Art Entrepreneurship and Following Your Passion: Inspiration From Jasmin Pannu

Turning your passion for art and creativity into a career in art entrepreneurship isn’t always easy. For Jasmin Pannu, things might appear as though they naturally fell into place because she does it so well, but the reality is that it took her quite a personal journey to be able to transform her passion into a career.

Jasmin is a multidisciplinary artist who doesn’t fit in just one kit. She creates everything from wall murals to commissioned paintings, henna tattoos and body art, interactive public pieces, and more. Her art has been showcased at the Royal Ontario Museum, and she has been featured in Breakfast Television, CBC Arts, the Toronto Star, the Brampton Guardian, and other publications. 

On episode two of An Entrepreneur’s Vibes With Kinny Saral, Jasmin told us all about her journey to art entrepreneurship, how she turned her passion into a successful business, and so much more. Here are just some of the many highlights and life lessons she shared with us. 

Listen to Jasmin’s Full Interview on the An Entrepreneur’s Vibes Podcast

Want to know more about Jasmin’s life in the world of art entrepreneurship? You’ll have to listen to the full interview on the An Entrepreneur’s Vibes podcast. She dished on even more, like her favourite art collaboration, working with public organizations like the Winter Festival of Lights, and what advice she’d give to her high school self. 

Listen to episode 2 of An Entrepreneur’s Vibes With Kinny Saral to get the full range of insights and inspiration from Jasmin Pannu. You can also watch the interview on The Write Direction YouTube channel.

To take a look at Jasmin’s amazing art, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

FULL TRANSCRIPT FROM OUR PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH JASMIN PANNU BELOW

Jasmin [00:00:01] I want to be steadfast in knowing what I do and what the value of everything I do is.

Kinny [00:00:16] Welcome to episode two of An Entrepreneur’s Vibes. My name is Kinny Saral, and I am your host. And here today, we have art entrepreneur Jasmin Pannu. How are you doing?

Jasmin [00:00:28] I’m doing great. Thank you so much for having me today.

Kinny [00:00:31] Perfect. Thanks so much Jasmin for joining us. It really means a lot. Your our second one on this podcast. And thank you for taking the time. I like to have like a nice background of each person so feel free to share anything you like starting off. So tell us about yourself. Where were you born? Where were you raised?

Jasmin [00:00:50] Sure. Yeah. So I was born in Etobicoke. I was raised, I guess, between Malton and then later Brampton as well as Etobicoke. And that’s where my grandparents are from, so I spent a great deal of time there as well.

Kinny [00:01:04] Amazing. And how was it like going to school, like whether it’s in primary or middle school, like how was school life, like before college and university?

Jasmin [00:01:13] It was good. I feel like I was always up to something from an early age. I had such an inclination towards the arts. And that’s not just kind of visual arts, but also just any creative outlet like writing and things. I love that kind of stuff. I got a lot into sports as well. I think in about high school I was on a few teams. So I think I had a good balance of just things going on at that time.

Kinny [00:01:42] Amazing. Yeah. Just going back to like that time period, were there any, like, kind of teachers who kind of helped push you or maybe helped you kind of see your passion for what it is? Sometimes there may be a teacher or a friend like your- what did you feel kind of- kind of got you going maybe in that area?

Jasmin [00:01:59] Well, actually, the Peel District School Board, they did a article on me for- as an alumni. And in that article, I mentioned a few teachers who- I can’t just mention one right now. There has been several, but for sure. I mean, like, I feel like there’s just such strong mentors in your life and you look up to them and, in a way, and they have so much power and guidance, right? So there were several teachers who really took an interest in me, really kind of pushed me to do more, to think a little bit bigger. And I appreciate that every day.

Kinny [00:02:36] Amazing. Yeah, I would definitely share that with everyone. Definitely we’ll share these links to that publication and your website and any others in that description below. So we’ll make sure to share all that as well. Thanks for bringing that up. And then as you transitioned, like, into college and university, what did you start, I guess, seeing there? What did you start like, um, noticing more about yourself or your passions there? How was life, like..

Jasmin [00:03:02] Yeah, well I started- I guess I was a little bit more entrepreneurially inclined in high school as well. And at that time, I was already making like a few sales, I was doing like some henna for clients and stuff like that, like I had- and I was hand painting people’s shoes, like I just had a few things going on. So I think by the time I reached about high school- sorry, university, I started to really hone in on those skills. And in university, I had actually won a, essentially a startup grant. I had written a business plan. And it was so last minute, but I was so glad to have the results come back as successful. So I won a few thousand then, and that was the kind of the first nudge I really had towards entrepreneurship in a way where I felt so validated in what I was doing. Because prior to that, I mean, I just kind of saw them as like hobbies, like make a little bit of money here and make a little bit money of there. But in university, I feel like I finally had a little bit more of a clear path forward.

