Creativity Is Magic with Jerico Mandybur
Enter the world of best-selling author, TEDx speaker, tarot reader, creative coach & peer mentor for neurodivergents - Jerico Mandybur.
Jerico loud and proud ‘weirdo’ who forged her own creative path and now spends her time helping others do the same. We speak to her about free expression, making magic and manifesting your dream life.
Q. What does being a ‘weirdo’ mean to you and why is it so awesome?
Being a weirdo means different things all the time. It’s very much not static! Some days, I think of it as a visible or cerebral point of difference between me and someone else, some days it’s shorthand for an emotional response for dedicating myself to thriving in an oppressive world. Sometimes it’s about being autistic and neurodivergent. Other times it’s about being a witch. Others, it’s just an easy way to sum up wanting to create your own reality or find your own path to self-expression and joy.
The word “weirdo” is awesome because it’s flexible and anyone can use it to identify themselves as thinking, seeing, or existing in a way that challenges a dominant paradigm.
Q. How did you begin reading tarot?
I was first interested in tarot as a kid, because I loved all things magical and occult—but was too scared to take it seriously. This persisted into my teenage years, where I would only do very casual tours of my deck during the day, lest I unleash a demon. It wasn’t until I was in my later 20’s and incredibly burnt out and searching for fulfilment that I reached for it again. I sought out tarot because I remembered my fascination with it and the way it sparked my imagination. So I got to know the deck and fell in love with it. I was doing readings for myself and friends all the time and had two long-term teachers. Then after a few years, I began readings for paying strangers. And it’s been magical ever since!
Q. What do you think we can learn from our dreams?
So much! I love Jungian psychoanalysis and see dreams as the art of psyche. We can use them to learn more about our hopes, dreams, and fears. But I also believe in the mysterious and mystical nature of the subconscious mind, so I see dreams as keys to the cosmic divine. Because our imagination what we do with it has real world (magical) effects, it’s hard not to see dreams an an aspect of consciousness that may know more about how life and the universe works than our rational ego minds would care to admit. Dreams offer us objective data, through symbols and themes, to help us understand ourselves on a deeper level, which is important for our growth.
Q. What do you think what is the biggest barrier to creativity?
The modern world we’ve constructed and all the patriarchal, white supremacist, rational-materialist ideology that comes with it. It’s a barrier to creativity because it’s constructed hierarchies of good and bad, of who should and shouldn’t be allowed to express themselves creatively, and the appropriate or inappropriate paths to doing so. Perfectionism is an oppressive belief system that I talk about a lot with clients, because it contains all the other “isms” and affects all creatives, as well as people who can’t even bring themselves to define their lives as us. Perfectionism is the lie that there is such a thing as good or worthy or correct creativity, and that this is something you’re born with—and if you’re not, then sit down and shut up. This is a huge lie that sees so many of us not tell our stories, share our experiences, or help change things, socially and culturally, for the better.
Q. What song gets you out of your head and in a creative space?
Anything by the Cocteau Twins.
Q. You have a new book coming out! Can you tell us what RAINBOW POWER is all about?
Yes I can! Rainbow Power is about rainbow magic ( often called colour magic), which is utilising the therapeutic, physiological, psychological, and magical benefits of colour and creativity towards magical ends. So the book proposes that in order to find and express our true selves, we need to begin living colourfully (which doesn’t necessarily wearing rainbow clothes, but it can!) and it shows readers how to do this but taking them through each colour’s history, energies, and uses in all kinds of real-life contexts, from clothing and beauty, to home, to work, to dating, to self-care and magic rituals.
Q. How does fashion help you express yourself?
There’s so much that clothing can say that I don’t have the words to say. And I’m a writer! But it’s true, and especially as an autistic person; I don’t always have the language to express a mood or an idea, so how I dress is an easy outlet for that. One of my obsessions has always been clothes and op-shopping. It helped me understand and convey parts of myself that I didn’t even know were there. For example, I was out as queer until I was 21, but the way I dressed was inherently queer-coded. My brain just hadn’t caught up yet. Fashion offers us, no matter who you are, an accessible way to channel your essence and identity. And to let that evolve as you do. It’s one of the great joys of my life to pick something to wear and feel good in it.
Q. What is your favourite piece from the Lucid Dreams collection?
I’m in love with the graphic print, obviously. The colours and swirls are gorgeous and psychedelic in the best way, and the pants go with everything. I also love the relaxed fit (baggy pants forever) and that you can wear them high-waisted or on the hips.
Shop her looks + more magical styles here
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Jerico's upcoming book RAINBOW POWER: MANIFEST YOUR DREAM LIFE WITH THE CREATIVE MAGIC OF COLOUR is available to pre-order here