We were lucky to catch up with Jamila Starwater Tazewell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jamila Starwater, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

I went to art school and they don’t teach you about business. I am lucky because they did help me get delusionally optimistic about being a “professional artist” though. I remember the exact moment in class that I decided that I would move to NYC and become a “famous handbag designer.” I really set myself up with that one. After graduation, I did move to Brooklyn and began to feverishly make insanely labor intensive bags – hand painted, gold fringe leather etc- in an espresso fueled mania, frequently pulling all nighters because I loved it so much. I was completely convinced that these bags were going to bring me to the heights of fashion society- LOL. By day I waited tables on the Upper West Side and by night I would either be sewing or bringing my bags with me to all the clubs and parties, just knowing my big break was around the corner. Looking back I see myself as the perfect archetype of the Fool – I did not know anything and I loved everything!

Let me paint a picture for you – imagine this – pre-social media era circa 2003 – I, as an extremely shy person, would make myself go in person to the coolest boutiques I could find carrying my bags, and ask to speak with the buyer. This actually worked a few times and I got my bags in to some chic Soho shops which made me feel so successful. It was always consignment and occasionally bags sold! So these were probably my first dollars made as an artist.

I was tired of waiting tables and I really wanted to have a business that made consistent money from my art – and that really started when I swallowed my pride and set up a little folding table on the corner of Bedford and North 7th in front of the bodega and next to the L train stop. I had a few shoe boxes of experimental card holders and wallets I had made from pages of books and vintage magazines. These sold so well that day , that I realized I could make a scalable business with them. That experience brought me more fully in to the real world of commerce and I learned everything I know about business from scratch from that day on! I started by pretending I knew what I was doing and pretty soon I was fulfilling wholesale orders with Urban Outfitters from my tiny Williamsburg bedroom that was so small you had to fold the futon up to sit at the desk. I hand made everything myself for years and eventually learned how to work with other people. It’s been a journey.. Entrepreneurship is actually a very self actualizing path. Not for the faint of heart but I recommend it nonetheless!

I ended up making a company named 11:11 enterprises and I manufactured and sold my cardholders and wallets featuring my art and vintage imagery for the next 20+ years. I haven’t reached the “high society fashion success” I dreamed of so long ago but I did find a calling and passion thats been extremely rewarding and transformational..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Thank you so much for having me, and for asking about my work. I am an artist working primarily with collage and I have a business where I make and sell all kinds of clothing and accessories with my art on them. For over 20 years I had a brand called 11:11 whose tag line was “art in your pocket” – as I mentioned before we made wallets of all kinds with my art and vintage imagery – and it was a great education for me on being an artist and entrepreneur. About 8 years ago I created a second brand called Starwater Yoga which features my intentional collage art on yoga mats and yoga related accessories. It probably looked like success from the outside but internally as soon as I created the second brand (and second business structure to go with it) I immediately asked my self what have I done? As an artist who just does business because it allows me to keep making art – having two businesses was extremely stressful and ultimately lead to a total burnout which I am just really emerging from this year. I am so happy to share that I created my dream scenario this year by closing 11:11 and merging Starwater Yoga with a brand that is just my name – Jamila Starwater – with a very streamlined back end and a focus on creating and sharing more art. I closed my office here in Los Angeles last year and worked to create a website that is almost entirely automated with third party manufacturers that drop ship my custom products for me. We still feature Starwater Yoga mats on the website and I’ve been able to re-launch my favorite creation ever – my cotton silk wraps – which are these huge super soft wearable & versatile vehicles for my symbolic and alchemical art.

I am very focused on creating art that uplifts consciousness. I have a keen interest in working with symbols, color and composition to create work that has a resonance of meaning that goes beyond the conscious mind. My art is something that has developed over the years in a very unexpected way and entirely thanks to daily Kundalini yoga and meditation practice. So I am beyond grateful to have re arranged my business and life so that I can focus on this passion and bring more of my dream projects to life.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are three I would like to share. The first one is a book called Find Your Why but there is also a lecture on Youtube called Start with Why by Simon Sinek. The lecture alone will give you a great starting point. My uncle who created a successful wealth management company turned me on to this. His company is probably at the polar opposite end of where my little art based accessories brand sits in the world and still this concept was relevatory and very instrumental for me in distilling and strengthening my vision. As a human and especially as an entrepreneur you must know your “why”. Why do you do what you do? Making money is an outcome – it is not the why. This lecture and book will help you get clear on this. True alignment and success will come from this clarity.

The second is totally not a business or art related book per se, but it was one of the most impactful books on my world view. It’s called The Holographic Universe by Micheal Talbot and while it’s concerned with quantum reality and physics it’s very grounded and readable. Its been a few years since I’ve read it but my big takeaway was this – everything contains and is connected to everything else. What you do, how you do it and yes – why you do it, matters. The smallest creative acts and contributions to society can have astronomical impacts. This is a game changer book that will give you so much expansion.

The last book that I would highly recommend here is called Power Vs Force by David Hawkins. This book gave me a practical framework for understanding energy in the form of a simple numerical chart called the Map of Consciousness. The book takes you though the scale of human experience from low to high vibe and is written in such a way that raises your frequency just by reading and absorbing the content. This is one of those books that will transform you by giving you a new lens with which to view your world and everything in it- including your business and your art.

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

The blessing of being able to wake up each day and create my life and art on my own terms is precious beyond description. To have the freedom to explore my craft and creative passion is the most profound gift. For me it has been a long road of learning how to balance the creative with the commerce. No matter what your field is, there is a challenge to be navigated at the crossroads of art and money. When a person can figure out how to stay true to their vision through these tests, it is the biggest victory for themselves personally but also for society. Culture is created by the artists, the dreamers and the doers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jamilastarwater.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamilastarwater/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwater.yoga
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/jamilastarwater/

Image Credits

Jamila Starwater, Keith Berson