We were lucky to catch up with Jasmine Coer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jasmine , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

When the pandemic disrupted our lives in 2020, I noticed the children I served were experiencing loneliness at an alarming rate. They were no longer able to attend summer camps, play with friends, go swimming, play tag outdoors, and all the things children enjoy doing during their summer break. The streets were empty and so were the playgrounds. I would see my children on zoom calls every week and one day I asked an honest question, “how do you feel about being inside?” The responses nearly broke my heart. They felt alone, unheard, bored, overlooked, and the list runs long. I reached out to a few corporate giants asking for help to put on a socially distanced outdoor event for the youth and I was faced with many no’s due to risks and liability. I decided to redirect my attention to local business owners on the Westside of Atlanta and together we were able to pull it off. I rented a park, bouncy houses, tables/chairs, jumbo toys, and more. I made a post on instagram asking for volunteers and over 20 people dedicated their time to making COLOR Day a success! We had hotdogs and hamburgers donated by a local bike club, The Regulators. We could not have pulled off a memorable event for our youth without the help of our community. It was the best day in my career watching children running, tossing water balloons, painting canvases, and enjoying life as a kid again. We had a nurse on site conducting temperature checks, Local Green Atlanta donated 200 masks , and all the games were distanced 6 feet apart. Although it was very important for me to be safe, it was equally important for me to give the children a sense of fun again. We held the event in front of my grandmother’s old house. In my heart, I would like to believe she was smiling from heaven as children of the English Avenue community enjoyed a normal summer day, during a time when nothing felt normal.

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?

In 2015, I had one of the worst years of my life. Death, grief, homelessness, depression, and anxiety plagued my life all at once. I felt like I was drowning and I wanted to desperately breathe again, so I attempted to take my life. When God told me, “NO!” I made a promise in that dark period to help others not feel alone, so I birthed Color My Story.

“Shared joy is double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Swedish Proverb

We create spaces that help the world feel a little less lonely. Sometimes just admitting your truth is enough, other times you may need a little extra support, inspiration, or empathy from another. Our hope is to reduce depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and be an advocate for underserved youth and working professionals through our COLOR workshops

COLOR stands for Capable Of Learning through Others’ Realities. We create safe spaces for people to be honest about their life experiences – first with themselves, then with others.

Using storytelling and art, we help unite people through shared life experiences and hope to create a kinder, more compassionate, and emotionally intelligent world.

Through our COLOR sessions we combine journaling, art and group therapy for a one of a kind experience that anyone can enjoy. (Corporate COLOR, Community COLOR, etc)

Our COLOR Kits translate our in-person events to sessions that you can enjoy at home — alone, with family or a group of friends.
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For more information on our workshop experience and COLOR kits, visit www.colormystory.net for more information.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth is not broken! We have been in business for seven years and have never run a paid ad on any social platform. Our business model is simple. We strive to deliver an unforgettable experience so clients return and eventually become family. Returning clients are the best indicator you’re on the right track.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

We have several streams of income flowing into the business. We offer both products and services in order to strengthen our message to our audiences. We offer the following:

•In person youth and adult COLOR workshops
•COLOR kits, which allows individuals to complete the COLOR workshop virtually
•Lifestyle apparel brand COL>OR, which stands for Capable Of Learning <through> Others’ Realities
•COLOR canvases, which are positive messages painting on canvases for positive daily reminders

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colormystory.net
• Instagram: @color_my_story
• Facebook: Facebook.com/colormystory
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/color -my-story-llc/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/color_my_story
• Youtube: Youtube.com/colormystory