Meet Deitra L. Jackson, a Washington, D.C. native and owner of Deitra L. Jackson Photography. She’s also the proud recipient of the Mississippi Power Shine a Light Minority Small Business Grant and the Mississippi Small Business Development Center’s small business loan through Communities Unlimited, in addition to other awards and accolades. She plans to use the loan for equipment upgrades, including a new laptop, camera and lenses, which she says will put her business “lightyears ahead” and further her expansion goals.
Q: SHARE A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE IMPACT YOU ARE MAKING:
DJ: I’m a professional headshot photographer dedicated to helping people and companies show up with confidence. My impact is in creating scroll-stopping images that not only look polished, but also connect on a personal level — helping businesses present their teams with professionalism and individuals put their very best face forward.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WHY?
DJ: My passion is guiding people to look past the flaws they focus on almost daily and instead see the confidence, professionalism and competence that shines through them the way I see them.
Q: WHAT SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS OR AWARDS ARE YOU PROUD OF?
DJ: Other than being a proud mom and grandmom, (I’m proud of) being awarded business grants from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and Mississippi Power (among others).
Also, I’m very proud of stepping out on faith, with no small amount of fear, to pursue my passion for photography as a business post-retirement.
Q: SHARE A QUOTE OR MANTRA THAT YOU LIVE BY THAT HAS HELPED YOU TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
DJ: Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
The other is from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: “This above all: To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”