We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacqueline Torto a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jacqueline, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have been taking risks for as long as I can remember.

My life is a series of risks taken — A plethora of what-if’s — A sea of trials and error,

I think you get the picture. I am a risk taker — Of all the risks I have taken in my life, I would love to share the story of how I decided to pursue photography and creative direction in one of the most competitive industry as a self-taught artist.

It all started when 18 year old me decided to leave her family to travel 7,700 miles in search of freedom. I didn’t know what freedom looked like then but I was hungry for her — I yearned for her presence.

At that time, I thought freedom was me going to medical school to become a doctor. After all I was good at the sciences — especially biology and chemistry, and it also mean’t I could afford to live life because doctor’s good made good money. That sounded pretty free to me.

I realized that there was another element of freedom I’d missed — the abilty to be passionate about what you do. I mean I had gotten a taste of it when I played soccer but the thought of being passionate about what you do for work was a foreign concept to me. A concept I became familiar with after taking my first Psychology class. Taking that Psych class unlocked two doors — my passion for photography and my passion for being passionate about the things I invest my time and energy into. Be it work. Passion Projects. Side Hustles .. .everything.

That experience also redefined my relationship with risks — I went from seeing it as a bad thing to seeing it as a necessity. I came to understand that I was going to have to take risks if I wanted to continue chasing my passions. I also got to understand that

During my junior year of college. I found myself buying my first camera with the last $400 in my bank account — I didn’t know where my next meal was going to come from but I knew that I had to scratch that itch of wanting to dive deeper into photography. Some might see this as a risk, but I look at it as me answering my calling by any means necessary.

Long story short — I currently work at the biggest publishing company in America as a self-taught creative and photo producer, in addition to being one of Creative Directors of Sow It, a black owned and operated creative collective

I always follow my heart even when the odds aren’t in my favor — even when it doesn’t make sense — even when it seems risky because I know that the answer will always be no if I don’t ask or seek out the truth and that almost always comes with risks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Jackie Hearts, a self-taught Brooklyn based visual artist with a passion for documenting and exploring the inconspicuous truths of everyday people and brands through creative direction, photography and visual production.

My passion for the visual arts has been a part of me for as long as I can remember, however it was activated and elevated to the next level when I made the decision to purchase my first camera with the last $500 in my account. I didn’t know where my next meal was going to come from, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to miss out on this Black Friday deal. Most folks would call this leap of faith a dumb move — however this move cleared the way for my entry into the creative and media industries.

Fast forward to today, I have had the opportunity to provide dope brands and organizations like Black Women Photographers, Johnnie Walker, Apple, VSCO, Entertainment Weekly, Food & Wine,The Marcus Graham Project, etc.with unique photography, visual production and creative direction services. I am also one of the creative directors at Sow It, a Black Woman owned and operated creative collective dedicated to empowering our various creative communities.

I believe that we are all seedlings — looking for nourishing soil. This soil could be knowledge, purpose, passion. It could be anything — as long as it’s aligned with our hearts.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There is a gap between when I first decided to walk in my purpose as a creative and where I am now.

So .. I decided to go to grad school to learn more about cultural foundations and it’s relationship with pop culture and content production. So I ended up pursing Master’s in Cultural Foundations from Kent State University with a research focus on Digital Access – The Intersection of Pop Culture and Content Production. I didn’t really have much at that time but my thirst and hunger to know more kept me alive. Life got a lot more difficult after I graduated — I could no longer rely on the decent stipends and free housing I got for being a graduate assistant. After all, I had graduated– I was now out in the real world, ready to shake the world by practicalizing the theories I had investigated in grad school. I made sure I was ready for the real world. I applied and got into the Summer ’20 Bootcamp of the Marcus Graham Project — I got to work with some major brands like Apple, Heal Haus, the Landry etc.

However, no amount of internships, office hours or exams could prepare me for the hardships I faced post grad school — I found myself couch surfing, and working odd jobs to afford life. A lot of people told me to give up on my dreams of pursing creative and visual production full-time.

I can’t lie — I almost gave in a few times. Fast forward to today, I am glad I didn’t — because I wouldn’t be where I am today.
​

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

bell hook’s all about love has not only impacted my maangement and entreprenuirial thinking — it has also impacted the way I look at life. Although we live in a fast paced result driven world — All about Love, challenges has to remain human centric. It redefines the way we look at people and the world love. I am obsessed with it because it pushes me to see love in a different light

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jackieofhearts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackieofhearts_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiehearts/