We recently connected with Jasmine Garvin and have shared our conversation below.

Jasmine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Wow, where do I start?

I’ve been singing since before I could speak. Well, that’s what my mom loves to say. Music has been my blood flow since I was little. My dad had a small music studio in the basement and I would always sit on his lap during sessions. As I grew up, music followed me: I joined band, sang in chorus, performed in a group called “Illharmonic” around my city. But I had never pursed acting. I’m from Poughkeepsie, NY and for most of my childhood, there were not many affordable and accessible performing arts opportunities unless you created them. So I was always told that pursing the arts professionally would be a financial nightmare. I turned to sports as a way to advance and get scholarships: I swam competitively, played softball and rowed for the crew team (2019 NY State Champs!). Still, performing was never far behind me.

In my freshman year, my school took us to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, my first Broadway show. I was so excited because I already loved the movie so much. I wore a phantom shirt and sat on the edge of my seat the entire time. At some point during the show, a lightbulb went off in my head. I asked myself “Wait, people can do this for work and get paid for it?”. That feeling never went away. So come senior year, I took a huuuge leap. I was considering going to school for forensic science or writing with a sports scholarship for swimming, but something kept pulling me in a different direction. I was singing more throughout my city, attending free workshops, listening to musicals, performing in jazz band and it was almost like I was subconsciously yelling at myself to keep pursing what I truly loved. So, I applied to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, who I had found on google and prayed they weren’t a scam. I had never learned to memorize a cut of music or a monologue before, but with the help of Google, YouTube and my band teacher Mr. North, I auditioned for NYCDA. It was the only college I auditioned for… and I got in! Even better, they offered me multiple scholarships. I knew then that pursuing the arts professionally was more than just a dream, it was an achievable dream, and I was going to succeed – no matter what.

I was a little girl who came from no money and no connections, in a town with little room to dream big. Today, I have graduated college, received a Warner Brother’s Casting Initiative, been represented by a top management agency for almost 4 years, booked a major television show, and continue to learn and thrive as an actor and artist in New York. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Jasmine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Having my passions and career intertwine has always been my main focus.

I am an actor, singer, model and overall creative. I love to direct and produce, whether it’s a themed photoshoot or a short film. I also teach acting to all ages, work with organizations to provide affordable performing arts opportunities, and establish stronger connections between creative companies and the communities they work in.

Growing up with limited access to artistic opportunities, much of my success has come from my dedication to making connections, discipline within my craft, and the understanding that my career started from nothing. Not only does my journey set me apart from others, it is also my greatest pride. I am also extremely proud of the communities I’ve worked with. My hope is for kids like me to feel inspired by my journey to pursue their dreams, no matter their upbringing or where they come from. No dream is too small or unachievable.

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.

I loooove this question!

The most common conversation that I have with non-creatives is always about money. “How much does that pay?”, “So like…how do you afford to live?”, or my favorite “So when’s that next gig?”. At some point, you just smile politely. Pursuing any creative field can be complicated financially, especially when you’re just starting out. It’s an investment into yourself. There have been many times, even recently, where I’ve made sacrifices based on my financial circumstances. But it’s not always like that. There have been moments when I’ve booked a job and the last thing on my mind was how much I would be making. It’s the incomparable joy of knowing that I am getting paid for what I love. I pursue this career because there is genuinely nothing else I would rather be doing. The pay, to me, is always the bonus.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Before I graduated college, I wish I would have known about all of the casting sites you can sign up for. My personal favorite is Casting Networks. They post breakdowns everyday of castings for tv and film, background work, modeling, commercials and more. So many of my connections early on were made on sets as a background actor!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasgarvin/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/jasgarvin

Image Credits

Julian J Peeples, Caleb Wyatt, Christina Morgan, Full Out Creative