Meet Jamilla King | DIY Home Renovator & Designer

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

Hi Jamilla, what role has risk played in your life or career?
“There is no reward without risk”. Almost 10 years ago, I had a dream that showed me glimpses of where I am now. I prayed for clarity about it and figured out what I needed to do to get to the place I saw myself. About 2 months later, I quite my job. I’ll never forget this day because it was Feb 2nd. I had just paid my rent and I only had $50 in my account. The struggle was real! Although I was nervous, I was also unhappy where I was and I knew that I was given this vision for a reason. At the time just about everyone I knew thought I was crazy. There were many nights where I cried. Times where my lights were cut off and even times where I ate the same meal for a week because I only had $10 to grocery shop with. I’ll never forget reaching out to one of my family members at the time asking for help and the response I got was “No one told you to quit your job”. It was eye opening for me because it taught me that everyone isn’t going to understand your dream, and the risk you take to get to where you see yourself. What’s even more eye opening now is, there are so many people who are afraid to dream. Who weren’t taught to take risk and go after what they love or what they’re passionate about. I don’t know where I’d be if I had not taken that leap of faith. Without trusting God and believing that it was all going to work out in the end. You’ll surprise yourself once you step out of your comfort zone. There has been no greater feeling for me. To know that here I am 8 years later still doing it! I’m still risking it all, trusting God and I’m successful in my own way! I love it here! lol Don’t place limits on your life because other people want you too. Don’t be afraid to go for what your heart is telling you. T=I promise there is no greater feeling than taking a risk and watching it work out in your favor.

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 make pretty things with power tools”. I have always loved interior design and home renovation projects. I think growing up I always felt intimidated because there wasn’t a large representation of African American woman in that field. To be honest, I didn’t think I was good enough. I can’t explain how it all happened but it seems like it grew overnight. AnothaDIYProject, is a business that started with an instagram page to share my love of home projects and decor ideas. I had no intention of turning it into what it is. Social media took a liking to my work and when my friend Jonetta convinced me to start doing projects for other people, It took off like a rocket. I get emotional when I talk about it because this has always been my passion. It was in the vision I had 8 years ago and now I’m living a piece of it. No one tells you the trials you’ll face or even how long it will take when you are pursuing a dream or passion, they only tell you that it’ll be worth it in the end. In this moment, I can fully attest to the fact that all that I have sacrificed, prayed for, cried over and worked hard for has been worth it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a good question. It depends on the friend. lol This is Atlanta so a good time can mean a Monday night at Magic City or Brunch a Roc South Cuisine.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several people in my life who have contributed to my success, especially my family; however I want to shout out someone who really drove me in the season that I’m in. Her name is Jonetta Lee. Owner of Humbly Hustling. She has recently passed and is no longer with me but she helped create Anotha Diy Project. She even came up with the name. I never intended on making this a business but she pushed me. She believed that it was going to be something big. She was one of my biggest supporters and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anothadiyproject/