Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jasmine Baxter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jasmine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I’m Jasmine Baxter, founder of Open House Socials, a full-service design and marketing agency.
Open House Socials works on more than just social media and more than just brands. We work with people we believe in to establish an online presence that is memorable with adaptable and sustainable systems. We’re passionate about putting more goodness in the world and focus explicitly on collaborating with businesses doing the same. While we started with housing and interior design clients, we have expanded to the art, beauty, and fashion industries. Honestly, we can’t help ourselves from bringing more beauty into the world. We call ourselves an ‘open house’ because the door is open to anyone with passion and positivity that needs a hand with creative direction and marketing magic.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
If you’re from Raleigh, chances are I’ve served you a beer, a coffee, or a burger. My background is in hospitality, and I spent over a decade serving and managing at various places around downtown. I’d handle scheduling, training, staffing, and cocktail creation while bartending full-time and eventually taking on social media. It wasn’t long before I realized that I could do more to fill seats in businesses by connecting online than being behind a bar. So I left the industry to branch out independently after COVID hit. I read every book I could while trying to find clients and brushing up on my photoshop skills. I had a few clients in less than a month and soon gained traction with referrals.
I credit volume bartending for teaching me to work efficiently under pressure and keep a level head when dealing with less-than-ideal situations. Managing taught me to protect my coworkers and to create systems that work for everyone. Life has taught me that nothing (and no one) is worth sacrificing your mental health and that what is meant for you will find a way.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
It’s hard for some to understand that the journey was non-linear. Everything I’ve learned has been accumulated over time. It’s not standard to say you learned to code by creating MySpace layouts for your middle school friends. Or that you learned to retouch by removing zits with the color dropper in Microsoft paint. There was no way to know that these things I was doing would be a part of my skill set and how I made a living at that time- albeit with much better tools. No one told me that that was something to keep up with, to build on. Growing up, adults constantly asked, “how will you make money as an artist?” and being redirected to job options that would be a safer choice. Looking back, I think it’s such a ridiculous question. There’s art, design, and endless opportunities to create everywhere you look. Video editors, font designers, retouchers, home stagers, sound designers, and so many more jobs could be lucrative for the correct type of creator with the right amount of passion. They are probably already collecting skills without even knowing it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part is knowing that you’re making a difference. The knowing comes from watching sales, followers, website clicks, and post saves, all rising. Being able to measure the impact of your work as a creative and to see that it is powerful enough to change the reality for your client. It’s incredible. Making sure we’re being socially responsible by choosing the right brands to build is a task I take seriously. It’s not just about making my clients the best. It’s about working with brands that are creating sustainable products, working ethically with vendors, making better environmental choices, and adamant about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. That’s the energy I hope to consistently put into the universe and the foundation of all our work.
Contact Info:
- Website: jasminebaxter.com
- Instagram: @openhousesocials
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/open-house-socials
Image Credits
Anna Haddock