Meet Vamecia Powell | A Creative & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vamecia Powell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vamecia, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?

My favorite quote is actually a Bible verse, and it reads “and so, after he [she] had patiently endured, he [she] obtained the promise”. It’s from the Holy Bible, Hebrews 6:15. My life has come full circle and I still have so much more to accomplish, to see, people to impact and art to create. This is my favorite quote because I didn’t let circumstances, life, disappointment or heartbreak stop me from working constantly to achieve my goals and live out my dreams. As a teenager and young adult, creating was my life. I wrote poetry and short stories from as early as 12 years old and it became my therapy as I got older and was faced with challenges. I began writing music early on as well, just for fun and it was the outlet and expression that I needed. I didn’t feel like I had a voice or could use it for a long time, so my childhood friend and sister Monique and I would record songs over instrumentals. We’d remix songs, similar to what internet comedians and influencers do today. We were way ahead of our time. Although we used real cassette tapes and oftentimes had to wait until our favorite song came on the radio, you could not tell me at that time that my life wouldn’t consistently be filled with creating – poems, spoken word or music. My favorite memory is of us remixing Tupac’s “California Love” to an ode to our church, Truth for Living Ministries (now One Church of Jacksonville), because it was our social club and where we met and learned so much about being compassionate, being creative and being a person of faith.

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I had plans to lead with creativity. Somewhere along the way, I let that fall by the wayside. I was (am) still a great teacher but my life became work, coaching, and family and didn’t lend much time to writing anymore. Writing became an aside. Creativity became a closeted obsession because “no one wants to hear a 25, 30 or 40-year-old rapper”. Internet jokes of “old people trying to live out their dreams” came to the forefront of my creativity and the bills needed to be paid. The older I got, the more I realized that I wasn’t being myself. I was becoming a robot, a shirt and tie, and mouthpiece for educational concerns that didn’t begin nor would they end with me. I am not nor have I ever wanted to be the “voice of educational reform” not because I don’t think that it’s important but because I just don’t believe that that’s MY calling. I know the impact that I make in the lives of my students daily as an adjunct professor at Florida State College of Jacksonville. I also know that for ten years of my life I showed up in a high school and imparted knowledge, wisdom, love, attention, and affirmation into the lives of every student that crossed my path. Though unorthodox – in jeans, polos and Jordans – my love, passion and dedication to those students was unmatched. I know the impact I can, have and will make in the educational realm but what I learned is that I am more than that. The question then became, what’s left for you to do? What dreams have you left unfulfilled? And that’s my art, my writing – poetry, short stories, social commentary and music. I have endured the pains of losing good friends – Dennis and Cheryl. I’ve endured the days of feeling overworked and underpaid. I’ve endured the restraints of working in a field where putting your needs, feelings and dreams to the forefront isn’t popular. I’ve endured feeling like the black sheep of the family because of my unpopular opinions on what it means to love and be loved unconditionally. I’ve endured silent pains, depression, suicidal thoughts, heartbreak and disappointment. Now, I am fulfilling a promise to myself, to God and my loved ones that it is now my time to be happy, be free and live life unapologetically. It’s #GoTime!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am currently in the initial stages of being my own boss. For so long, I have worked to build a culture of learning, creativity and success in the school/school system setting and now I am taking all that I have learned to transfer some of those same best practices to other sectors.

I am the CEO of Intelligence by Design LLC. where we live by the core philosophy of the importance of being a lifelong learner in any field of occupation and that to be the best, we must learn the best content, learn from the best educators then transfer that learning on to others to impact communities far and wide. Our goals are to P.U.S.H. We strive to push positivity daily. We cannot impact our communities, organizations, families or schools with pessimism, negativity, sarcasm or being problem focused. I work to push our communities to understand the role that holding everyone to high expectations will play in building confidence and self-efficacy to be the boldest and the brightest in any room. I work to push others to take every opportunity to learn more, to be better and to pay it forward to those in our spheres of influence. And, finally I push awareness of current systems and policies that are not equitable to marginalized people and learn ways to shift the current dynamics to highlight the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion. This work along with my writing is where I find most satisfaction. I came to this passion through constantly being asked questions about the importance of culture building, structure, and effective communication and many of the same best practices apply beyond the four walls of a school. I am able to help companies feel equipped to have conversations on cultural values, managing bias and effective communication that breaks away from the mainstream. I am still able to be creative because I am no longer confined to national and local policies of what we can or cannot do or say. We lay it on the table and allow for open dialogue in a place of safety and grace.

We empower through teaching, learning and creativity. We wear our positive affirmations on our bodies from shirts created by my apparel line Write Now Tees & More. We also empower each other daily through positive affirmations in my Facebook Group, Write Now Empowerment.

The most challenging part of starting this new business venture was really just having the courage and confidence to believe I could be successful. Myself, along with some friends, invested in business coaching. I tapped into some friends I knew with similar businesses and learned a lot from observation as well. It’s important to not be afraid to invest in yourself. If you’re truly doing what you love and what you were called to do then you really can’t go wrong.