Kinny [00:04:08] That’s amazing. And I guess that’s like the versioning point for a lot of people, like college university really kind of helps us and shapes us. Just further touching on that, like was there any special clubs you were in that you really liked that maybe kind of helped you?

Jasmin [00:04:23] Yeah, well, you know what? I love learning. I’ll just say that. Right out of the gates. Like, I’m a lifelong learner. I do so much on my own. But have I always appreciated school? Probably not. So even in university, I had actually gotten in for art school and a few different other degree programs, but I took one that was a little bit easier at the time just so I could manage that with a work schedule. At the time, it was really important for me to be financially independent. So taking kind of an easier degree program let me work quite a bit and build up financial independence. So there were years where I was working 34 hours a week, 30 to 40 hours a week, in conjunction with going to university full time. So, no, not so much on the academic side of things, but I do feel like that experience, like those few years, they were really intense for me, but they built up so much discipline. They built up financial literacy. Kind of like in real life, because I feel like you can learn about it as much as you want but until you actually have your, let’s say, first salary job and you start learning how to manage money that way, it’s just a completely different ballgame. So I don’t know if I took away as many academic takeaways from that time as I did just kind of, like, learning how to hold my own in an office, learning how to manage my money, learning kind of like, yeah. I think freedom was so big to me at that time as well, so kind of like building that up for myself.

Kinny [00:06:00] And that’s crazy. If you’re working like 30, 40 hours plus going to school, you’re managing all of that, and excellent organization skills and all that, so. A lot of students work during school as well so it’s definitely not easy. And the fact that you’re pumping out that insane amount of energy is amazing. So that’s definitely influential.

Jasmin [00:06:17] I used to sleep in my car like all the time. So it had its downsides but in hindsight, I’m really glad I put that hard work in at that time.

Kinny [00:06:28] Amazing. Love it. Thanks so much and can definitely resonate with that. So thank you. So moving forward to business. There are a lot of listeners and viewers that can gain a ton of value into learning more about the entrepreneur- entrepreneurial journey.

Jasmin [00:06:44] I know, it’s hard.

Kinny [00:06:44] I know sometimes. So tell us about your career as an art entrepreneur and what you do.

Jasmin [00:06:51] Sure. So I’ll just give you a little bit of context first. So I did the university thing and then right after that, especially because I had one- that entrepreneurial grant in university, it allowed me to go into marketing pretty quick and I landed my first salary job. And that time, so I spent a few years after university doing- working for a variety of corporations and they were all pretty big companies, they’re all pretty good jobs. So I worked as a marketing analyst, I worked as a senior copywriter and it just taught me so much about how to advertise effectively, consumer behavior, how to build a business, how do you conduct a business on a day to day basis. All of these things that really allowed me to transfer those skills over to being an entrepreneur because like, you know, yes, I can just talk about “and then one day I became an artist and it all worked out.” But you need this context. In that time in corporate, the amount of things I learned I was able to transfer all of those skills over to my own business and just bring professionalism to it, as well as being able to do my own, let’s say, even like basic accounting and even just how to write a proper email. How to copywrite in a way, when you have sales pages where you’re actually going to convert your audience into sales. Like, things like that that I think are taken for granted. Like, you don’t just dream those things up. So I had that background. And then a few years into corporate, I just really started craving autonomy and freedom. And it became so important to me and with every passing day, it just seemed like it was more and more important to me to- until the point when I just knew I had to do something about it. So eventually I did leave corporate. And at the time, it was such a big decision for me because I had a mortgage and it was hard for me to conceptualize life without a biweekly paycheck. But I knew that I needed to try this for myself. I had a fair bit of savings and things like that too, so I had that financial stability and that net. And then I told myself I would give myself about six months to kind of try to make it work. And in that time, I didn’t actually tell anybody I left corporate. So no families, no friends. My partner at the time knew and that’s about it. And it was because I just really wanted to focus on making it work without hearing, like, the various narratives.

Kinny [00:09:33] For sure. I know it’s not easy.

Jasmin [00:09:34] Yeah. People get so nervous, you know, when you tell them that, especially when you do come from like, let’s say a cushy job, a good salary and things like that, and you’re moving into kind of, like, the unknown. It can be really hard for people to stomach that kind of change. And they’re- they’re well intentioned. They’re scared for you. But I knew that I would be better off without hearing all of those words all at the same time from so many different people. So I kept that to myself. I gave myself a few months and I was able to build momentum just because I had already put in about a decade of building momentum into it by doing it on the side since high school. And it worked out. And it’s not an overnight success story. It is not like on a whim or anything like that. It is because all of these building blocks were in place beforehand. I just don’t want anybody to have an unrealistic expectation.

