Jessica Matten wants to be best known for being of service to others

The Firecracker Department

From a young age, actress and producer Jessica Matten (Dark Winds) has been focused on creating Indigenous communities to support and be of service to. From her first group Positive Beauty at the age of 13, supporting young Indigenous models with an undercurrent of mental health and wellness, to running programs with the Indigenous Film School and her own company 7 Forward Entertainment, Jessica is focused on consistently pushing others forward towards their goals and healing people through the arts. She tells Jennifer and Naomi about how coming from a multicultural background has given her the capacity to hold so much space for others, and how she’s learned to create discipline in doing so. As she’s grown older and gained more life experience, she also shares how her intuitive guidance and connection to her culture has helped her to better understand and identify the “silences” and traumas affecting Indigenous youth, and her hopes to affect change through action. Her commitment, grace, and intention to heal and be of service to others through the arts is admirable, and her philanthropic work has been able to guide her and trust that this is her purpose for being on this earth.