My Bio • おれのビオ
DREAM POP ORIGAMI LIFE COACH AGENCY
Life: I was born in Northern Michigan to a Japanese mom and white dad before moving to Southern California in high school and beginning my parabolic journey from the West Coast to the Midwest with pit stops in South America, Central Asia, & West Africa, among other destinations as an English teacher and academic volunteer.
Some of my core values both as an artist and a life coach are:
Inspiration
Wellness
Self-empowerment & Self-awareness
Joy & Courage
Volunteering
Helping Others
Pragmatic Optimism
Compassion
Artistic Evolution
Career: I moved to LA fourteen years ago to start my PhD at USC where I studied with some of the world’s greatest writers like:
Aimee Bender, TC Boyle, Viet Thanh Nguyen, & Percival Everett
Since then I’ve published three critically acclaimed books: the short story collection, Counterfactual Love Stories & Other Experiments, which won the 2020 Noemi Book Prize in Prose, was the Amazon #2 Hot Release for October, and a 2021 SPD Fiction Bestseller for four months. The post-9/11 New York novel, Amnesia of June Bugs, which was a 2022 Notable Indie Book and a 2022 Foreword Reviews Book of the Day. And the choose-your-own-adventure memoir about love, Nisei masculinity, & mixed-race identity, Dream Pop Origami, which was a #1 best-selling softcover nonfiction book as well as a 2022 book of the year by the Independent Press Review, Mayday Magazine, & Litreactor. To learn more about my literary career, please click here.
Among my professional honors, this is one of my favorites:
“Jackson Bliss is the Kendrick Lamar of the Literary World.”
-Regina King, Academy Award, Golden Globe, & Emmy-winning actress and director
Training & Education: I’m a lifelong student. If someone would pay me to study for the rest of my life, I would totally do that. My global education has included the following:
I have a BA in comparative literature from Oberlin College, a MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, a MA in English from USC, a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from USC, and a Google Career Certificate in Project Management.
I have lived, traveled, worked, & helped people all over the world as a former Peace Corps volunteer, Americorps volunteer, expatriate, & world traveler.
I have over two decades of experience teaching, tutoring, editing, writing, mentoring, & empowering others. I have also written and published music post-rock and electronic music under the band name, Mizu.
I have helped a number of emerging artists evolve and develop their own craft in creative writing, creative nonfiction, music, even video game writing using prompts, self-paced homework, workshops, & one-on-one mentoring and tutorials
Life Coach Experience: I’ve been a life coach for most my life, I just didn’t know that that was a thing until living in California!
Since an early age, friends, family members, students, sometimes even complete strangers, have come to me for guidance, understanding, perspective, support, love, & advice.
I have helped a ton of people in my life as a professor, teacher, volunteer, educator, editor, friend, & mentor, among other roles.
Some of my unique strengths as a Life Coach are my genuine love for people, my empathy for others, & my flexibility to adapt my life coaching approach to meet clients’ needs that is matched by my objectivity, my honesty, my organization, my compassion, my patience, & my commitment to helping others. This skillset also helps me identify when other professionals might be a better fit for you. If I can’t help you, then I will find someone who can because I’m committed to your capacity building, self-empowerment, & to your pursuit of happiness, joy, & health.