Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gemini DaPoet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Gemini , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I have learned to be effective/successful even when I’m the only one in the room that looks like me by, “remembering WHY I do what I do and WHO I do it for”. As a black woman, society has always labeled/stereotyped us if we were too loud or outspoken. For the longest we’ve had to be careful when it came to having an opinion. But not Gemini DaPoet! James Baldwin once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” and those are words I live by. When I am the only person of color in a room, I see it as an opportunity to enlighten and change the narrative. I am not one to confirm to fit the narrative so I have no problem speaking up with confidence because, I know everything I do I do it with the best interest of the community.
There are times I intentionally let my tattoos show ( I have 48 or 49, I lost count and all but one can be covered) and wear one of my Poetic Aspirations LLC. shirts that have one of my sayings on it. When it is time to introduce myself I give my back story on how Gemini DaPoet came to be (losing my daughter and three other close relatives all within 9 months of each other, my mistakes, and what drives me to serve the youth/community) and explain why I decided to walk in my God given purpose…unapologetically! I have found that showing up as me with confidence and giving the respect I want to receive in most cases allows the stereotypes and any preconceived notions they may have had are gone at the end of our interaction. In always being myself it has provided opportunities for me to work with some people I never imagined I’d work with. It has allowed my name to be spoken in rooms I haven’t even entered. I am saying that humbly because, I the gift that was given to me was given to me by God. And, just as it was given it can be taken so I vowed to never take it for granted. Everything I do I pray and ask God to guide my steps so, I fearlessly do the work he places before me.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a Teaching Artist & Muskegon Program Lead & Student Engagement and Opportunity Liaison with The Diatribe Inc., Award Winning Poet, Published Author, Business Owner, Motivational Speaker, Community Activist, Mentor, and Local Philanthropist affectionately known as “The Voice for The Voiceless”. I discovered my poetic ability after losing my daughter and became a known public figure after the surge of violence that occurred in the city of Muskegon/Muskegon Heights in 2010. My passion lies in utilizing my gift and fearlessness to implement a change that will make our community better for the next generation. So, I have made it my mission to speak on my trials and tribulations, my good times and bad times. I speak my truth unapologetically to encourage and inspire someone who may feel like they are alone in their battles.
In March of 2021 I walked away from Corporate Geek Squad after working for them for the last decade to fully walk in my purpose and open my own business, Poetic Aspirations LLC., within my community. I’m a recipient of the 2013 and 2015 Beat Awards Best Local Entertainer & Best-Spoken Word Artist, 2020 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Future 15 Award recipient, 2020 Progressive Democratic Women’s Caucus Impact Award Recipient, Great Poets across America Award Winning Poet, four-time TEDx Speaker, the first local West Michigan Author to have a plague in her honor in the Muskegon Community College Author Garden and a published author of 3 books.
I am also known as speaking up, on the behalf of the community, against racism and discrimination. I strive to show the youth that your past does not determine your future and if you put God first there is nothing you cannot accomplish. I feel I’m utilizing my gift as God has directed me to and my motto is, “If I can touch at least one than I’m doing my part”.
The most exciting/rewarding part of what I do is honestly the relationships built with the youth who often feel “adults don’t care”. Honestly it still shocks me when I’m in public and I’m approached by a “fan” because, to me I am just doing what I should. It leaves me speechless when I hear kids telling their parents who I am with admiration when they see me in public. Or for them to ask if I remember them, I was at their school. Those moments serve as fuel for me to keep going no matter what. Another driving force behind my passion (and the #1 reason) is my daughter, Imani Nicole Davis, who I lost when she was 14months. I was a teenage mother and my daughter caught Pertussis and eventually succumbed to the complications. Watching her fight her fight is why giving up is NOT an option. She is the driving force behind all I do because in 14months she changed me and made me the woman I am today.
I created Poetic Aspirations LLC. to provide Stationary Services, PC Repair & Upgrading, Apparel, and Greeting Cards for the community I reside in. Providing these services and products (greeting cards mainly) at a reasonable price was crucial to me because I wanted my community to not only be represented but come to receive service and products that won’t break the bank nor will they leave feeling like all that matters is their money. A lot of my services are economical. With the greeting cards, I decided to do those because I was tired of having to just “grab a card” that kind of fits for certain occasions. Not to mention the section for minorities is usually very small and basic. So, I decided to offer greeting cards for every occasion, for blended families, with images that looked like us and offer more than the basic images we are often given to choose from. I also offer custom poems and cards that can be crafted for a specific person/occasion with a poem written about/to fit them. I pride myself in making sure no two cards or poems are the same.
I’m currently working on my 4th Book, the 3rd of this particular series, The Gemini Chronicles Vol. 3 “The Rebirth” which will be released early 2024. I also have some big things in the works that I am choosing not to reveal just yet (lol). BUT, to stay in the loop readers can follow my business page Poetic Aspirations on Facebook.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I think the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey would be my faith in God and acknowledging that it is just that…his gift, remaining humble and being lead by passion instead of wealth/monetary gain and not taking any opportunity for granted. By remembering those things and always remembering my why I have been blessed beyond measures. I’m still going strong after 13years!
The advice I have for anyone on their personal journey of finding there purpose is:
1. Always remain humble because, if you don’t God will do it for you.
2. Trust the process, even when it seems to not be processing.
3. There is no such thing as perfect. Meaning, you will encounter hard time/hardships, trying times, you will take losses but find the lesson in all of it and LEARN from it. Sometimes the lessons come before the blessings.
4. Last and definitely not least, research, research, research! Study your craft, the market, etc. Never think you know everything it’s ok to not know. Utilize your resources. Don’t let pride hinder your progression.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Man this question right here tugged at my heart because my mother, Drewnett Smith, is a Superhero to me. It’s honestly hard to pick one thing that she has been more impactful than the other. My mother was a single mother who NEVER, complained, never spoke negative about me or my brothers father, and ALWAYS made sure we had what we needed. I watched her drive 1hr (sometime 1.5hrs in the winter/blizzards) to work in Holland for 17 years and only calling in ONCE, to her working jobs she may not have wanted to work but worked so we wouldn’t ever be without.
But there is a time recently that stands out to me. Last year I was asked to work for a nonprofit and help them out with marketing (and eventually IT) and this past March (something about March, lol) I walked away because it would no longer allow me to be present in the schools and community as it once allowed. Funds I thought would serve as a cushion were not granted when I departed from the nonprofit and I hit a low spot financially. It was honestly the lowest I had been in a long time and I started to feel as though maybe I made a mistake. My mother approached me one day as I was working on my computer and asked me what was wrong. I literally broke down in her arms. As I cried she had me look at her and said to me “you said you are doing what God told you to do. If you believe in what you are doing and it’s what he told you to do, I believe in you too and you cannot give up”! That right there lifted every worry I had because the one thing I never want to do is disappoint my mother. To hear her say she believes I’m doing what God put me here to do and that she is here beside me relit a fire inside of me that had started to dwindle.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.poeticaspirationsllc.org
- Instagram: geminidapoet231
- Facebook: Ebony Davis (Gemini DaPoet) & Poetic Aspirations LLC. (business page)
- Twitter: geminidapoet
- Youtube: Gemini DaPoet (@geminidapoet4286)
- Yelp: Poetic Aspirations LLC
- Other: TikTok: GeminiDapoet
