Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Williams.
Jasmine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m from South Central Los Angeles. I was raised by an incredibly badass woman/single mother, Diana Renee Jones, and everything I do is in honor of her. I graduated from Lynwood High School, where I first discovered my love for theatre and poetry. We moved around a lot when I was younger, all throughout Los Angeles, Inglewood, Lynwood, & Compton, but thankfully I never changed schools.
I am a proud product of the cities that made me who I am. My high school drama teacher was the first person who made me believe that I could pursue a career in the arts. I’m still pursuing it. I’m still learning and growing each day. I started writing poetry and acting in her class and then went on to compete in poetry slam competitions and decided to major in Theatre/Dramatic arts at San Francisco State University.
I found another home there. When I was six years old, my mother and I lived on 36th Street and St. Andrews in LA. Little did I know, the time that I lived there would inspire me to write a successful play that was produced in San Francisco and in my hometown of Los Angeles. This was the beginning of all of the stars aligning.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are only two quotes that have ever truly stuck with me. They both come from Audre Lorde. My favorite is, “I am my best work – a series of road maps, reports, recipes, doodles, and prayers from the front lines.” College was by far one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced in my life, so that is where my story begins.
Consequently, moving to San Francisco was the best decision I’ve made for myself thus far. College is not for everyone. It wasn’t for me… at first. It takes persistence, focus, endurance, double shot espressos and I hate coffee. I moved to the Bay Area with no place to live.
I was living with my Granddad in LA, who fell victim to Alzheimer’s Disease. His dying wish was for me to go to school. I remember watching him forget that wish and forget me, but I kept my word. College was a last minute decision. My Granddad was in the hospital the day I left. I was number 45 on the wait list for dorms that I couldn’t afford, and I was told it could take two weeks or two months to get in.
I knew that if I didn’t stay and push through, I wasn’t going to school at all. So I stayed. I was hopping back and forth from motels in Oakland to SF, couch surfing, trying to get a sublease through a sublease (not possible haha) and then literally one day before the semester started, God blessed me with a shared room for rent and the best roommate ever, who is my sister to this day. Everything happens for a reason. I found myself creating nonstop at this point in my life.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am an actress, poet, and creator. I am the host of Da Poetry Lounge in LA. My approach to theatre, writing, and the creative process is inspiring those around me. My confidence comes from a solid base of knowing who I am, the community I serve, and the openness of learning more. This did not happen overnight.
I had to grow into the best version of me. I approach storytelling the way my mother cooks in the kitchen. What am I hungry for? What ingredients are needed to make this? Does this work have substance? Is the content relevant? As an artist, the work I create has to serve a purpose.
I want to deliver a mesmerizing experience for the audience, leaving them wanting more. I break chronological order, combine eras, and dare in language. Culture, music, theatre, movement, and poetry, are the tools I use to captivate and enhance my new genre of work.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Getting paid well to do what you love. There comes a time where you can no longer do things for free or for the love of it. You have to know your worth. Treat yourself like a business, because you are. I’ve learned this over time.
I want to make a fruitful living by creating art. Keyword: LIVING. LIVE. I want to live. Not just simply make money, but I want to thrive. I want to be in a position where I can put my people on! I also want to leave a legacy and a blueprint for other little BIG, BLACK GIRLS from South Central who don’t fit the status quo.
After graduating from college, I almost forgot about the Jasmine that I had worked damned hard to become. I worked a job that I dreaded. I was getting paid well, but only because I had a degree. As a result, my creativity was dying… so I quit.
Success to me is knowing how to resurrect the things in us we try to kill because of what “others” may think. I don’t want to look up 40 years from now, while I’m sitting on my porch in a rocking chair and think to myself ” I wonder what would have happened if I…”
Contact Info:
- Website: iamJasmineWilliams.com
- Email: Jrwilliams33@yahoo.com
- Instagram: Jrwilliams33
- Facebook: Jrwilliams33
Image Credit:
Fisseha Moges
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