We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jasmine Stewart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jasmine, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am extremely happy as a creative! However, in the past, I have wrestled with uncertainty, questioning whether this career path is the most practical to pursue. While I have always been passionate about the culinary arts and the expression of creativity, I also recognized that I had other academic strengths that could allow me to pursue a career that may be more direct. In high school, when faced with the task of choosing a college major, I was considering pursing a career in law. My mother is a lawyer, and it made sense to me to one day take over her law firm, ensuring I would always have a stable income and place of employment. However, when it came time to make the decision, I simply could not ignore the deep yearning in my heart to choose a major that sincerely reflected my authentic passions. I decided to step out on faith and apply to a college within NYU that would allow me to create my own major, where I explore the culinary arts as well as film, photography, and other media outlets. Ever since making that decision I have found myself extremely fulfilled, nurturing my interest and developing an even greater work ethic. It has allowed me to become more independent, knowing that I am charting my own path, and forced me to further cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit. Had I taken the path of law, the journey would’ve been clearer, more straightforward, and perhaps even safer. But the road I chose that is shaped by passion, creativity, and the willingness to navigate the unknown has been transformative, giving me a sense of purpose. It is my belief that true fulfillment does not come from the predictability of success but from the courage to chart your own course and trust that, even in the uncertainty, you will find your way.
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?
Interestingly my professional career started in middle school after having won season 5 of FOX’s MasterChef Junior. From that moment on, I had the honor of working on many life-changing creative projects, such as going on the 16-city MasterChef Junior Live Tour, filming a cooking show titled “Jasmine’s Delightful Desserts,” and working alongside other teen celebrity chefs to redesign the kids menu’s at all Great Wolf Lodges in America. Alongside that, I was fortunate to share my passion for cooking through various forms of media, such as cookbooks, magazines, and talk shows. Once arriving at high school, I was motivated to expand the impact that I could make through my platform by founding my company JustJas LLC, which allowed me to do public speaking engagements and cooking demos nationally as well as design and release my own bag line and t-shirt brand. Now, as a college sophomore at NYU, I am expanding my knowledge by majoring in Black food and multimedia studies, hoping to one day continue sharing my love for food with my love for media on a larger scale and to help tackle food insecurity in marginalized communities. Currently, I am utilizing my social media platforms to create content, tell my story, and share my recipes; I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for my career!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing how my career choice opens a mental door for others to consider their creative potential as well. Growing up, I felt as if pursuing the arts as a long-term career choice was often discouraged. Typically, this was due to the belief that those careers can lack financial stability or may not offer long-term security. I and many others, have heard conversations that frame the arts as a “risky” or “unrealistic” path. This always fascinates me because, just as math and science are essential to our world, so are music, theater, fashion, and design. In many ways, articsticism and STEM skills are often intertwined, fueling the very things we love most, like the culinary arts, architecture, or cinematography. Therefore, there is a need for these careers. However, societal or even cultural pressures can lead one to believe that they must fit into a certain mold that often feels safer at the expense of their true passions. By my choice to choose a career path that was genuine to me, despite the pressures, I was able to help create space for others to do the same. There’s something incredibly powerful about watching someone rethink their college major, career path, or even life approach after seeing the creative risks you’ve taken. It’s a reminder that pursuing your passions isn’t selfish or unrealistic; it’s courageous. Sometimes, all it takes is one person stepping into their truth to spark the courage in someone else to do the same. It shows others that it’s okay to follow our passion and to do so unapologetically. When you choose to be a creative, you’re not just crafting something for yourself; you’re paving the way for others to live boldly and pursue what sets their soul on fire despite the doubts or fears that may arise. When you step into your creative power, you invite others to do the same, which is incredibly rewarding.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The most significant pivot I’ve had to make in my life, business, and career was surrendering my life to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. During my senior year of high school, after years of searching for my identity, purpose, love, peace, joy, and truth, Jesus Christ encountered me, showing me that everything I had been searching for was indeed found in Him. Since childhood, I had always identified as a Christian, but I did not know Christ or have a relationship with Him like I am so honored to have today. Once I decided to accept Him into my life fully, I was immediately freed from insecurity, anxiety, unforgiveness, apathy, uncertainty, confusion, and much more. I pivoted from being a Christian by name only to actually being a disciple of Jesus Christ. My faith in Christ has given me a new moral compass, a new perspective on the world, and a new community. That is why I have extreme peace with choosing a nontraditional college major or career path. I know it is Christ who has called me on this journey, and it is Christ who will guide me through it. Jesus has also freed me from idolizing my career, keeping me from falling prey to making impure decisions only for success. My success is ultimately defined by whether or not Christ is pleased with me, not how much money I make, how many followers I have, how pretty I look, or if I am popular. I seek the approval of God and God alone. This decision has been eternally life-changing, and I am beyond excited to see how the Lord orders my steps, ensuring He is glorified in everything I do and that I fulfill the Great Commission. Christ is in control of my life and career, and I hope that in all things, His will will be done.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jasmineostewart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-stewart-5330142a2
Image Credits
1. Troy Sawyer
2. Isaac Wheatley