Meet Jasmine Elliott: Creative Entrepreneur

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

Hi Jasmine, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. Though, when I was younger, my mom used to watch the Oprah Winfrey show every single day after we got home from school, faithfully. Usually I would watch the show with her and Oprah’s story and philanthropy inspired me. So, when I was around 8, I told my mom I wanted to be millionaire, just like Oprah, so I could give back to my community. At age 9, I started my first business, Jazzi Jeanz, where customers would give me their denim clothing and I would paint custom designs on them. I painted anything from cartoon characters like Elmo to breast cancer awareness jackets. After an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, I did my first fundraiser where I hand-painted and sold over $300 worth of t-shirts and sent the money to an all girls school in Haiti to help recover after the hurricane. Since then, I’ve started multiple businesses and participated in many pitch competitions. I enjoy the entrepreneur life and I’ve known since I was a kid that I wanted to be a creative entrepreneur full time.

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.
Although I have been an entrepreneur almost my entire life, I fully recognize that entrepreneurship is not easy and it’s also not always financially stable. So, I’ve always had a more stable position to help support my creative endeavors. I am currently Operations Manager for a natural hair care company called Moisture Love. Aside from being a business owner myself, I love helping other businesses stay organized and be efficient with their time and resources. I’m so grateful for my boss, my position and the opportunity to be able to support myself and my business with a full-time job. It’s definitely not easy being a having to split my time between working full-time and being an entrepreneur, but it’s so worth it. Aside from my full-time job, I am a make up artist (Glam Bye EllieJ) as well as a social media manager (JNE Social). If I had to do one thing for the rest of my life with no pay, I would be a traveling make up artist. Makeup is my passion and it’s so exciting to be able to help bring out people’s natural beauty while also helping them feel beautiful on the inside. Before working for Moisture Love, I was the digital communications manager for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative which is a government program under the city of Atlanta. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and hav since continued to freelance as a social media manager. If there was one thing I wanted the world to know about my story, is that everything happens for a reason and in it’s own time. Things haven’t always been easy and when you are in the dark, it is so easy to think you’ve been buried. But instead, I believe that you have just been planted. You have to make up your mind to Bloom and as you do, you must remember that each flower blooms at a different time of year, and each at a different pace. You will also bloom multiple times in this life. So, you can’t compare your bloom to someone else’s. Celebrate the growth of others, and when it is your turn, you will surely get your chance to shine.

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.
Whew, thats such a good question. We would have to do a little bit of everything so we would see some art at the High Museum, go take a hike in Sweetwater Creek State Park, even visit Botanical Gardens–especially if its holiday season. For good food and drinks, we’d have to go to Harold’s on Edgewood, Atlanta Grill and probably the Varsity because it’s Atlanta, you have to! We could also hang out in Atlantic Station and do some shopping and of course see some fashion at SCAD Fash!

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?
First, shoutout to God. He gives me the strength and ability to be who I am. I would also like to shout out my parents– my entire family, really. They’ve supported me through all of my creative endeavors and all of my businesses. I couldn’t be more grateful to be surrounded by people who fully support my creative life.

Website: jasminenelliott.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thejasofalltrades, instagram.com/glambyelliej, instagram.com/jnesocial

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-elliott-40b590b2/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwqXrIcuOD2c5BQchM7N7g

Image Credits
Asia Asberry (Red Jacket) Joshua Crawford (GSU Hoodie) Daniel Lumpkin (Douglas County Sentinel)