DRAFTING W/ DEVERY JACOBS

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Devery Jacobs moves through Hollywood with intention — actor, writer, director, producer — grounded in her roots in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory and a commitment to Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ representation. Many know her as Elora Danan in Reservation Dogs, where she earned major nominations while also writing and directing, shaping some of the show’s most resonant moments.

Her reach has expanded quickly, from Echo and What If…? — including a Mohawk-language performance — to her producing debut Backspot, which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and drew critical praise. Across it all, Jacobs is building a career defined by range and authorship — shaping stories on her own terms while expanding what gets seen and who gets to tell it.

For DRAFTING, Jacobs dives into her Notes app (and actual notebook), offering up some insight about the creative process that drives her work.

Original sparks of a personal essay idea for Substack, jotted in my Notes app.

A selfie in my messy, post-self-tape-audition office. Sweater: vintage repurposed and designed by Siberian Yupik/Língit designer Mekegsaq; Jeans: NorBlack NorWhite; Shoes: Ganni; Hat: Chicago, the Broadway Musical.

I’m always in the process of trying to make my altar/medicine station more aesthetically pleasing. This is its current form.

These are notes I took while in a workshop with the incredible Joan Tewkesbury at Sundance. It’s a character-writing exercise that I lean on when stuck.

My version of chicken congee when I was sick the other week. It was simple, but oh-so-yummy.

My attempt at Iranian tahdig that fell apart at the last minute (it was still tasty, though).

This is the doodle I return to again and again. I’ve drawn thousands of these when I need to busy my hands and steady my mind.

Peep the post-it on my desk. It’s a mantra for my work, whether writing, acting or directing: “Don’t seek a desired outcome. Find out.”

I’m midway through each of these reads. (I can’t have one book on-the-go at once, my ADHD simply will not have it.)

Simone Rocha’s designs do something to me. I don’t consider myself to be particularly hi-femme, but the playfulness, drama, romanticism and sometimes campiness that she uses to express femininity really speaks to me — for the men’s garments, as well as women’s. I live.

The vibes are a must.