Meet Jo Ikigai | Creative & Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jo Ikigai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jo, what principle do you value most?
The value or principle that matters to me most is respect. Through respect of all things, living and not, we are able to cultivate meaningful and healthy relationships. Respect is at the core of so many other key principles. To value consent, one must respect people, their space, their things, and the boundaries they set around them. To truly love someone, one must respect them first, and show that respect of their individuality, likes, and interests through loving them in way that’s tailored to them. There are so many instances where if basic respect was present, the situation could be navigated gracefully. I strive to show and earn respect, though I feel respect is a given and disrespect is what is earned. I prefer to show up as a respectful person first, and that kindness is usually afforded back to me. Placing respect at the top of my list of moral attitudes serves me to be a better person in general.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a creative from the Southside of Flint, MI. I’ve been making art and taking stages since I was a small child, including poetry, spelling bees, public speaking, runway modeling, dancing, cheer, or whatever my new special interests were at the time. It was during my teenage years that I began pursuing creativity more seriously as a viable career option. I began performing in stage plays more often, as well as competing in poetry slams. I truly began modeling for different local photographers during high school as well, and balanced these growing interests with a school workload, internships, volunteer work, and the social life I tried to throw in. I would often perform happily for free, so I knew it was something I truly loved, unlike the medical training I was receiving at the time.

After high school, I went to college for Media Arts and Entertainment Technology. In that program, I studied photography, videography, graphic design, radio, television, film, and media as a whole. Though I did not finish my degree pathway in one go, I did win a student Emmy (awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Michigan Chapter) for our campus during my tenure as a student for my role as producer on a documentary film. While there, I also served as President of the school’s first Black Student Union. We did a month’s worth of programming during February, culminating in The Black Excellence Showcase in March. We featured student entrepreneurs as vendors, young talent as performers, and offered a Soul Food Taste Test for those who wanted to truly consume some of the culture. It was my first real taste of event curation, and a huge part of why my time in college was extremely fulfilling and affirming.

During these high school and college years, I had a host of experiences that led me to combine my passions for performance and organizing with my unwavering dedication to justice. I am a survivor, and advocacy became an important part of my art. I found the term “artivist” to describe people like myself, and I’ve worn it ever since. While some people create for profit, for fame and notoriety, I create to heal myself and others. I’m still working on the capitalism part lol.

Winning the Signal Boost competition in 2021 set me on a renewed path towards a career as a performer. I was voted Audience Favorite after reciting a piece I called “#MeToo.” It was one of the hardest performances of my life, but I am most proud of the way it touched people. Other survivors came to me after the show to be seen and heard by me, and I appreciate the seeds of healing I planted in that moment. Some had never told anyone, but watching me bear it all onstage gave them courage and released some of the shame they carried. A true artist could want nothing more. My ego was also served well by the literal giant check, confetti, and requests for my autograph. I knew that I wanted more nights and a life like this for myself. I had seen it, and it was truly foolish not to go ahead and believe it.

Before and after competing, I had been writing poetry on a typewriter at different events throughout Flint. It was through a program called “Poet for Hire,” and though my experience with the organizers behind the program itself soured, the experience was monumental for me. Setting up nearby other festivities, myself and other poets would lie in wait with our ink ribbons and paper ready to go. Often placed amongst other vendors and services, we stood out with our classic typewriters. I would speak to passing strangers and invite them to sit and have a piece of custom poetry written for them. If they agreed, I’d ask for a prompt to write from. I wrote about folks’ loves and families. Others were grieving, while some didn’t have any clue what they’d like for me to write about. A lot of times, actually, folks wanted me to freestyle and write whatever came to me. We would sit and chat, while at different and varied intervals, more lines of poetry would come to me, and I’d type them out. By the end of our conversation, I had a piece that reflected the time we spent together and the conversation we’d had. Many people had never gotten poetry written for them before, and it was an honor to be able to provide that experience.

During the summer of 2022, I moved to ATL, and I’ve been pursuing music, event planning, public speaking, writing, and sexual education as my most immediate career interests. I’ve started gaming again, I’m even cosplaying now, and that’s brought so much fresh energy to me and my work. I do not shy away from the dark, heavy, or hard, but after we address those things, I also want to create spaces of whimsy and fun. We need more of that to counteract all of the pain and trauma this life deals us, and I’m happy to help create it around myself. I’ve been told that comedy would be a great idea for me, and making people smile is one of my greatest joys. A combination of skills in front of and behind cameras, on and off the stage, on and off the mic will most likely lead me in a number of directions over time, and I hope to continue to be blessed enough to rise to the occasion in each instance.

At 26 years old, I’ve done so much and still have much more to do. I made it to this place in my life and career through sheer determination and willpower. No matter how many times I am knocked down, I rise again with the knowledge of how to never lose that same way twice. “I eat all my losses for breakfast, and I sh*t out lessons” is a line from a poem I wrote, and it applies to my approach to life. I don’t lose, I learn. I don’t fail, I change methods. I don’t give up, I survive. It wasn’t easy to recognize my worth all the time, but realizing that I have a right to be seen, heard, and felt in this world allows me to show up in it boldly. My primary goal with my brand and story is to empower others to feel the same way about themselves.

I named myself “Jo Ikigai” in 2020 as I truly began my journey as a content creator. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to “reason for being.” An activity that you are proficient at, passionate about, that the world needs you to do, that you can also be compensated for would serve as your ikigai. I loved the word from the moment I found it, and I adopted it so I could repeat that definition over and over. Living under capitalism, it just seemed so simple and right to do. I hope everyone is able to find and live theirs because I think we’ll all be much happier when we get paid to do what we love.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly, I’m the friend that needs the itinerary still lmaoooo. I enjoy games and activities a lot, so my date on THE ROOF at Ponce City Market was very cute to me. There are these hamburger sliders at Lost In Da Souse Kitchen in College Park that slap pretty hard. I plan to do some event planning in the East Atlanta Village, it’s a super cute district for arts and entertainment. My favorite thing about being in ATL is all the different events centered around any interest you can think of!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my Dear. Born and raised in GA, my father’s mother was a dynamic woman with a real zest for life. Her boisterous personality and dedication to home and family are some of my favorite memories of her. She taught me how to read by 3 years old. She taught me how to coordinate an outfit. She taught me to dream big and love myself to success. The only thing she never taught me was how to live without her, and I’ve struggled with it since the day she left this plane of existence. Whenever asked to dedicate a piece of work I’m involved in to someone specific, I choose her. I revere my other ancestors as well, and appreciate their contributions to the person I am now. My Dear just held a special role in my life, and I love telling folks about her. She lives through me. I love you, ma chérie.

Website: https://joikigai.com

Instagram: @dvddyjo

Twitter: @dvddyjo

Facebook: Dvddy Jo / Jo Ikigai

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@joikigai

Image Credits
@minimalmikee
@ovdash
@kellanphotography
@normvnphoto
@followdon