What is a goal?
The main idea that is set to accomplish. The force that keeps you going through any hardship. The hope for an outcome that outweighs the fear of failure. Positivity forces you to work overtime as you see what you imagine become reality. The plan is simple: you aim for what you want, keep grinding, don’t quit. I
t’s all right there. The decision is yours to go after them. To make it truly yours. To change your life.
“What is stopping you?”
20-year old Jewel Victor sits across the table, posing the question. Her eyes intensify with an enthusiasm that is truly infectious. Jewel certainly has let nothing stop her when achieving her goals. She currently is in school studying playwriting and screenwriting as a major. In addition to this, she also is an actress.
“My art comes from me wanting to share a message and my story in a unique way,” she says.
Her goal for the future is to perform in Broadway productions. In addition to this, Jewel wants to write her own movies and collaborate with other screenwriters on projects that support positive narratives for people of color. Also, she strives to become involved in business ventures as an entrepreneur.
The moments in Jewel’s life helps inspire the art that she writes. She grew up in a predominantly black community in Brooklyn, NY; in this neighborhood, she felt very closely connected to others around her. “My neighborhood felt like family to me. Everyone knew each other.” This experience growing up has allowed her to learn different perspectives that she ties into her art now.
In her own family life, the support for her art motivated her to keep building. She was raised in a Christian home and the value of love was instilled in her daily. Her late father was a Pastor and instilled positive themes of love, family, and God in her life. The passing of her father changed and shaped her; it made her more appreciative of not only her talents, family, and friends, but on life in general. This reflects in the art that she writes.
In her hometown, she was also involved in activities that helped build her artistically. She joined a program called PAL, which is a peer assistance and mentorship program that helps young people find their passions in her community. Through this program, she took acting courses, voice classes, and speech classes to better her craft. As she advanced through this program, she began to receive opportunities from it, including visiting China to perform at events with multiple countries. The program helped her establish connections and strengthen her career.
Jewel is continuing to use these moments form her life in her art. In addition to inspiring others, she wants to intertwine African American history and knowledge in her art. She finds importance in sharing this information because creates connections between communities. “I want my work to be entertaining, I want it to tell a story, but most importantly, I want to show the beauty of African American culture.”
Jewel also wants to use her art to spark change in the negative media portrayal of people of color. She feels that social media has made it easier to continue to broadcast negative news about African Americans. “Yes, there is always good and bad in the news, but people don’t always have to see the bad, especially about the black community. Our community has so many artists and talents, there needs to be more coverage about those good things,” she says.
A solution Jewel believes can change these negative portrayals is creating more moments for African Americans to see the positives in their communities. She believes that this will expose individuals to different perspectives and bring more connections throughout the community. Thus, enrich and expand global cultural knowledge. “We should be reading more books about our history. Become more educated about what is
going on in the world. Have more black-owned newsprint, magazine, and positive news.”
Jewel knows that success is something that she wants to achieve. To her, success is exceeding beyond any limit or goal. It also means that you keep going even if you face failure or rejection. “Rejection is just redirection. You have to keep going and find a new path to get to the success you want. And you have to stay happy along the way.”
When obtaining success in her own life, Jewel uses both her skills collaboration and work ethic to help with her projects. She also uses faith and her belief in God to help lead the decisions she makes for her life. Jewel is proud of the accomplishments she has made doing these things. She is learning more about herself and how others react to her work. She is also proud of the improvement she sees in her writing.
Jewel definitely has a bright future ahead. Her constant positivity and supportive attitude bring joy to all who surround her. She is constantly uplifting people, while still focusing on her own dreams and achievements.
“I believe that in order for the world to be a better place, you have to love intentionally and value everyone.”
For more on Jewel and her projects, follow her on Instagram @jewelsapphireee !
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