We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamee McAdoo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jamee, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Growing up with parents who were both teachers and creatives, I always saw the importance of education and self-expression. I was intrigued by learning as much as I could about Black history, the arts, and the world in general. I began writing and performing in elementary school, winning talent shows and poetry slams in middle school, and I published a book of poetry at the age of 16. My parents let me know that I was considered a professional poet around 11 or 12 years old once I started getting paid for speaking at various schools, churches, and other events. In high school, I would travel all over the nation facilitating writing workshops and inspiring other teens and kids to find their passion. I’ve always known that writing was in my blood, and my parents always supported and encouraged my dreams and aspirations for as long as I can remember.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Jamee Ellisa McAdoo and my initials are JEM, so that quickly became my stage name as I am rare, unique, and special like a gemstone. From writing poetry in elementary school, to being asked to perform and speak in political settings, at protests, and for various organizations and schools all throughout middle and high school, I have always valued the arts and tried to use my voice to make a difference in my community. I started posting poetry on social media and went viral a few times on Instagram for my original words. Over COVID, I made fun videos with my family, promoting each of our talents, and those went viral too — reaching over 1 million views on TikTok. I also created a new Instagram account for my locs (@jemslocs) which grew expeditiously to gaining over 100,000 followers within a year of having the page. All of these milestones proved to me that I can be my authentic self and reach thousands of people who love and support me for doing just that. I never thought I wanted to be an influencer, but I realize now that that’s what I’ve been all along.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I was crowned the 2019 Miss Heritage’s Outstanding Teen in Little Rock, Arkansas when I was a senior in high school. This was a preliminary pageant to the Miss Arkansas pageant, that was focused on bringing diversity and inclusion into the Miss Arkansas/Miss America pageant system. When I competed at the state competition, I was the only Black contestant out of 40. I felt like I was doing it for the culture. I wore a different natural hairstyle every day on stage, despite being told it wasn’t “pageant hair.” The competition lasted 4 days, and I won every single night. I won overall best interview, best talent (reciting original spoken word poetry with a ukulele), best on-stage question & evening gown, and best fitness for my category. I placed 3rd runner up in the pageant. Traveling all over the state in my crown and sash as Miss Heritage and being able to say I placed top 5 in my very first pageant was very rewarding and special, as I saw so many beautiful brown skin girls look up to me. I would visit schools and the children would be in awe. They saw me and saw that Black girls can be beauty queens too.
How did you build your audience on social media?
My advice to up-and-coming social media influencers is to: 1) stay authentically you, 2) be consistent, and 3) know your value. Staying true to who you are via social media is so important because it’s easy for people to misread you, so it’s best to put your truest self forward and let them judge you for being the best you that you can be. For my hair page (@jemslocs on Instagram), people always ask how I grew my following so quickly — consistency! From the beginning, I went through hashtags and found similar accounts sharing their loc journeys, I interacted with my followers, and posted multiple times a week. I reached out to bigger accounts and asked for shoutouts as well. I was very organized with my insights and I set goals all the time! When I saw how quickly I grew my page from just posting and being myself, I knew that if I prioritized growth and consistency, that it was no telling where my account could take me. I now manage a few other accounts as my clients, and I make nice earnings from promos and brand deals!
Contact Info:
- Website: jameemcadoo.com
- Instagram: @jemslocs
- Linkedin: Jamee McAdoo
Image Credits
Danny Barger, Thea Foundation, Roger Williams