Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmyn Rogers-Turner.
Hi Jasmyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I have been a DIY girl my entire life. I watched, David Tutera and other wedding show endlessly growing up. I loved arts and crafts and loved the challenge of asking myself “how can I make that?” when I would see things on TV and in magazines. Over the years when my family or friends were having any type of celebration, I was always eager to help decorate, even if it meant making something from scratch with my hands.
I had not entertained the idea of pursuing event planning and decor as a career even though I was essentially doing it for decades. I was focused on the things I felt expected to do. Creating things and making art was the one thing that brought me joy but it seemed risky as a business. I was shy and didn’t know how I could ever put myself out there. So I focused on what I was supposed to do. I got married. Check. Got a degree. Check. Got a good job, and had a baby. Check. Got more degrees. Check.
Over the years I hobby-hopped incessantly. Experimenting with various crafts and Pinterest projects, while eagerly awaiting my friends’ and families’ next milestone so I could help throw them a beautiful celebration and put my most current craft obsession to good use. Whether it was bridal showers, baby showers, milestone birthdays, weddings, or Graduation parties, I was unknowingly knee-deep in business opportunities. I was just battling too much self-doubt to charge anyone for my work.
My family, knowing I loved to paint, asked me to volunteer at my their military unit’s Christmas party. It went great and I got so many questions and comments concerning how I should do this professionally. Finally, after a handful of similar volunteer opportunities at school and church functions, I committed to starting my business. My first paid gigs were face-painting, then my clients started asking for balloon twisting. So a week into watching tutorials and practicing I was churning out cute balloon critters and added balloon animals, columns, and arches to my list of services.
Where my 9-5 job was laden with anxiety around tasks, if a client gave me a challenge, I accepted it, confidently knowing, if I saw it a couple of times I could do it. I got my first corporate face-painting and balloon-twisting gig and I started to see my work differently. That confidence trickled over to my first paid events. They were for friends and family, but they were paid! My inventory grew and with each event, I learned a little more.
Then Covid struck. I felt lost. All the momentum I had worked towards was seemingly gone. I dove back into work and decided to get my MBA, thinking I needed to cement my graduate degree as a means to guarantee my earning potential. I am glad I did. It was important to finish what I started but I also knew that while covid did give me a “pause” it was not the end of my journey. It gave me time to hone my skills and pour into my business strategy. I emerged ready to invest in marketing opportunities and grow my clientele and That is where I am today. An analyst by day, a bridezilla tamer, and an event fairy by night!
During my 20s I was guided by insecurity and by the weight of the perceived expectations of myself. Now a little older and wiser, I am so grateful that I found my way back to my true self. I am thankful for the people along the way that affirmed my talent and creativity. They reminded me it was divinely given and that my gifts are light to share in the world. I hope that that is what my business does, pours light into the lives of others, by taking what they have, regardless of budget, and making their celebration a moment that earmarks love and joy they can hold in their memories.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2020, and for a large part of 2021, covid halted the gigs I was booking. People were not getting together for parties; weddings were being postponed and face-painting wasn’t safe. Everyone’s social life diminished. I was fearful of when, and how I would ever build up that momentum again. The silver lining was that I was blessed to not lose my 9-to-5 job. Being in health insurance, we were busier than ever. I think spending so much time at home and more time at work I experienced burnout in a way I had not before.
As I navigated that burnout, I spent more time getting to know myself. That healing work led me to unpack my neurodivergence. I had always had this internal dialogue I could never turn off. My brain was full of a million different conversations 24/7. I spent decades wondering why I know how to do the task, It wouldn’t take long to complete the task, yet I couldn’t just do the task (unless it involved interests, like crafting, art, or decorating).
Since my socialization taught me to mask certain behaviors and because my ADHD presented as hyperactivity in my head and not in classroom disruptions, it went unnoticed. I just went thru life coping with shame and chronic overwhelm. I thought I was just good at art and bad at adulting. My ADHD diagnosis gave me the language to see and understand myself in a new way. I stopped taking on so much shame for not traditionally doing things and started focusing on creating systems that serve MY needs and help me get things done.
I also recognized that my mental health was better when I got to be creative. Now that I prioritize that, I no longer feel depleted when it comes to my entrepreneurship efforts. For a while, I grieved the version of myself that I could have been, had I known what I know now. My heart broke for the younger me who felt lost but couldn’t verbalize it and sought love by achieving yet didn’t feel like her talent or efforts were “good enough”.
While grieving for my inner child, I would go on to have to also grieve the loss of my maternal grandmother, one of my dearest friends, and this past spring of 22’, my paternal grandmother. This season was some of the hardest periods in my life, but it reminded me that life is a blessing. These women left a legacy of strength, resilience, and faith that I hold close to my heart. I want to honor them with my life’s work and pour out love in all I do, while I am here.
As you know, we’re big fans of Jazzology Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I offer event design and coordination services. My catalog of services includes:
-Day of Wedding Coordination
– Artificial or fresh floral arranging
-centerpiece design
-Wedding and Reception Decor
-Event decorations
-Balloon Arch and column, and backdrop installation
-Balloon Twisting
-Facepainting
-Custom event signage
-Customized gifts and clothing (Things like blinged shoes, and T-shirts for the guest of honor at the party or bridesmaids and groomsmen.)
-Digital Invitation creation for printing
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Reach out to us at jazzologystudiollc@gmail.com or JazzologyStudio.com
Pricing:
- I have decor packages starting at 250 for nonwedding parties
- Wedding Design packages start at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: jazzologystudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzologystudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jazzologystudio/
Image Credits
Lonnie Griffin Photography