Kinny [00:10:29] Oh, for sure. And I like that you shared that because it never is an overnight success story and people sometimes think it is. And I liked how you share that you were working in corporate and it’s the same story with me. I was also doing the very same thing until one day I had that same quest for autonomy. Plus, it was, like, eating me away, like, to the point I hated going to work. I just couldn’t work. And- and it was like the toughest part, and like you mentioned, I like how you in your case, you kept it to only your partner. In my case, my family knew. So it wasn’t easy. But it’s like, you just know that it’s the right move for you and long term, that it’s going to get you to where you want to be. And sometimes you may not be there like in the moment. But, you know in your mind, like, where things are going to head out and you’ve just got to take the risk. If you don’t now, then you’ll hate yourself later down the road for not even trying. So I think that’s the biggest takeaway I would say not just like anyone, but more so like even from the South Asian community, maybe the black and Latino community, I feel like from the communities of immigrants maybe just kind of have more risks and with the parents kind of inspire and kind of let the kids do what they gotta do kind of thing, so thanks for sharing that.

Jasmin [00:11:43] Yeah, of course. But with that said, I do do- part of my art practice is workshops and artist talks and stuff like that. So I do get to speak to a variety of people from different age groups. I actually do some work with the Peel District School Board as well in terms of artist talks. And I do speak to these children, as you said, from these diverse ethnic-

Kinny [00:12:03] Yeah. Your website has all this amazing stuff. Exactly.

Jasmin [00:12:06] Oh, thank you. Yeah. From all of these ethnic diverse communities. And oftentimes they tell me like, oh, wow, like, I would love to grow up and do something like what you’re doing, but it seems like a non-option for me, you know? And it just always breaks my heart because I can kind of see both sides. And I’m sure you can too, like, being, I think anything past your like, I don’t know, anything past 20, you just start to have a little bit more of a world view. So you kind of can connect these pieces, but the older generation in these ethnic communities, it’s not like they don’t want what’s best for their kids. They absolutely do. And the fear is actually coming out of their own living experiences, right? And so one thing that I do tell kids is acknowledge their fear. But at the same time, acknowledge the fact that they built a base for you. And at this point, we can leverage that base and exist on kind of like a higher plane of consciousness. Right? As will the generation after us as well. It continues that way.

Kinny [00:13:13] Right. That’s true.

Jasmin [00:13:14] So, um, this kind of, like, internal turmoil about do I listen to my parents? And are they right to be afraid or do I kind of do my own thing? I think you should always forge your own path. But it can be done in a way that’s still respectful to people who are coming from more of a scarcity-based mindset or they are kind of more in survival mode.

Kinny [00:13:41] Oh, exactly. Yeah.

Jasmin [00:13:43] Yeah.

Kinny [00:13:43] Yeah, I totally agree. And not to get anything wrong for any viewers or listeners. Definitely keep at the full time and keep doing the hard work and on the side have your passion. And when you feel like it’s you’re ready to transition and bridge and jump, that’s when you got to jump and that’s when you’re comfo- confident and comfortable. So I really like how you paint that out and you kind of laid that journey out. So after doing all that amazing work in the corporate world and then you’re transitioning over and you finally realize, like- like you mentioned, the autonomy and just that kind of hunger, you got to make that next leap. And you did. So what kind of happened then? In term- terms of your business, was there a specific area that you focused on in your business? We’re gonna link to your website as well. But you’re involved in, like, lots of different, as you mentioned, multidisciplinary services. And I like what you offer. So where did you kind of really get started and what kind of showed you that this is me. Whether it’s paintings, your wedding boards, you also do tattoo illustrations and you do some amazing work. So where did it begin?

Jasmin [00:14:50] I think it all starts with self-awareness because I know a lot of artists who have had such successful businesses and what they say is, hey, I have this niche and I specialize in, let’s say, black and white ink drawings. And that’s all I do. And I’ve cornered the market. And I’m so happy for them, but that would never work for me.

Kinny [00:15:07] For sure.

Jasmin [00:15:07] I love variety. I love just having a different day every day. And so I knew that I had so many different passions, all within art, but of course, it posed a little bit of a marketing challenge, I guess, because then you have to learn how to market all of these different things. Right? And- but still kind of put it together in a cohesive front so that people can understand your value proposition. But at the same time, if you do it well, the way you can position yourself, and this is the route that I took, was I want myself to be synonymous with art. Even if I can’t do it, reach out to me. I probably have a friend or, you know, a colleague or a peer that I’ve met along the way that’s a professional artist that I can subcontract the work out to. Right? So that was kind of the mindset I started with. I did have like a bunch of thoughts, again, all centered around do I specialize in one thing and one thing only, or do I kind of like follow my heart and take all of these commissions? And I do feel like having that variety and casting that large net really did allow me to be successful in the way, in the little bit of success that I’ve had thus far. Just because I capture so many different revenue streams, you know? Sometimes I do wonder, like people who, let’s say, only have one type- again, I know people who have been wildly successful at this. But I do sometimes feel like they’re in the minority- minority. Right? Myself, I wanted to do a bunch of things. So it came from a personal passion that I was just aware of, but also just economics. Like, I wanted to offer a full range of service and products whenever anybody needed something arts related. So that’s the way I went about it. It definitely took trial and error, but basically from when I first quit corporate, within the first few months, I was already seeing just really, really good profit and lots of returning customers. Lots of people telling other people about me. And the wonderful thing about entrepreneurship is, I think, especially when you’re excited about what you do, people get excited. Right? People will be like, oh, my God, I have a friend who does art and, you know, like, she just painted this mural and this and that. And then over time, my proposition as a business, it evolved to open up to things that I felt were more economical or felt just better positioned to be able to provide to my clients. So, for example, murals are now the biggest portion of my business, and public art is such a big part of that as well. So public art is something that I didn’t get into until I think year two, right? But then with public art, it’s higher paying jobs. It’s, you know, you’re actually working with municipalities. You’re working with business improvement agencies. You’re not working with individuals per say. So, more dollars, bigger projects, things like that. And I also just happen to love it, so.

