Today we’d like to introduce you to Jhardan X.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jhardan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
So, where does my story begin? I could start by telling you about my ideal and blessed childhood. I was born and raised in The Inland Empire by a community of single mothers consisting of my mother, two grandmothers, and great-aunts. The presence of my father and grandfather weren’t too far behind. I was loved and needed for nothing.
From a young age, I was given the space to water my creativity; everything from acting (my first love), singing, dancing, and modeling to writing stories, poetry, drawing and painting. No matter the medium, I dreamed of being an artist. After high school, my mother and I moved to San Pedro: an edge of the world, hole in the wall paradise. Here I attended El Camino College and obtained my AA in Psychology. In spite of the support behind my artistic passions, my mother never wanted the struggles for me that came with the unpredictability of being an artist.
So, when I told her I wanted to forgo further college education and my early assigned career in psychology to turn my passions into profit, for about a day she wasn’t too pleased haha. Later that night, she conjured a deal to satisfy us both. She proposed, “I’m giving you two years to get your foot in the door of the industry. You have to hustle. If you don’t, you have to go back to school.” That was 2017, and by the end of the year, I had started modeling, became a certified makeup artist, featured in Essence magazine for Coachella, and held the lead in my first music video for Eric Bellinger and Sammie. Now, the year is 2019, I’ve done 19 music videos, and become a published, self-portrait freelance model at 23 years old, 5’3 and 115 pounds. I’ve never been average but I’ve always used that to my advantage. This is still only the beginning of my story.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t believe any road is perfectly paved. I’ve dealt with speed bumps, humps, potholes, road closures, and construction. All of this was taking a toll until I stopped considering the obstacles as something inconvenient and became more comfortable taking detours. My entire life, I’ve been my biggest roadblock, constantly in my own way. My self-doubt and perfectionist criticism would often keep me from saying yes to an opportunity because I didn’t believe I was good enough. So, I’d stop myself from progressing before someone else had the chance. As the years have passed, I’ve become more introspective. I take more time out of my days to be more self-aware and corrective of my negative thoughts that breed those self-sabotaging actions. My mental health is still a constant and daily fight but so long as I am better than the woman I was yesterday, I win.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
The coolest thing about my business is that it is more of my brand and my brand is me. I am the CEO, assistant, employee, and janitor of my brand. I statistically have one of the hardest jobs in the world right now and that is the job of an entrepreneur. Under the umbrella of my name brand: Jhardan Reign (being my first and middle name), I model, sing, act, dance and write. I am best known for my self-portraits that I take on my iPhone using a tripod and Bluetooth remote. I’ve been a self-portrait photographer since May of 2017. I’ve been blessed not to really need a photographer or someone else to get some of the shots I want.
Everything is done in home, in my own space, on my own terms with my own creative vision and execution. I am not only the CEO, assistant, employee, and janitor, but I’m the model, makeup artist, photographer, creative director, crew and editor of my brand and that’s what sets me apart. What’s made me most proud is the feedback I’ve gotten from other women in regards to the confidence they consistently see in me that I don’t see in myself sometimes or only see on good days. It‘s the most fulfilling feeling to know that I aspire a woman to love herself a little more. To show a little more skin and know that it doesn’t devalue her but instead liberated her. I just want to create more opportunities for the women that come after me.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
God deserves all the credit and the glory. He is my peace of mind, my mental sanctuary. He gave me my heaven on earth which consists of: My mother: my early sanctuary, my best friend, my manager, my assistant, my reality check, my investor, my anchor. My father, my G-Pa, my Nana, my Nani, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my friends, and strangers. And one of my biggest advocates of freedom and female liberation; my Granny who filled me with literature, the Lord and fashion. We miss you. You are all my beginning and my reason.
Pricing:
- $150/hr for modeling
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/JhardanReign
Image Credit:
Elijah Rodney, Spencer Sunn, Justin Henry, Jhardan Reign
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