Shinning since ‘94

Born and raised in the greater North Houston area, Jasmine was born the youngest of 3 children to a New York native (dad) and a Detroit Michigander (mom). At the very young age of 4 she had the passion of modeling and was not afraid to let everyone know. At 15 years old she was signed to the Neil Hamil Agency as commercial and print talent. She booked her first print shoot with Academy Sports and Outdoors at 16, and later booked a lifestyle shoot for a luxury apartment complex in the greater Houston area.

Putting her modeling dreams on hold she began pursing a bachelor's degree at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design where she graduated with her BFA in Digitals Arts. Leaving New Mexico behind she currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where she works as a freelance model and commercial actress. In January 2020, Jasmine signed with Element Talent Agency for commercial and print work. In 2022, she signed with Otto Models Modeling Agency.

Passions and causes that are important to Jasmine are fitness, mental health and aiding underprivileged communities through awareness and spirituality.

Get to know Jasmine

Q: Can you share about your fitness journey and your experiences as an athlete? Why are you passionate about fitness and health? 

Jasmine: “Fitness and health play an important part in living the most fulfilling life possible! All we have is our mind, body, and soul. Health and fitness play a key role in that. I played volleyball for 7 years and ran long distances for around the same time. I was always adventurous as a kid and overall had good, natural healthy energy. Once I started college I had an interesting awakening that many young adults do which is freshman 15 - I lost my energy and endurance. I’m happy to say now though that for about 2 solid years I’ve been consistently focused on getting my athletic body back. Starting with a few routines on the steps and low-weight dumbbells, riding the bicycle at the gym (before covid), going back to circuit workouts, jump roping, running miles again, and a lot of at home workouts” like yoga. I’m taking kickboxing classes now and I just started an adult volleyball league! Which is really exciting!

Q: What are your go-to workout routines? Any tips?

Jasmine: “I’ve been getting into running a lot! Let me tell you running is intense, it can be intimidating but it’s a really good tool to work out mental and physical strength. I recommend the running app to get started. It costs a little bit of money, but they have a 7-day free trial so you can see if it works for you. I like this app because it does incremental running between jogging and walking, which allows the user to build up their endurance. This is so important because it allows the person to work on their breath-work. Breath-work is the foundation for fueling a good runner so that they can go longer in distance and faster in speed. Basically, increasing the likability of having healthy lungs, longer endurance in life activities and a really strong mentality where you won’t quit certain things that are tough. Running also is a full body workout, so I think it’s the best thing to do to get started. Other than that, I would figure out what part of your body you want to target and look up 10 minute workouts on youtube. Chloe Ting has pretty good workouts, and sculpt lifestyle train is my favorite Instagram fitness page.” 

Q: The modeling industry can be extremely competitive - what does the word ‘beauty’ mean to you? Have you ever felt pressured to follow certain standards? 

Jasmine: “Beauty means uniqueness and individuality, and actually yes. Let me just say there are so many different avenues to go in modeling. So my brand may not be the same as another woman’s brand, and that’s completely fine. For me personally I have to find a balance between glam makeup and being natural. I really enjoy being a natural model. I wear my natural curls and mostly no makeup all the time. In fact I invest a lot of money into my face and skincare regime. So for me I love to be natural, however in LA there is a huge makeup industry so it can be tempting to go heavy on the makeup application, not to mention it’s fun to venture into other avenues. It’s really important for me to find the balance of the right amount of makeup for each shoot.”

Q: How do you develop self-confidence and become comfortable in your body?

Jasmine: “I can talk about this topic for hours, but I will find a way to simplify. Firstly, confidence is the foundation in which my career is based on. It wasn’t easy to build a high self-esteem. However it is one of the most important things I’ve ever created for myself, and I do it daily. As a model essentially I am selling an attitude and a feeling, a vibe through photography to the viewers in order to sell a product, clothing, or experience. That being said I need to be comfortable in my body because it’s my tool for work. The truth is it took me a long time to get comfortable in it. Another reason why I love fitness because it helped me to do that. The way I developed my self-confidence was finding ways to accept who I am, and realizing that who I am is mostly what lies in my choices. So for example: who I choose to be morally, ethically, the decisions that I make in terms of my mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health, what I decide to wear that day, how my room is decorated, what I love to do for fun, what my hopes and dreams are and how I pursue them, how I like to travel, how adventurous I am, spontaneous, and how self-aware I am which is a big one for me. It’s important for me to spend time with myself and do the things that make me feel the most alive and happy, and that can challenge my creativity.” 

Q: Any advice for people who are aspiring to pursue modeling full-time?

Jasmine: “Do it! Learn about the business side as much as you can. Have a few hobbies that you can make money from and enjoy doing just for fun because agents like knowing how to market you based off of this.”

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

Jasmine: “Do what makes you happy. Consider yourself and don't feel bad for doing that. Have more fun!”

Q: What do you root your identity in?  

Jasmine: “In love and resilience.”

Thanks for chatting with us Jasmine! Connect with Jasmine on IG @jasdeyartist

Jasmine Jade On Discovering Self-Confidence & Individuality Through Modeling

by Renee Lee

Blog feature from https://www.maubyofficial.com/