We recently connected with Jasmine Woodson and have shared our conversation below.
Jasmine , appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I just recently recognized that I am making a full-time living off of my creative work. I added up how much I’ve made this year from my work alone and it equaled the amount that I was making in corporate. I had my head down, focused and in “survival mode” since I started, just hoping I made enough money month to month to cover expenses, that I didn’t realize that I was actually running a legit business. On day one, I simply created a freelancer website and began to offer social media management packages. I had no idea what to charge or how it would work. I figured things out as I went and my services evolved from just simply “social media management” to encompassing all of my skills and interests and thus turning into becoming a digital creator and offering creative consulting, writing and media relations services. I don’t think the process needed to be sped up at all. I think I needed to slowly evolve, learn, grow and have my exact services, prices and methods grow with me.
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?
I am a digital creator and a media relations specialist. My work is at the intersection of studying society, human psychology, hip hop culture and the art of writing. It is the perfect blend to aid my ideal client in connecting to the hearts of their audience and to also create a shift in this culture. I have always wanted to change the tapestry of the entertainment and media industry which in turn shifts the climate of our communities. I started off as a social worker and community activist, this led to me seeking to make a deeper impact that involved more than just surface solutions. I began to dive into learning about holistic wellness and healing and how to heal the traumas in our bloodlines and community. During the pandemic, it was a moment that helped me to sit still and truly think of how I wanted to reroute and follow my passions. I was pregnant and dreaming of working for myself and using all my gifts in some way.
After giving birth, I said to myself “I’m not going back to the office. I’m not leaving my baby to go work for someone else”. It just didn’t seem worth it to me, no amount of money did. That was the catalyst that made me look within at my own gifts and I began to figure out how to use the internet to make a full time income so that I could be the mother I wanted to be and the creative spirit I always dreamed of being. Now, it feels great to be able to use my gifts and not be oppressed, bound and controlled by a corporation or out of touch policies that stop me from making the type of impact I dream of. My “brand” is just me… it is fueled by revolutionary thought leaders, hip hop lyrics, pure art, the underdogs and a whole lot of compassion.
As a digital creator and media relations specialist, I help my clients to communicate their message and mission with the world in a meaningful way. I help them to get in front of the right audience and make the connections they need to. I take some of the work off of their plate and do customer service, building valuable relationships with their audience, creating content, crafting marketing emails, offering consults on their strategy and more. I also use my platform (diva demeanor.com) to showcase my writing by creating articles and blogs on things that mean the most to me, interview world changing creatives and showcase the most talented, inspiring and often overlooked musical artists in our culture. Diva Demeanor started out as a 501 c3 non profit and has evolved into a media hub that is there to reimagine how we view media especially in black culture. It puts the intellectual, soulful and authentic artist at the forefront instead of gossip, hate, slander, industry bs and controversy.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
It is funny you ask this because this is HUGE! When I first heard of NFT’s years ago I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would spend money on a digital image, no matter how much they could resell it for. However, it took a very special project to get me to buy into this industry. The Auracles started off as a NFT project created by John Dean and Chris Brown. Chris posted a photo of “Aura” and I was intrigued because I felt that it was a beautiful illustration of what I feel like as a woman in this culture. After looking more into the mission and also learning what the project was all about, it quickly and instantly shifted my views on NFT’s from a jpeg image to more of a new world, new medium and the future of creating the change I wished to see as a creative. the Auracles has now evolved into such a dope and revolutionary company including comics, innovative streetwear, an online community/family and so much more to come.
NFT’s and Web3 have the power to level the playing field in our society. We have always been the creatives, the culture-shakers and the true visionaries while corporations and industries have capitalized off of our work or stifled us. NFT’s create a new paradigm where the creatives have all the power, control their own narrative and gain all the profit that they rightfully deserve. This is something that I can be down with! I recently worked on their “Nami Slides” marketing campaign and look forward to working on other projects in the future. It’s truly an aligned venture and illuminates the beauty and power of creating a new world that you wished existed.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Getting my first few, small, short term clients helped to catapult me in my industry. I did my best work with them and got a lot of great responses and public reviews for the short projects I worked for them. I was also using their projects as a way to grow and hone my skills. I have always been great at building resumes and creating websites/landing pages to showcase my work, so with my background as well as those new reviews of my work… I began to attract so many more clients.
I think it is also important to say that making a full-time income on social media does not mean that you need a large audience. It is not about the number of followers you have, it is about the quality of your character, the quality of the content you create and your vision. With the services I provide, brands and companies could care less about a follower count because I am creating content to be posted on THEIR large platforms. They could care less about how popular I am but rather how I utilize my platform and how inspiring that is to them and how much I align with their mission.
If you are looking to get started in this particular industry, don’t focus so much on aesthetics and fake metrics. What matters most is the work you are putting in to hone your gifts, share your gifts and create meaningful content for the world… no matter how many “views” or “likes” it gets. Some really hard hitters have viewed and liked my content or either reached out to me to work with me due to seeing my content or my platform. You never know who is watching. Continue to be authentic and stop trying to hack an algorithm or look popular to others. Keep your mission in mind and be intentional about what you create and share, the right opportunities will align for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: divademeanor.com
- Instagram: @jasxdiva
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasxdiva
- Other: https://www.threads.net/@jasxdiva