Meet Jamie-Lee Dimes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie-Lee Dimes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie-Lee, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
This is something I’ve struggled with in my life, it’s probably my biggest obstacle. I think music and deciding to give it my everything for five years, was the turning point in helping me find my voice, speaking up more, and understanding myself more. In the past few years, I’ve spent months at a time alone in the desert, I feel a bit sensitive leaving the house sometimes so when I do go out, I have a ritual to help me be more extroverted and confident to talk to people. When I’m home, I just dance and listen to music, cook nice food, and make lots of healthy remedies, which helps me recover from any doubts or worries. In the past, I’ve attached accomplishments to self-confidence and self-esteem, but the learning for me with a lot of therapy and life lessons, is that isn’t real, you almost have to rewire your entire conditioning. I also think going within and doing the work and going to therapy has changed my life. I’ve always been fascinated with what I can achieve if I just give something my all, and when I start to see results but also develop more authentic self-esteem and confidence, it’s a very content satisfying feeling. I think in popular culture, we strive endlessly for this feeling of confidence and self-esteem, but the truth is it’s priceless you can’t buy it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a musician, and storyteller, and have a company called 1973 Records. I am at uni full-time studying sociology and public relations, but my background is in the arts and business. I’m kind of obsessed with developing brands from nothing and birthing them, and I’m currently working with seven brands on 1973 records. It’s really rewarding to be trusted as an artist to be creative consulting on other people’s businesses and to feel inspired that I don’t have to be in one box like everyone always told me to be in my entire life.

I am hoping to record another album this year, If I get some of the grants I am applying for in the next few months I will record a full-length album. Though, where I am at in my life now, I’m hoping to go in a more investigative journalist route in the coming years of my career. I’ve been working on some policy changes, my first story just picked up, and I’m doing a lot of research and writing at uni which ultimately is bringing back the fire and making me a better writer. I am trying to not travel as much, and I’m being careful who I surround myself with lately, I’m just a lot more introspective, and introverted, I don’t think I will be touring or anything in the foreseeable future unless an amazing opportunity presents itself. I have a lot of projects I want to bring off the ground, I think I went hard for 15 years in one direction, and now I am trying to plant some roots, ground myself, give my personal life some energy, and connect more to my spiritual side, and see what comes up.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I don’t take no for an answer. I don’t make decisions based on my resources and the likelihood I can achieve it. Call it idealistic, but I work out what it is I want to do, in my soul, what feels like I was born to do, what my gut is screaming out for, and I figure out how to move mountains to make it happen. Sure it is a lot more stressful, but the position I was born into and what I have achieved is the only reasons I have opportunities like I do. In sociology, they call it building capital. Not financial capital, but social and cultural capital. I think unintentionally I started doing that with my first ever blog, I got featured on MTV after I had finished uni for music I did my first photoshoot at 21 and started writing about my dreams, and they showcased a bunch of photos and wrote about my style and personality, and I ended up getting my first big job in the entertainment industry without even giving a resume. I was in a big board meeting with the biggest brands, and I got the job based on the press I received. I was managing a lot of aspects at an in-house photo and film studio in Newstead, Brisbane and I learned so much.

I think anything you choose to do, don’t consult other people for their opinions. Everyone wants you to play it safe, and when you go after what you want, or even just put it out there as being ambitious, it makes people uncomfortable and they project fear or gossip. if you come from a lower class and you feel like you can’t achieve what other people get given so easily, you have to think creatively and outside the box to set yourself apart. I don’t come from money, I’m also biracial, and you just have to find your lane, and be relentless. In my case, I know I’m good at storytelling, and building worlds, so I played on it and spent hours a day doing it, went without, sacrificed my personal life a lot, and it ebbs and flows, and you have more extreme highs and lows because you are taking biggest risks, but if you can figure out what it is you want to do, work backward from that goal post.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I read these books called Think Rich, and Grow Rich when I was 21. Some valuable insights I gained was something along the lines of: People will always judge you, and have a first impression, so why not try and influence that first impression? I think this is why I love branding. I also remember first going to new york, i went for five-week and walked around the city for ten hours a day. I was at a book store and picked up a book and it said, why do some brands make it over others that are more talented? everything is marketing and publicity. That resonated a lot.

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Image Credits
Last photo black and white was by Charlez Malasana

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