Introduction…take two!

Hi! My name is Jazmin and I’ll be the face behind the rambles here on Jesami.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a story-teller. I spoke at an early age, and I’ve rarely stopped since. I seek to connect and create connections with my stories. I am a writer, a creator, and a seeker of more stories to tell and share.

For a while, I stopped writing and had given up on it completely. I destroyed all physical evidence that I had written once. Nothing material remained. But, the internet held my discarded online writing efforts. I went through many iterations of online journal keeping. I remember Diaryland, Xanga, Livejournal, and several Blogspots. Clearly writing, and writing publicly is something that I keep coming back to.

Writing is a calling that pulls at me and helps me figure out who I am in this big wide world. I made a weak attempt at an introduction before but it was bogged down with uncertainty and rusty writing.

I’ve recommitted myself to writing and dear readers (at least, I’m hoping there will be readers), you get to go on this journey with me! Nothing like a new year to kick it off, right? So here are some facts about me to get to know me before we begin:

I love writing…

I do. And in 2017, I decided to fully commit to writing more consistently. To help me achieve this goal, I started attending free writing workshops hosted by the New York Writers Coalition. They host free workshops throughout NYC and their focus is to serve underrepresented voices and uplift them. As a woman of color, this is integral to my growth as a writer. I’ve been attending my particular workshop for over a year and it has helped turn me into a writer. We have an anthology coming out around March 2019. I never thought I would achieve that dream, but it’s happening.

I love to travel…

I am originally from Mexico, so traveling was a natural part of my life if we wanted to visit my grandparents. However, I have a major fear of heights and of flying. I fly enough that you’d think I would eventually get over it, but my pre-teen obsession with a certain book about a plane crash ensured the fear of flying never went away. But I buck up and do it because it’s the only way to go on some of the amazing adventures I’ve been on. I hope to have a lot more in the upcoming year.

I love museums…

I love visiting museums no matter the size or fame. Luckily, living so close to NYC allows me to go galavanting in various museums. I love going by myself and getting lost amongst sculptures or paintings. I also love going with people and taking them to my favorite weird little rooms that go unnoticed by tourists. But my favorite thing to do in museums (or new cities) is to pose with the art. I love posing with paintings, or sculptures. The weirder, the better. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at imitating the poses now.

I embroider…

I learned to sew by hand when I was three, my paternal grandmother taught me. I learned to embroider at twenty-five, my maternal grandmother taught me that. I use embroidery as a way to keep me tethered to my culture. I sometimes sell my creations as well.

I bullet journal…

I started bullet journaling a bit in 2017, and then when my anxiety got really bad last month, I took it back up in earnest. It is soothing and helps me organize my thoughts. It helps me take control of my mental health and helps create healthy habits. I might be featuring a few #PlanWithMe’s and linking to posts and other bullet journalers that helped me get started.

I hope that you’re willing to go on this journey with me. I’ll be writing about all the things I’m passionate about and more. Why don’t you take a moment and introduce yourselves?