We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jakob Sommers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jakob below.

Hi Jakob, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

When it comes to learning anything, you must be patient. Growing up in theater in a small town, there are only so many opportunities presented to you. I had to be able to seek out everything around me that could lend itself to further my growth. It became a patchwork of skills and experiences. I took band and choir lessons during school, participated in drama club, and performed with the school color guard. It wasn’t until mid-way through High School I discovered I loved dance and started paying for my dance classes at a local studio. When college came around, I had set my sights on getting a performance degree, with many voices telling me not to, I trusted my instincts and did what I had already learned to do. I soaked up just about everything I could. I observed I participated, I took in everything, and held onto the things that felt right. In my junior year of college, amidst the pandemic, I started to teach myself how to do makeup and hair. Once again I had discovered a craft that would broaden my skills and love for arts. Through much trial and error, things started to take hold. I was given the chance to be a wig assistant on a production my senior year. This is what sealed the deal for my love of being able to craft things with my own hands. Getting to help add to the physical beauty of a project made me immensely proud. After college, I jumped head-first into the world of drag and started performing in drag. Well, this created a necessity to start styling my wigs. I spent hours upon hours learning new styles and techniques. I eventually branched out and started making wigs for other local drag performers. I am proud to say I have only ever performed in wigs that I have styled myself. There has been so much time and so many experiences that have built me into the artist I am today.

Jakob, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jakob H. Sommers, or some know me as Sommer Jakobs. I am a professional theatrical performer, wig/makeup artist, choreographer, and drag queen. With many different titles come many different lived experiences. It is all of these experiences threaded together that make u who I am as an artist. I started doing theater when I was about 11 years old and have not stopped since. Art and entertainment, to me, is one of the most basic building blocks of civilization. I think this is why I feel the pull to be as diverse in my skill set as possible. I have worked in professional theater since 2019, whether it be on stage performing or on the production side of things. It wasn’t until moving back from college in 2021 that I started performing as Sommer Jakobs. Drag was something that took so many aspects of performance that I already knew and turned everything up a level. It was dance, music, costuming, makeup, hair, and networking all encapsulated into one. It forced me into new territory, which caused me to grow in just about every other aspect. As an individual, I always strive to be proud of the art that I am putting out. Sometimes, it is me on stage putting the work in front of an audience, and sometimes its something that I have collaborated on with others. Being able to start with an idea and watch it grow from start to finish is my favorite part. I feel the most pride in creating art that not only holds my creative work but something that is meticulously crafted from the minds of many.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The number one thing that drives me as an artist is connection. It goes back all the way to doing theater as a kid. Being in a room full of people that share the same interests. Putting something together that an audience will find joy in. When im on stage in drag its always my goal to be the entertainment that the audience deserves. No matter what may be happening outside of that place and time, being the thing that they resonate with or merely enjoy. When I’m styling a wig for a production or performer, it’s what ideas I can bring to life to add to the performance. Can I help make the performers feel good about how the audience sees them? When its dance, what story and image am I trying to portray that I feel must be told? In every aspect, there is something to be shared. The best part of creating is that someone else gets to take a peak at your thoughts and hopefully find something that echoes their own,

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

When it comes to art, I often feel that we underestimate just how many aspects of life have someone’s art involved. Just about every experience we have as humans is either influenced or portrayed somewhere in the arts, We consume movies, television, fashion, music, and visual art just about every moment of our lives. The world that surrounds us is filled with ideas, images, and sounds that once started in a person’s mind, We can use art from the past to learn things about the time that art was created. We can use art to examine other cultures that are otherwise foreign to us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jakobhsommers.com/
• Instagram: @hawt.girl.sommer or @jakob.h.sommers

Image Credits

Zachary Steele Photography, MNX Photography, Ashley Lafferty, JT Boehme