ABOUT JESSica
Hey there friends, my government name is Jessica DeWitt, I go by Jess, but if you say "yes" I'll most likely think that you are saying my name & it's this whole thing, happens all the time to me in the grocery stores, super awkward...
Anyway, I am the lead creative here at Authenica. I am sitting here thinking about how to make myself seem both impressive and modest at the same time, without making this feel like I am writing some dating profile up for you guys... I have been in the creative space for a very long time working for venues across the country, as well as built my own business "DeWitt Planning" which specialized in planning and design for the wedding industry. From there, Authentica was born. In working in the wedding world, and set design space I felt like a world explorer that just found an uncharted island. Newness. Excitement. There is so much beauty in exploration, and I love being able to do so when working with different mediums. Whether it's florals, design or photography, they all give me the sense of fulfillment. Each in their own beautiful way. SOme may know the quote…
A jack of all trades is the master of none, but it sure beats being the master of one.
authenica
authenica
Between clients, running multiple businesses, Grayson, & family / friends… it’s a lot to juggle. For the longest time it was the biggest weight on my shoulders, but me & my assistant always joke about our little kitchen table office & think back to the viral photo of Jeff Bezos & his first “Amazon home office in his house,” with the little cardboard “Amazon” sign taped to the wall. Anyone with no belief in what he was creating would look at him at that time and laugh, kinda like our little kitchen table desk. Anyone that doesn’t see value in what I’m doing, won’t possibly be able to see what we are creating. Now I’m not saying I’m even 1% of what Amazon is, but because of my community & their belief & support for what I’m doing, I have the ability to keep pushing. Being an entrepreneur is a selfish thing… I miss dinners, My son is in daycare, I am away for weeks at a time, I don’t always get to go to bed at night & fall asleep at my desk. However, because I have a supportive partner and team, it’s possible. I was surrounded by people for a long time in my life that insisted I couldn’t, so I didn’t.
Even with your cardboard sign taped to the wall.
When there is no room at the table; don’t be afraid to sit alone.
It’s been a long journey to this point. The point where I could be happy & comfortable with me again. I haven’t had the easy go around in my career or life to be fair, but I truly never thought I would get to here. The conformability & just ease of it all. From an early age I was this woman; creative, a warrior, driven & bold. However, like the blocks we played with as children, I quickly found out that to get into the “box of success,” you have to stop trying to fit the square blocks in the round holes. I didn’t fit in. My ambition led me down roads to leaders who considered tattoos showing in your uniform more worrisome than sexual harassment allegations against their employees , but I held tight to the dream I was chasing in spite of that. I wore my hair how they wanted, changed my tone of voice to something “more pretty,” took all of my Philadelphia slang out of my vocabulary, covered my skin in a-line dresses, stockings & the most hideous heels you’ve ever seen, took the abuse, all just to mold myself into the block that fit… that they wanted. Every single day I changed a little bit more from that girl I once knew. I was lost. I had creative blinders on where more of my attention went to the upkeep of pretending to be this person… when all I wanted to be was me. That chase of “professionalism” left me in a cold and empty cubicle, surrounded by people that didn’t care about me enough to even address the pain they caused. I remember sitting there at my desk hiding my tears when I realized I was just a person filling a chair, being molded to fit what they wanted, instead of them just nurturing what they had. It felt like an abusive relationship where you’re constantly reminded on a daily basis that you’re not enough. Clearly, we’re done & over now. But the pain still haunted me for quite some time. I had a photo shoot coming up with @starynight__photography & I needed some head shots done, so I thought… this is my chance, and chance to reclaim my body, soul, & mind once more. The epitome of “professionalism,” a headshot, but to me it is now so much more. No longer am I mad to not fit in “the box,”
