game nights, yes to dinners, and yes to people. The dreams I have, the life I ultimately want, and the calling I have can't really come to life without people, good people, around me. We fuel each other, we build together, we keep each other sharp. And as I look back on this year, so many of the key moments wouldn't have happened if a friend hadn't helped me with this, or a teacher hadn't taught me that, or this friend hadn't told me to leave that situation. God uses each of us to impact one another in all types of ways. When it's just you working alone, you miss so many connections to His plans for you.
What inspires you in your creative process?
I think that talent and excellence are the most attractive qualities on the planet. When I see someone masterfully doing the thing they were put here to do, whether it's music or playing a sport or acting, I feel lightning shooting through my body. It makes me want to go out there and be better at the things I do. I just finished this incredible series on Monday and three days later, I'm still buzzing from the performances. I've been thinking about the lead actors non-stop, and they make me want to take my work that much more seriously. That's just how my brain works—when I'm exposed to mastery of any kind, it pushes me to create and innovate.
Is there anything happening in your community that you'd like to shed some light on?
As the year winds down, I'm excited to start planning everything that's ahead for 2023. There are going to be so many changes, and it's a little scary, but I'm feeling especially inspired to make it an incredible year. And like I said above, it's always gotta be bigger than just yourself, so I'm excited to start the year off by partnering with CCNYC to give out four special creator grants. I've been in this digital space for over 10 years now and I know the impact that something like this can do for the life (and work) of a rising artist, so it feels like a full-circle moment to be on the other side of it this time.
