Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessenia Velazquez.
Hi Jessenia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
So, I told myself the next interview I had I want people to get to know who JV is. So, I’m a give you a little back story of who I am and where I come from in a summarized version so that you get to know who influenced me to be who I am today. My name is Jessenia Velazquez I’m a 38 yr. old Afro-Latina born and raised in Boston (Fawndale projects) to be exact til the age of 15. I come from a family of creatives and dancers 3 older brothers, 1 younger sister. I’m a combination of both of my parents my father “Cisco” is a creative who loves dancing, fashion, and muscles cars. My mom “Lucy” is also into fashion but mostly enjoys planning events, throwing the events, or at the event. So, when bdays came around they were always a production: Dance performances & outfit changes made by my grandmother “Mama” and my mom. Fashion, Art, and movement runs in my family and I love it all. At the age of 6, my mom signed me up for Miss Latin USA where I won 1st place & took the talent title which was when I realized where my talents could get me. One of the questions from the pageant that was asked was what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered “a professional dancer and a teacher” which are 2 professions that I passionately love doing now. I was introduced to the world of jazz, tap, ballet, gymnastics & even Irish step believe it or not I was the only black girl up there doing my thing lol. I grew up dancing salsa and freestyling so this world was new to me. Around the age of 14 I was getting into sketching and designing everything from styling my group Las Tainas, to my Quinceanero dress, and my prom dress. Dance was the one consistent thing I had throughout my younger yrs until now. Its my therapy, my safe haven and my escape when I can’t find the words to express. After graduating High School class. of 02′ studying graphic design with Mr. V a one of a kind teacher who made such a huge impact in my life and helped me believe in myself. I went on to attending and graduating Umass Amherst class of 06′ majoring in PR/Marketing minoring in Spanish with a film studies certificate. While in college I continued dancing I auditioned for a group called Flava Unit which sparked that light for dance again. Throughout my college yrs. I would drive to NY, to audition, train, work and then get back to school which very few knew about. When I look back at my college years a lot of my decisions were based off others wants for me and not really my own. There were opportunities that I turned down because I didn’t want to let my mom down being the first in our family to graduate college was a big deal. Once I graduated that’s when my journey as a professional dancer began now 15+ yrs. of experience I want to share my knowledge and help others reach their goals specializing in these 3 areas of fashion, artistry, and movement as the Creative Artistic Director of JV Creations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a professional dancer and now as an entrepreneur running my own business the path hasn’t been easy. There’s been ups, downs, and a lot of NO’s but remembering that the No’s don’t define me or my talents has kept me going. Sometimes doubt and negativity creep up and in these moments I have to remind myself that I’m human and its ok to feel these things because rejection isn’t easy. I don’t allow myself to dwell on them like I used to because seeing how the industry works gave me an insight to understand that it too worked off of politics & favoritism and not necessarily talent.
As a dancer booking one of my 1st big gigs felt amazing but once it started coming to an end the thought of not knowing when the next gig was coming from had my anxiety at an all time high. Living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet was not the life I enjoyed so I started selling $5 Puerto Rican Plates out of my apt and called my food business “Sabor Jessenia” this helped me out a whole lot. After a while I decided to get a 9-5 which was a sacrifice I had to make and know that I may not be able to go to all the auditions. Auditions happened at any point of the day which made attending them a bit difficult but I made it work.
This Dance life has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions and has shown me how strong and capable I am of anything I put my mind to. I’m glad I never gave up on my journey because it truly has been a beautiful one that has allowed me to travel/explore the world, perform on stages with some incredible artists and meet some amazing genuine people that have turned into family. The Entertainment industry has made me a stronger, intelligent and more resilient person knowing there’s gonna be times of triumph as well as lessons to be learned that are all part of the journey.
Now as an entrepreneur I’ve applied a lot of the lessons I learned throughout the years of living, training and gaining the experience in my craft towards my business and my purpose. Although some things have gotten easier to process and understand there’s always new things to learn. So surround yourself with individuals who support, challenge, teach, and know more than you because Knowledge is power and you can never know too much.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
JV Creations was created back in Summer of 2o10 back in Boston as a one-stop shop for creative artists to brainstorm ideas and bring them to life. I began collaborating with photographers, models, and makeup artists to build my styling & creative directing portfolio. When I moved to LA Oct. 2012 to pursue my dancing career, I put the styling and creative directing on the back burner. It wasn’t until 2017 when I was booked as a choreographer for a music video in Brazil that my passion for styling was reignited. I ended up wearing many hats on this job I styled the dancers, the artist, and choreographed an entire music video from top to bottom. From that gig forward a new fire was ignited, I came back to LA ready to learn & create so much more. In my eyes fashion, artistry and movement go hand and hand so I decided to merge my worlds together. Since then, it’s been nonstop of bringing my visions to reality and helping others do the same whether through fashion, artistry, and movement, or a bundle of all 3.
As a Creative Artistic Director (Stylist/Choreographer) I help develop creative artists find their voice in the world of creativity. Providing individuals with services of encouragement that their self-proclaimed authenticity is the vibe they need. Tending to their artistic movement, style, and expression making it a point to be engaged in developing all aspects of their artistry. Bringing to life the look and vision they desire.
I host workshops and intensives for aspiring dancers looking to elevate and pursue dance as a career with a business mindset for longevity. All while allowing them to explore their artistry at a deeper level in order to fully show up for themselves.
I truly believe what sets me apart is my heart and compassion I have to help others succeed and accomplish the goals they set out for themselves. I love what I do, I love connecting with new clients and I love hearing their stories and seeing their transformations.
I’m mostly proud of taking the leap of faith and starting my own business that had been brewing for years. It’s been one hell of a ride but I’m learning, growing, and striving to do the best each day I get the opportunity to. The gratitude I have for what I am able to do and be used as a vessel in people’s lives while I’m here on earth is why I do what I do and I don’t take that for granted. Being able to guide others to confidently walk in their power brings me so much joy I wouldn’t change it for the world. Being able to have this vision followed by purpose, faith and belief is what drives me to never give up.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I’m a big risk taker sometimes the outcomes are great while other times not so much but you can only learn from the wins and the losses. I do believe Life is all about risk-taking because what we don’t risk, we won’t ever know. When I moved to LA I took the risk of leaving everything I ever knew from friends, family, and work in order to grow and pursue my dreams. I knew I had exhausted all my options in Boston and NY and felt a big change coming. I wanted more for myself and if that meant moving to a new place, and starting all over that’s what I was going to do. Although it was scary, I knew what I was capable of, I had a plan and that no matter what I was gonna be ok. I had to make major sacrifices to get on my feet, get my own place, car and finally feel some form of stability but I made it happen. Had I not taken the risks I did I would’ve been in the same place that no longer served the person I was evolving into & that person depended on the risks I took in life in order for me to be where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.jv-creation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jv.creations/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClyOCqhnOxi4XJNot_1kPVQ
Image Credits
@Illite.fotos
@laurenschoepfer
@fotosbylolo
@laythewhitepage
@liveunparalleled