Kinny [00:18:17] Amazing.

Jasmin [00:18:17] Yeah. But again, it’s- it’s stuff that you grow into and there is no formula that’s going to work for every single person. You need to figure out what yours is.

Kinny [00:18:27] That’s amazing. And I like how you started off just having just a different group of services so you’re not boxed in to any one, and that lets you just express your freedom and to really be a true art entrepreneur as you- as you mentioned. So I really like how you’ve done that. So that’s a great strategy for sure. And it’s worked- and it’s working well. So that’s good. So what’s been, like, your favourite collaboration so far? Your Instagram page, we’ll link to that as well, mentioned some amazing and crazy projects you’ve done. Like, it’s maybe tough to say a favourite, but maybe what’s been the most challenging collaboration so far?

Jasmin [00:19:03] That’s a really good question. So I would- you know what, I’m going to go with favourite.

Kinny [00:19:12] Yeah.

Jasmin [00:19:13] So I’ve been working with the City of Brampton and I worked with them quite a bit in 2019. I did, I think, like, five or six projects with them. And all of them within the realm of public art. So I did pop-up Murals for Canada Day at Ching Park. I did pop murals for the Winter Lights Festival with a public contribution factor, so everybody felt like they were involved in creating this art. And then there was this, like, kind of part of it where we included like a call to action, kind of just like doing an act of kindness that the person before you would write it for you and you’d write it for the next person, and so forth. I also created like different community engagement programs. So where people would come in and they would contribute to a work of art that I had created where they’d write just beautiful positive messages or memories that they have. And I love that kind of work, and this is why I fell in love with public art and murals as well, because I feel like there’s definitely an intersection between the two of them. Because A, you engage, which is amazing, people who have incredible stories and they’re so enthusiastic and you get to meet these people in person. Whereas most times as an artist, you know, you’re in your studio or your workshop and you’re kind of, like, bottled up there for a long time, but just being able to get out and interact with the public and that type of intimate way, it’s- it’s so recharging. Right? And also to be able to create something that people enjoy in the masses. Right. So murals for private businesses are great, like let’s say if I paint an office building or something like that. That’s fantastic, too. But painting something that I know so many different people from so many different walks of life, people who maybe wouldn’t necessarily go to an art gallery are going to come and they’re going to see. And they might even, like the art might move them some way or the message might move them some way, it just makes me so happy.

Kinny [00:21:13] Build a connection.

Jasmin [00:21:14] Yeah. Mm hmm.

Kinny [00:21:15] That’s amazing. Yeah. That’s definitely really gratifying for sure and when you get to see your art and you get to see how people are impacted mentally, emotionally. So that’s really amazing. We definitely got to check those out as well publicly. So I guess as business owners, we always have lots to look forward to. We set a lot of goals for ourselves and what not. Whether it’s like you mentioned, it could be in marketing or social media or finances even, or maybe hiring new staff members. How have you, like, handled your operations differently during COVID? Like, what did you have to kind of change up?

Jasmin [00:21:53] Yeah, COVID definitely threw me for a loop. This was supposed to be my highest revenue generating year yet. And I was so excited by the time January had rolled around, I had already secured basically the majority of my summer, my well, the end of winter and the spring and summer in terms of commissions. And they were some of the biggest I had seen, some of the most collaborative that I have seen. So I was just so excited about it. And then, I kid you not, within one week of when COVID started, where- when the messaging started going out and whatnot, I lost about seven and a half thousand dollars in revenue just- just that one week. Just-.

Kinny [00:22:34] That’s crazy.

