We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmine Solei. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmine below.
Hi Jasmine, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding my purpose wasn’t an easy road. During my young adult years, I faced deeply challenging times marked by depression, trauma, and struggle. Even so, I’ve always taken pride in my resilience and my ability to find a silver lining, no matter how dark things seemed.
But it wasn’t until the birth of my son that I began to truly follow my calling—what some might call a life’s purpose. I had always identified as an artist and knew I was destined to work in a creative field, but the clarity of that vision came later. As an adult re-entry student at California State University, Fullerton, everything began to click.
I realized the profound impact I could have on others by simply being myself—channeling my passion for visual arts and using it to inspire and uplift those in dark places, just as I once had been. It was then I knew I could lead a life that united my love for art with my determination to help others. That realization was the moment I truly found my purpose.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
This year has been a transformative chapter in my professional journey. I’m currently a middle school art teacher at an arts charter school in Santa Ana, CA, a position I started just three months ago. My primary focus has been on how to best serve my students, nurturing their creativity while educating them to the best of my abilities.
In addition to teaching, I’ve been hosting monthly healing arts workshops for families facing hardships or mental health struggles. These sessions have had their share of successes and challenges, but they’ve taught me invaluable lessons. I hope to continue this work in the future when time allows. Earlier this year, I also facilitated similar workshops in a women’s prison, an experience that stands out as one of the most rewarding of my life.
As an artist, I work primarily in printmaking, painting, ceramics, and mixed media. My current projects center on my experiences as a single mother, and I aim to organize a group or solo exhibition in 2025 to share this body of work. I’m also passionate about ceramics and plan to hold quarterly sales to showcase my pieces, using Instagram Stories as my platform.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for what the future holds. If my story or work resonates with you, I invite you to follow me on Instagram or visit my website. I hope to inspire others through my journey as much as I’ve been inspired by the people and experiences that shape my life.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that I believe were most impactful in my journey are resilience, perseverance, and a growth mindset. Although I now work professionally as an artist, that wasn’t always the case. Over the years, I’ve held many roles—waitress, bartender, babysitter, cashier, dog sitter, production assistant, social media manager, medical office assistant, and more. While those jobs may not have been ideal, each one taught me valuable lessons and shaped me into the hardworking artist I am today.
I could have allowed the trauma and darkness I experienced to consume me, but I chose to fight hard to hold onto the silver linings in life. Resilience helped me rise above challenges, while perseverance kept me moving forward through the hardest times. Embracing a growth mindset has been transformative, allowing me to continually expand both personally and professionally—in my relationships, my art, and every other aspect of my life.
For anyone just starting their journey, my advice is to approach life as a series of lessons. There’s something to be gained from every experience, even the difficult ones. Hold onto the small joys that make life worth living and fighting for. When you view life through the lens of “we’re not promised tomorrow,” it can profoundly shift your mindset, helping you appreciate the present and pursue growth with purpose.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The most significant challenge I currently face—one that resonates with many people today—is burnout. In modern times, artists like myself are required to be multifaceted professionals: simultaneously serving as marketers, publishers, administrators, and creators. While social media has helped with establishing so many beautiful connections and knowledge sharing, it has also introduced complex pressures that effect mental health.
The algorithm encourages constant comparison and content creation, creating an exhausting cycle of perpetual performance. So navigating personal and professional responsibilities while raising children in a rapidly changing world adds another layer of emotional complexity.
My approach to managing burnout is as follows- I’ve set boundaries with myself, including strict screen time limits and periodically removing apps that cause distractions that negatively impact my mental well-being. I’ve also learned to extend compassion to myself, knowing that feeling overwhelmed and stressed is normal in our society today. We have so many pressures put on us each day, and it’s okay to let yourself feel bad sometimes, as long as you know how to pick yourself back up again.
Another huge game changer for me has been journaling. This daily ritual of self-reflection has significantly influenced my emotional resilience. It seems so small and trivial, but I have noticed an increase in creativity and self awareness since setting aside time each day to check in with myself. I recommend that anyone experiencing burnout take a look at their daily habits, and find those that drain rather than energize. From there, it’s easier to replace the negative habits with more positive ones.
Lastly, being in community is another way I fight the always-creeping-around-the-corner feeling of burnout. Having folks to help lift you up when your down, or to take some extra weight off your shoulders is so incredibly important. We were never meant to take on life by ourselves.
To conclude, burnout is almost inevitable these days, but finding ways to cope and bounce back from it are of utmost importance to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jasminesoleicreations.com
- Instagram: @jasminesoleicreations
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasminesoleicreations/videos
Image Credits
Beatriz Godoy @bzcreativephotography
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