We recently connected with Jamicka Lakeya and have shared our conversation below.

Jamicka , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path when I was in middle school (early right…I know). I kept notebooks and journals full of my writings and I always wanted to do something with them. I would let my middle school English teacher (Mrs. Whitson) and some of my close friends read over some of my poems and writings and look over them for grammar issues and to give me feedback. I would even write poems or stories for other people. Because people felt comfortable talking to me I would sometimes write about what I was told as well. But, it really hit me when my English teacher read some of the poetry from Tupac Shakur’s book, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”, I fell in love and that made everything clear to me. I wanted to publish some of my writings to help myself as well as other people.

When people would ask what some of my goals were, the first one that I would tell people is that I wanted to be a published author and write/publish my own books.

Jamicka , 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?

Well let’s see…

I was always the quiet, shy girl (still a little introverted to this day lol) from New Ellenton, SC, who never really spoke up even though at times, I had a lot to say or a lot on my mind. Because I wasn’t very vocal and wasn’t really good with saying what I felt and how I felt or expressing myself, I started to journal and write it all out. I started out writing as a hobby when I was about 11 or 12. It was just a way for me to say how I felt without actually saying it to anybody. It was kind of like a release and a break from everything that was going on around me. Because I hadn’t found my voice and was afraid to speak up, writing became an escape for me. Writing was a way for me to illustrate what I was experiencing as well as other people around me. It became a way for my voice to be heard and to help other people because they had been or were experiencing similar things.

I decided to publish my first book Behind Closed Doors in 2018, a collection of poems and a sneak peek into the reality of men and women who are afraid to speak up and out about life’s austerities. This book brings motivation, shed light, inspires, and gives a sense of warmth to know that you are not alone. This book allowed me to put everything out to the public and that wasn’t easy for me. I had to learn to have hard conversations and accept that everyone wasn’t going to like what I had to say. And that some people wouldn’t believe me. But I knew that people could relate to it and I just knew that I wasn’t alone. I learned that it was ok to say no and some things I didn’t have to explain or talk about. During the entire process, I was taught about self.

I published my second book Inside Of Her during the Covid pandemic, which is an insight on women from women. It is the heart of a woman’s desirable, intricate, resilient mind. It is the words of women, glistening and sliding down a woman’s body in the form of poetry. I wrote this book during the pandemic and that is the one that I am most proud of. I went out of my comfort zone to interview different women of different stages in life so that the readers could have an insight on women. I talked about topics from relationships to parenthood, self-love, trauma, and racism.
I am now an author of two books, “Inside of Her and Behind Closed Doors”, as well as co-author of “P.O.E.T.I.C”. I am a motivational influencer that works in the healthcare field by day and writes poetry and runs a vending machine business by night.

Both poetry books are available on Amazon. I specialize in writing poetry, quotes, and short stories. I write so people can know they’re not alone. I write for people who are afraid to speak up and out. I write to help other people. I write so people can escape for a little while. I write for entertainment but most importantly I write for my own escape! My writings focus on the journeys of life, love, lessons, trauma, relationships, and self-help. They both provide romance, affirmations, quotes, good vibes, and all the love and poetry you could want.

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

Well… I knew since the age of 11 or 12 that I wanted to write poerty as a possible career and even if that didn’t happen I wanted to at least publish my poems / writings in the form books. Well… life happened and some discouraging words from a teacher in high school set me back and I mean way back. That teacher didn’t believe that I had it in me, always gave negative comments or feedback on majority of my writings. Marked all over my writings that I shared and even told me that I needed to find different things to possibly write about because that was it. And when I tell you the words that the teacher said to me had a very negative impact on me and my ability to create. I stopped…completely.It wasn’t until after I graduated from college that I decided to buckle down and really publish some of my writings and actually start taking it more serious

One thing I did learn from that teacher was to believe in myself becuase not everyone is going to believe in you and not everyone is going to like that you have to say. I had to learn to have hard conversations and accept that everyone wasn’t going to like what I had to say or possibly even read what I wrote. But I knew that some people would be able to relate to it and I just knew that I wasn’t alone. I learned that it was ok to say no, to not pay attention to everyone’s opinion, and some things I didn’t have to explain or talk about. The most difficult decision I had to make was saying no. I was a people pleaser and didn’t know how important it was to set boundaries and stick with those boundaries. I got so caught up in pleasing people and giving them what they wanted that I stopped making time for me and started to become off balance and couldn’t create.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I write so people can know they’re not alone. I write for people who are afraid to speak up and out. I write to help other people. I write so people can escape for a little while. I write for entertainment but most importantly I write for my own escape! And sometimes I feel like it’s the only way my voice and the voice of others is heard! So when people tell me that my little voice, inspirational videos, or books have helped them in some type of way, shape or form, or that they can relate to what I had to say or write about, that is one of the most rewarding aspects for me.

The fact that I able to help someone feel like they are not alone or even encourage someone or show them that some people really do care is just amazing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/jamickalakeya
• Facebook: facebook.com/jamickalakeya
• Other: amazon.com/Jamicka-Lakeya