Jasmin [00:22:35] Just, like, three emails, you know, and like. Yeah. Gone for the unforeseen future. And then that kind of continued for the next couple of weeks. So it was really hard that way. But at the same time, I look back at the time and I feel like we’re starting to see kind of the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of this or hopefully we are. But I was really able to use the time effectively and build some additional revenue streams that I hadn’t had time to commit to before. So, for example. Like digital art, right? I appreciated it and I got commissions for it, but I would subcontract those out to other artists who worked for me. Fantastic artists. But I also realized that was kind of a gap in my own skill set because I wasn’t tending to those because I was busy, right? So, like, it made sense. But the opportunity that COVID presented me was to have a little bit more time to consider filling some gaps in terms of my skills. So digital art is one thing that- I actually just designed something for City of Toronto for Pride marketing last week. And that wasn’t a commission I would have gotten unless I had used that time to actually learn those skills, right? And then also just kind of like tuning up my website, putting art prints on my website. I think all of these little things, I’m going to see so much benefit from them, not only now, but also, let’s say a year from now when things are back to normal and I am busy again. A lot of these revenue streams are a little automated, such as art prints. So I’m going to continue to see an influx because of that. And I can’t be more grateful for the time, you know, and thankfully, we do live in Canada where we do have some financial safety nets as well. So that really helped me just be able to take the time without hurting my business to a point of no return. So I am grateful for that because I know that not everybody had that privilege.

Kinny [00:24:45] Yeah, definitely. And I liked how you’ve pivoted and you’re still, like, keeping the show going on. I liked how you’re delegating tasks to, like, your other internal artists. So that’s amazing. And I like how you’re really handling that. So it’s definitely something for our viewers and listeners to definitely take note of during these times. Yeah, we all, depending on the country, definitely financial safety nets will differ. But like, you’re also- your ability to pivot and change won’t, like this is where we’re all unfortunately going to have to adapt. And like you said, the light is at the end of the tunnel. Things are getting better in some parts of the world already. So we’ve just got to stick to that. And like you said, I like how you’re working really hard now, so you position yourself for even greater success, like in 2021 and beyond. So that’s the way. Further on the topic of business, finally touching on this, like, is there anything you’re really looking forward to changing in your business or work, whether that’s for the future or long term, maybe getting more, like you said, digital art or like those art sales, like where they’re automated, like you mentioned, like what would kind of be the goals, I guess, for the next year?

Jasmin [00:25:59] Sure. Yeah, I think, as you said, kind of just double down on the things that I can do remotely. And I think that’s important to do because if I create the revenue streams now and if I create the content for them now, it’s just going to continue to serve me. I know that my business will continue to be centered around public art and murals just because I love that the most. But to also have a strong base of even outside of even let’s say digital art, but to have a strong base of collectors, because as kind of like the weeks went by and people were a little bit more sure of things, a lot of my collectors started ordering art again. So commissioning, let’s say, a picture that they provided to be turned into a painting or, hey, I just bought a house, you know, like I’d love to get something on- in my living room, what do you think? Like, so continuing to nurture those streams and to kind of amplify them. So in the time, I’ve also been doing a lot of reading. One thing that I knew I needed to prefect was money psychology. And I think as entrepreneurs, we always have room for improvement. So it’s not like, oh yeah, but I make good money. No, you should always stay on top of your money psychology because especially as an entrepreneur, you are going to experience so much ebb and flow. Right?

Kinny [00:27:15] And what is money psychology? I guess if you can just define it for people who may not know.

Jasmin [00:27:20] Yeah. Money. Well. Okay. I’m gonna tell you the definition as it pertains to the context that I’m speaking about it as a, like, business owner who, again, just kind of has to weather like ebb and flow, right? And a big one has- a big ebb has been COVID. So you go from knowing you make this much per month, down to all of that basically going up in the air. Right? And even let’s say if it’s business as per normal, it’s not uncommon to make ten thousand one month and two thousand the next. That’s not uncommon. You’re just going to go through that. And I think money psychology is about knowing how to regulate that without going into a scarcity mindset. So without then, let’s say, altering your prices to open up demand which never hurts or being inconsistent with your business practices to attract more customers, which again, isn’t a sustainable way of growth. So money psychology is knowing how to weather any pits as well as just being really confident in your pricing, in my opinion. So one big thing that I did during COVID was I took the time to, like, go back and actually create official PDFs where I posted every single one of my rates. And as an artist, that can be kind of hard or as a lot of creatives or entrepreneurs I think that can be really hard because prices range, prices range based on intricacy, size, like this and that, right? But I told myself, I’m not going to give myself any excuses here. I’m going to commit to a range, you know, and if let’s say I have to have a conversation once in a while with a client about why there is- their price might fall outside of the range because of very unique circumstances, I’ll have that conversation. But for me, as a business owner, I need to create credibility. And I also need to be true to what I know to be my work by posting those prices.

Kinny [00:29:21] You’ve got to do that. Yeah.

Jasmin [00:29:22] Yeah. And often, you know what? As an entrepreneur, it’s usually about upgrading your prices. It’s not about downgrading them, you know? And you’re just going to attract better clientele. Easier clientele. It’s kind of crazy the way it works. You know, I think when you first start out a business, you think, let me do like a catch ’em all like price.

Kinny [00:29:42] Yeah.

Jasmin [00:29:43] And that might work for some people, but for the majority of people, especially depending on what you’re trying to be. I- I want to be a world class artist and a world class entrepreneur. And I don’t want to fluctuate my prices based on demand. I don’t want to fluctuate my prices based on even the economy, to be honest. I want to be steadfast in knowing what I do and what the value of everything I do is.