I want the world to know that you can start without having it all figured out. I am not encouraging you to waste money but with a solid plan, the right connections and a belief in your abilities, you will be okay. Don’t sit on your gifts and don’t feel like you have to give them away for free. Learn your calling, do the work and allow God to take care of the rest.

This is only the beginning for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really do need to preface this with, I don’t get out much. I really do enjoy a house party or a lounge setting over more of the popular events in the city.

Sunday – Sundays are “bunch days” in most cities and Jacksonville is no different. Some popular brunch spots in Jacksonville are Whispers, Escape Restaurant and Bar and Copelands – which is a chain New Orleans style restaurant. I enjoy Escape Restaurant and Bar for the steak, eggs and braised short rib lumpia.

Monday – Martini Mondays is one of Jacksonville’s longest running events on Monday. They have a live band until around 10pm and then it’s litty from there. The most recent venue to hold this event is XO Lounge but this party has had its share of different locations. It’s fun and the martinis are the star of the show but it is a school night so I haven’t been in quite some time. I’ve also learned about a new spoken word event that happens on Monday called ‘Smokn Word’ at a venue called Onyx. I plan to check this event out very soon.

Wednesday – I’m old so the best place to frequent on a Wednesday is going to be Jim’s Place. I love the vibe. The 90s drink prices and the good food. The music is always on point and the night is over by 9pm which is right up my alley!

Thursday – Thursdays are also a great day for a happy hour after work at Myth, Medusa or Cowford. All have many affordable and tasty options for that after work thirst or hunger. Myth has a DJ after a certain time and so it’s a fun alternative to the traditional club-like atmosphere.

Friday – Fridays are definitely the turn up and “let your hair down” days. I’d start the evening with dinner at Pink Salt, a new restaurant in San Marco and then a happy hour at Live Bar until 10pm or so. After that Live Bar turns into a party and I have only gone a few times as the crowd is a little younger than me. Ok, they are a lot younger than me.

Saturday – Saturdays are for chilling with family and friends. Many people have house parties, cookouts or community gathers on Saturdays. Once a month, IIDopeChics (an entertainment and event production company) will host a Brunch & Bingo event that has an unlimited mimosa and has come to be the highlight of my week.

Aside from the above-mentioned venues, you must experience the river walk one evening. It’s literally a boardwalk that spans the Southbank. It’s breathtaking to say the least and a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. I’m fortunate to be able to walk this area often as my job sits on the Southbank.

Do NOT come to Jacksonville and not experience one of the four beaches! Our beaches may not be as impressive as some of the beaches in South Florida or the panhandle, but we love them nevertheless. They are fun and the experience achieves the purpose of getting a little sun and relaxation.

A new place that I stumbled across is the Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary and it’s like “Tiger King” to a lesser degree. I had no idea that this place existed. I took my goddaughter and niece there and they enjoyed it. It’s small but cute and something different for kids to experience beyond the zoo.

Some of my favorite restaurants are Holley’s Barbecue which is a Northside staple, Safe Harbor Seafood Market & Restaurant who has very fresh and good options and the Cookbook, a new family owned restaurant in the Springfield area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have three friends that, without them, I don’t know that I would have the courage to be my most authentic self. They really do love and accept me for who I am and are my biggest cheerleaders. My friend Twyla has been calling me a poet for the last 15 years and I haven’t publicly penned a poem in about that long. We call ourselves the “Melanin Girls” and along with Elecia and Charayna, the four of us really do get the meaning of true friendship. They boldly, and sometimes blindly, accept all my ideas and crazy endeavors in a way that makes it hard to doubt and definitely hard to fail. Other friends and family who I can always count on is my brother, Vincent who over time has become one of my closest friends – my parents Vincent & Mia, Jeremy & Monique who are “love and relationship goals”, Shedrick, Twon, Torrence, Chelsea, Bishops Leonard & Carolyn Love, and my little sister Vinezia. I know I can get support, sound advice and love from them without question.

Finally, I would be remiss to not mention Tia Coleman. The sentiments are hard to sum up into words, but her encouragement is something that is satisfying. Tia is a young business woman and social media influencer who does more to boost my confidence than anyone else and I honestly feel she is the voice of this generation. Tia is also a former student of mine that met and surpassed all my expectations for her. For me, much of my hesitation is feeling “too old” to pursue my dreams of recording music, taking speaking engagements or performing spoken word and Tia helps me to reframe that to “you’re too young NOT to”. It’s GO TIME!

I feel like I can literally do anything thanks to all of my family and friends. Because of them and my commitment to live out my dreams, I will be releasing two singles this year entitled “Go Time” and “Playing Around”. They will be available on all streaming platforms.

Website: vameciapowell.com

Instagram: veezie_l_baby

Linkedin: Vamecia Powell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vamecia.powell

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mecipoo1

Image Credits
Khalifa Dieye