Meet Summer Jo: Creative; Entrepreneur (photographer, culinary & event organizer, philanthropist)

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

Hi Summer, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Believing. God gives you the vision, and it is your purpose to seek and live it out. I always knew I’d be a Creative Entrepreneur and that would serve as my super power to “heal the world”.  My family didn’t quite understand my way of thinking and I encountered very few people who I felt really understood ME. When you go through life feeling misunderstood, it’s difficult to maintain healthy self esteem, confidence, and mental security but I looked at that as my super power; a gift that I had to embrace and nurture. I have to give credit to the random strangers who would approach me through digital platforms or physically to tell me I had “a light”, that I was “destined for greatness”, or any flowers really that I needed for this reassurance.

I drew my first blueprint for my businesses in 5th grade and later in life I started to recognize those special moments and other memories as puzzle pieces that have been and still are falling into place. I embraced my dream and my journey. I learned how to deal with the naysayers and negative people who were extremely draining to my energy and some who disguised themselves as friends/supporters. I learned to ultimately be okay with being selfish when it came to protecting my peace. I noted that people don’t copy trash, they copy treasure, so I tightened up to accept that the storms I’d gone through would be a part of my journey and I will find peace in continuing to Believe in ME and knowing that I cannot be duplicated. I’ve accepted that some people will come into my life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime and boyyy was Discernment one of my hardest lessons to learn as well. Having a heart that wants to help everyone all the time can be a struggle to put yourself first even when the other person/thing doesn’t deserve your time. But when you focus on Believing you deserve the best, you learn to build invincible boundaries where you can still love your enemies and prioritize yourself. I believed in myself enough to remain consistent and loved my self enough to act on what’s best for me. I steadily believed that what is for me will always be for me. So when you recognize your vision, even if you don’t see the steps clearly you’ll know when it feeels right. So DO It and don’t stop believing you can do it well.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Summer Jo Studios started as a photography and graphic design small business. I designed my first business card in 7th grade. Throughout grade school, I was always planning an event: sleepovers, reunions, homecoming, prom, house parties, birthdays, and mini concerts. I didn’t realize this was a part of my destiny, I was set on making it to the Olympics to bring back gold medals as a track star. But, a few injuries later I found myself designing my second business card – sports photography and event planning. In college, I continued photo, design, and events. I did the coordination, content, marketing, staffing and catering for my events. I didn’t think of how big of a deal it was. I just used the best of my abilities. It took being taken advantage of when I realized that I was The Business and needed to give myself that respect in order to gain it. Summer Jo Studios became an umbrella for my creative services, event and culinary planning (Summereatz), and a financial base for starting my nonprofit (Everyone Eats Foundation Inc.). I’m proud of knowing Who I Am and developing myself around believing in who I am. What sets me apart is not only that, but also appreciating my journey and the timing of it. Nothing is by mistake. I probably made my career path sound easy, but in NO WAY was it a breeze lol. Trust me, there were a ton of tears, struggles with depression and anxiety, and sometimes I hated to remind myself that I could find comfort in Believing in ME. But guess what, I kept believing and I’m excited for what’s about to be unveiled. I know that it will be worth it all.

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.
My best friends and I love to travel and try new food and explore culture when we’re not being homebodies. Sometimes I’m the planner, or sometimes I just go with the flow. I prefer intimate settings or what I think of as hideaways. I spend a lot of my schedule with people so I like to get my Self Care time in… but if I were to host someone visiting for a week they’d probably end up going along with the flow. I love live music, especially jazz so we would check out a spot or two. I hope this guest knows how to shoot pool because I like a little competition. If not the food studio, or my kitchen, we would check out some of my fav Black owned restaurants like Apt4B. I’d probably invite you to our community garden or something to volunteer with my nonprofit. You’d really have to just be up for surprises because my weeks are never the same but we’d always be eating and drinking something good. And the activities that pop up will be unforgettable.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I used to keep a list of the teachers and life coaches who influenced my decisions but I give all the credit to God now. I’m thankful for my kindergarten teacher who taught us how to live without limits; if it doesn’t work one way, there’s another way that will. I’m forever grateful for my 5th grade teacher who strongly believed and embedded in us how important we were. He made every single one of us in the class feel like we were the Best to ever do whatever we wanted to do. He taught us chess and didn’t allow any student to feel less important than the other. I appreciate my whole high school experience. I had ideas and dreams, and the faculty helped me carry them through. I didn’t even know I had influence but my fellow classmates hyped me. Thankful for the athletic dept and arts dept in college for allowing me to create my own curriculum so that I felt that my time was well spent by making my degree work for me. I’m glad my mom let me do what came naturally and catered to those needs, rather than forcing me to do what she thought was best for me. I’m happy my Grandmother supports me no matter how beyond her dreams my ideas are. And shoutout to my tribe, no matter how short or long their season was in my life, I am who I am because of them.

Website: www.summerjo.studio
Instagram: @TheSummerJo
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-jo-90332a50/
Other: www.everyoneeatsfoundation.org

Image Credits
Mike Rahsad Lourdes Sukari Torrey Fields