Kinny [00:30:07] Exactly. I was just going to say that keyword. Yeah, value. It’s all about what value and service you’re providing and it’s up to you to charge what you want. And the market will decide if that’s good. If not, like you said, you’ll upgrade. You’ll adjust a little bit if needed. And that’s the way it is. And more people should definitely take note of that as well. So that’s great that you mentioned that. So thanks for sharing that.

Kinny [00:33:36] For sure. I know it’s a good point that you definitely got to double down on the platform- platforms that you really like or are good at. So that’s really important. But beyond all that, like you said, even one day these platforms could go down. And then what then? All you really have is your website. You have your website, you have your e-mailing list. You can also have your texting list, which we also started like a couple- just a year ago. So, like, I think that’s what really matters, is your own IP, like your own brand and what you can really do. SEO is really important. We’ve been grappling with it since like, I don’t know, 2013, 2014, and we’re still investing time, money, efforts every month. So that’s important. That’s definitely got to be part of, like, your marketing plan, like your business plan is maintaining like your website presence and getting that monthly and yearly search traffic up and, like, relevant traffic. So then for, like, the main keywords that pertain to your industry, like you mentioned. So that’s really good. So thanks for sharing that. Perfect. So moving forward to personal work routines, as entrepreneurs, I know we try to get a lot accomplished whether it’s in a given hour or a week. We do our best to remain productive as well. And everyone has their own sort of like work routines, and kind of styles. So what’s, like, your overall, like, morning routine like? What’s your overall day look like?

Jasmin [00:34:58] Yeah, I think that’s so important. And I actually have on a whiteboard written by where I mostly work, it says routine plus discipline equals freedom. And that’s something that I’ve believed for a long time now. And I’ve been writing that and journaling it and trying to make it true. But eventually, I think, like when you keep things top of mind, they kind of- they do show up in your life. So I don’t know if- I don’t know. I don’t know if I just, like, worked really hard towards it. And then I built that discipline or if, like, I kept writing this over and over again and one day my brain just relented and it was like, all right, well, we’ll make you a disciplined person.

Kinny [00:35:31] Yeah.

Jasmin [00:35:31] But now and especially after transitioning from corporate, you go from, like, knowing exactly what you need to do every minute, every hour of the day for five days a week to kind of now being in a freefall where you don’t necessarily know what you need to do. So that’s why I think routine is so important. You need to kind of like know what you need to do for the day. You need to have an idea. You can’t just give yourself free reign. It definitely doesn’t work with me. I don’t think it works with many people. So for me, a few things that are important, especially with my morning routine, is having tea. Nowadays, it’s summer so I have it outside on my patio so I can get a little bit of sun in as well. At that time, I’ll also usually read and I meditate at about the same time. So the meditation is just such a grounding practice for me. It’s been revolutionary. It helps me slow down, but also be so much more deliberate in any undertakings that I take on for the day.

Kinny [00:36:36] Amazing.

Jasmin [00:36:37] I will also journals. So I forgot whose technique it is. You know, here’s a thing about self development and learning. You can- somebody can be like, oh, it took me like twenty five years to learn this one thing and then just like that it’s yours. So I took this journaling, I guess, outline from somebody, who knows. But it’s you write three things that you’re grateful for. And then you write three things that you want to accomplish that day. And then you write your affirmation. And I think it’s so powerful. It is such a good way of being, again, just deliberate, you know, being conscious, being like, here are my three priorities. Here are three amazing things that are going to ground me in just being happy and productive. And I’m going to keep those things top of mind. If I accomplish these three things, it’s a great day. And here’s an affirmation about how, like, you know, amazing you are.

Kinny [00:37:31] Yeah, I know. I like that. That’s definitely amazing. I just started doing, like, writing down gratitude and like you mentioned, not in the same three-three-three set, but like just writing down, like, affirmations. I’ve been trying that and it’s been going great, but I’m gonna try this three-three-three style as well. It just- it’s more direct and it’ll keep me more kind of driven in my day. And it will definitely help me out as well and any one of you listening as well. So it’s a great practice to have and definitely the meditation space, the gratitude space. I feel like it’s finally being welcomed and accepted by Western society, so it’s definitely becoming more and more, I guess you can say popular.

Jasmin [00:38:10] Yeah. For good reason though. I think a lot of people can find a good value in it. And I know whenever I find something to be so incredible, I’ll just let everybody I know know. Like I tried yoga today for the first time.

Kinny [00:38:23] Oh, amazing.

Jasmin [00:38:25] Yeah. I work out, but, you know, I do a lot of cardio, I do a lot of weights and stuff like that. And for some reason yoga has been on top of my mind for a little bit. And I loved it this morning. So I’m seriously considering adding it to my routine. But I’ve also texted it to like five people letting them know to also add this to their daily lives.

