We recently connected with Jazmyne Sumpter and have shared our conversation below.

Jazmyne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

Starting Vivant Studio with my co-founder, Jada Williams has allowed me to make a full-time living from my creative work. When I think about my career and what truly makes me happy it is the freedom to wake up every day and create – to do what I love day and night without it feeling like ” work .” I have strived my whole life for entrepreneurship because I knew I never wanted to work for anyone but myself. I freelanced for many years doing graphic design work and building websites. I definitely did not charge my worth starting out. It wasn’t until Jada came to me about turning my hobby into a business. This is when Vivant Studio was born. We wanted to help small businesses navigate and stand out in the growing age of social media. A major step I can say to any aspiring entrepreneur is to charge what you’re worth and know that you are worthy! You can’t expect to make a full-time living with your business if you do not treat it as if it’s how you pay your bills and make a living. If you want to make $80k + a year set your pricing and make a plan that will allow you to do so. Your business is your career.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am the co-founder of Vivant Studio. I wear several hats in this business, but I primarily specialize in Branding. A brand is an idea, name, symbol, or any other feature that identifies a product or service and differentiates it from the competition. In other words, branding is creating the overall image and feel of a business. The biggest misconception is that branding is just a logo. It is more than a logo, it is the perception and the ” feeling.”

I have worked with so many different types of businesses: Realtors, Doctors, Hairstylists, Chefs, and the list goes on. I have a talent for truly understanding each of my client’s visions and bringing them to reality.

The coolest part of my job is seeing my work from the computer screen to reality. Seeing a logo I designed on the wall of a hair salon or on a product that is on the shelves of a grocery store, amazes me every time.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Networking and mentorship are most important for growing clientele! Most of our clients have come from word of mouth and building lasting relationships. A good mentor is someone who challenges you, wants to see you win, and doesn’t hesitate to open doors of opportunity for you. They can see the potential that you sometimes don’t see in yourself.

I love talking to people and planting those seeds of connections and relationships. I have never been afraid to go up to someone and start a conversation. Sometimes I think I could have been a journalist. It’s something about learning people’s stories and hearing their perspectives. Honestly, my favorite place to network is sitting at the bar of a restaurant. I have met and connected with some of the most brilliant people this way.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Vivant started with the mission of helping businesses develop a brand and stand out from their competition through visual design and content creation. Now, our mission is leaning towards the creative! There are so many creatives who do not know where to begin, have the resources that they need, and most importantly, not building connections with others. We hope to open a physical studio location to allow creatives and entrepreneurs to have space where they can create, learn, and network.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vivantstudio.com
• Instagram: J.lesha

Image Credits
Wellknown Studios / Bueze Nnodim