Kinny [00:38:42] Yeah, that’s amazing. And it’s great that you’re also pushing other people around you and just sharing that value. I’m pretty crazy like that. Any time I find a book or a song or like something new, like I just got to share with people. So that’s amazing. So thanks for that. Moving forward. I guess in terms of, like, your routine. How do you kind of separate your weekdays and weekends? Are you an artist that’s just working seven days a week nonstop, or do you like to have like some down time, create some white space on the weekends? Anything you want to mention there for the viewers?

Jasmin [00:39:18] Yeah. I used to just work kind of nonstop and it was because I was really trying to make it work. I was trying to get to certain income levels so I can sustain myself. And so I would take on, I would say yes to just about any project. And then that would keep me working pretty consistently. And I would feel so guilty, you know, like there is- this is something that I feel more entrepreneurs should talk about. As an entrepreneur, you almost feel like you have been gifted with, like, having your own time. Because prior to that, I think we’re also socialized to think our time is always dedicated to others or other things.

Kinny [00:40:00] That’s true.

Jasmin [00:40:01] It’s all like it’s a company’s time, a school’s time. It’s this time, it’s that time. So having free will over your 24 hours, it almost comes with this like burden of guilt. So at first I would try to kind of outrun that guilt by just working all the time. And then I started being more sustainable. And I can see such a benefit in my mindset, in my business as well, in my sales and not even like. Because at some point you start choosing quality over quantity, right? So the quality of my sales have gone up exponentially. And I think that’s because I decided, hey, I’m going to give myself some time off and I’m not going to work all day. I’m gonna give it, like, I might work in, let’s say, two to three hour increments and might be broken up by, let’s say, something like a meditation or lunch or a workout or whatever it may be. And I’m just going to enjoy, like, being alive. And yeah, I want to be world class, but that doesn’t necessarily come with wanting to make a million dollars a year. For me, my personal goals are that I want to live a sustainable, full life. So to accomplish that, I can’t be a workaholic. I just- I want to live every day to its fullest. And all those years in corporate, especially when I started feeling like I can’t do this any longer. I want to pay ode to the fact that I did make the transition and I am living these days the best that I can. And this is essentially a gift that I’ve given to myself.

Kinny [00:41:37] Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing that with us and can definitely resonate with that and I’m sure a lot of viewers will as well. So thank you, Jasmin.

Jasmin [00:41:46] You’re welcome.

Kinny [00:41:47] Perfect. So if you could go back to your fifteen.

Jasmin [00:41:54] Hey, sorry.

Kinny [00:41:55] Whoops. Whoops, sorry. Note to Joey here, just I’m gonna resay this question again. My apologies. Sorry, Jasmin. So, yeah, if you could go- If you could go back to your fifteen year old self, what would you say? What advice would you give?

Jasmin [00:42:11] I think I would tell myself to make the best use of my resources. When you’re fifteen, you’re still in high school. There is so much that’s available to you in terms of people, places like libraries, free resources in your high school, teams that you can be on that will teach you life skills for the rest of your life. So I think I- you know, I did have a lot going on then, and I was pretty active, like I had a good kind of mix of all of these things. But could I have made the best use of it? Yeah, I probably could have. So just to be a little bit more resourceful and to, I guess, dream bigger. At the time, I didn’t think a career in the arts was possible for me. It just wasn’t on my radar in any way, shape or form. So I think with taking advantage of those resources at an earlier age, I would have had it on my radar earlier. But at the same time, then I think about would I change anything about my path this far? And it’s a no. So it’s kind of a hard question.

Kinny [00:43:17] Yeah, sure. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that. That definitely means a lot. Definitely a lot of people can relate to that. And then if you had the opportunity to go back to your favourite high school class and give a lecture, what advice or tips or value would you give? You already do like a lot of mentoring and coaching on the side. As you mentioned, you have your art workshops. What do you normally say to those kids?

Jasmin [00:43:44] I like to talk about self-awareness. And I think kids, they’re just so much more intellectually evolved, in my opinion, than we were at that time. And then again, this is just like a loop that’s just gonna keep on going. And every generation is just going to be so much more intellectually. They’re at a younger age. So I feel like they can really start to hone in on their self-awareness skills much earlier than most people do, which is usually in your 20s, your 30s, some people in their 40s. Right? But until you have that baseline self awareness, which is what am I good at? What am I not so great at? What do I like? What do I dislike? You know, that’s when you start to lift the veil of consciousness a little bit and you start to chip away at some of that conditioning. That isn’t always a good thing. You know, I think life is full of well wishers and a lot of people are trying their best. But frankly, in my opinion, and maybe this isn’t a popular one, not everybody is trying their best. So there there are bad lessons being passed on. There are bad mindsets being passed on. There are limitations that go from generation to generation. And if we can just start cracking that little bubble a little earlier, then they are going to be so much better off than, you know, all of the generations that came before them. So self-awareness for me. You get that through books, through podcasts, through whatever the person is attracted to. These things are what I’m attracted to. But once you actually start to, like, divulge this information, you can separate yourself versus the conditioning or versus- versus society at large. You need that information from somewhere. So wherever you get it, it’s up to you. But if you can build up self awareness, you will be able to create an alligned life. You will be able to actually, you know, be 45 or 65 and wake up happy with no regrets, and what an incredible life that would be.

Kinny [00:45:56] Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing that. That’s definitely a lot of value. Thank you. And on a lighter note, what are you reading about for business or personal pleasure? You mentioned that money psychology book I think?

Jasmin [00:46:13] Well, that was a- kind of a learning phase I was going through. So I think I read, like, three different books with different things. Like one was on art, specifically the business of art.

Kinny [00:46:23] OK, got it. Got it.

Jasmin [00:46:24] Like Tony Robbins or, like, just general, you know.

Kinny [00:46:28] I hear you.

Jasmin [00:46:29] Yeah. So right now I’m reading, it’s called Words That- Words That Change Minds. So it speaks about- and another huge passion of mine has been, always, it’s always been writing. So I just, I think art and writing are so similar in the way that you’re creating something out of nothing, the way you put words together. You’re literally fabricating something the way you paint something. You are creating something new that wasn’t there before. So I think that’s probably why I love writing just as much as art. And also, this is my intersection of art, writing, and business. And so it is so interesting. It actually talks about neurolinguistic programing, which is how we can influence people into either motivating them or persuading them or getting them to do something. So it’s huge in sales. And I actually first became acquainted with it about five years ago. And I’m just kind of picking back, picking it back up now. The government uses it on so many different levels in terms of, like, I think they use it in the army for training and stuff like that. It is so, so impactful. And I use it for things like my, you know, web pages.

Kinny [00:47:46] That’s amazing.

Jasmin [00:47:47] Yeah. But I’ve always been interested in, like, psychology, so I. Yeah, it’s a fun read for me at least.

Kinny [00:47:54] I’ve got to check that out. That’ll be good. Yeah, definitely for the area of, like, psychology, business, as you mentioned. So that’s it. That’s great. Any final words you’d like to say to those thinking of entering the field of entrepreneurship or those who are already in the field of entrepreneurship?

Jasmin [00:48:12] I’d say if you’re thinking about entering it, you probably should. I feel like intuition the way you and I both spoke about it at the beginning, you know, you have this inkling, like maybe I shouldn’t be here and maybe there’s something more. And then you act on that inkling and it might seem reckless on the outside, but that intuition, it comes from something. It comes from years of knowledge, of experience, of knowing yourself. So if you’re thinking about it, yes, you should do it. But at the same time, I always give a little bit of a caveat. The world does run on money, you know. So either go into it with some sort of financial net or some sort of financial security or some sort of backup plan. Right. So that’s for people who are thinking about getting into it, people who are already into it. I’m a firm believer in creating intersections. One thing on its own doesn’t work. It wouldn’t work if I was just a great painter. It just wouldn’t. And I know so many artists who, frankly, are so much better than I am. I will meet these people at gallery shows. I will meet them, you know, at industry events and stuff like that. They’ll show me their portfolio and I will be blown away. And then they’ll tell me how they’ve never made a single sale. And it is so sad to see that type of talent go to waste. Which is why I think entrepreneurs, we need to learn how to make intersections. So my art, it’s always combined with a layer of psychology. And it’s been a personal passion of mine. I have a bit of an educational background in it. I approach my marketing with that psychological lens and I couple that with my writing skills, which I have honed for decades. So it’s these- this variety of things that makes it work, not just the singular passion or the singular talent. Yeah.

Kinny [00:50:09] I can see you’re really, really smart and I can see you being maybe a art consultant in the future to maybe art- artists, artists who need to get into the game and you can open up a consulting site or something. So this is amazing. Thanks for sharing that. So where can people follow you? What platforms are you available on and what is your website?

Jasmin [00:50:27] Yeah. So we’ll start my website. It’s www.jasminpannu.com. It’ll be spelled somewhere I guess? Just because everybody spells my name with an E. And Instagram is @JasminPannu. So those are my two mains. And with my website as well, as you mentioned, like the consulting thing, that’s so interesting because I’ve been thinking about ways of giving back and just because so many of my artist talks and my workshops and whatnot have been canceled and I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the future. I want to open it up to people for free just because before like, you know, companies used to pay for it or other people used to pay for it, not directly the participants. So I’m opening up a little bit of a free mentoring thing on a month basis. It’s a one on one program. I’m also opening up an art auction portion on my website. I’m starting to do a few different things that will hopefully make my website something that a lot of people want to go to.

Kinny [00:51:32] Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing that, Jasmin. Everyone, we’ll link to this in the description below. So thank you so much, Jamin Pannu, for being here on An Entrepreneur’s Vibes. And we appreciate it so much.

Jasmin [00:51:46] Thank you so much for having me. All right. Bye.