Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonnise Atwater, MBA
Hi Jonnise, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The arts have always been one of my passions, since I was a little girl. My journey as an artist really began when I entered college for my undergrad and did an independent study in Vermont. My dissertation about “Creating Our Own Reality” came to me while studying Quantum Physics and the Universal Laws, with a focus on the Law of Attraction. This is what led me on the amazing journey of changing my perspective about life and how we view it.
Things started to truly align when we created Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. as the foundation for our brands NaturalBlackUnicorn, GoldUnicornNBU, ACF, ChefKeon & AmazonWarriorEmpress. Being a small business owner is not easy, but this journey has proven to be so worth it.
The idea of APP came to life January 24th 2021 but 3 years previous to its birth (2018), we decided to start our first business in Atlanta called “Natural Black Unicorn”. Through NBU we provided natural hair, loc maintenance services, sold handmade natural hair products, body oils, jewelry and handmade art. We attended multiple events and opportunities to network while we continued to do business in the local areas of Atlanta. Things were flowing so well that we went on to create Gold Unicorn NBU, our apparel line.
By the time APP was established, we were ready to expand our customer base with a range of products & services. Some of our products & services include: books, art, home decor, apparel, accessories, jewelry, media content, business development, media management services, personal chef services and more.
So why not combine all of our many talents/passions to create a household name for ourselves? It only made sense.
At this time, we accepted the mission of making an impact and took a leap of faith as we reevaluated our next approach. By the end of 2022, we tasked ourselves with making an effort to expand our brand awareness using multiple media and publication platforms to promote our many products & services.
Alot of our products resonate from my deep love of abstract art and art with messages. While in college, I studied all the great artists from Sam Gilliam, Pablo Picaso, Van Gogh to Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock and Vasily Kandinsky. I remember being super excited when I did my first art exhibit in college and created a five piece series of collage art, where I used various mediums; fabric, pictures, magazine clippings, broken pieces of a porcelain plate, and acrylic paint on canvas. Then for graduate school in New York, my art was presented in another art exhibit where I did a three piece series of abstract art. One of them was the biggest piece that I’ve ever done on canvas. This later led me to delve further into the arts and education as I researched various creative, therapeutic and holistic approaches to dealing with depression/mental health like art therapy, music therapy, and dance therapy.
Overall, I just want the world to know that my company Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. has an array of art from our self-published books on Amazon to our product lines found in our online stores or art galleries.
We truly have something for everyone! We are big believers of curating a complete vibe in house, your very own one stop shop.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. After all, it did take a while to gain the confidence to combine our many passions and take the leap into entrepreneurship. Raising two daughters as a young mother who was still learning about life, was definitely a challenge.
My vision and mission was to create a legacy for them. I wanted to show them that it does not matter your circumstances, life choices/decisions or setbacks, you can still achieve your goals. To choose to be better, do better and take your L’s as lessons, not losses. I needed them to see that they can accomplish whatever they put their minds to. I did so by leading by example; working, going to school and being a creative entrepreneur while raising them. I always encouraged them to believe in themselves. My goal was to instill within them; assertiveness, courage, creativity, innovation, knowledge, light, a positive mindset, wisdom and more. This is exactly what I did and it shows in the way they navigate life and their passions.
The family business journey technically began in Queens, NY with OMOBA in 2008. We started with one product, a self love basket that could provide a full spa experience. The business did very well in the beginning and had a nice flow up until our relocation to another state. Since most of our clients were local to the Queen’s area, there became a change in demand. This meant that we would have to make a pivot and elevate our brand. It took us a while to get our first concept off of the ground because we are self funded but eventually we went on to create our other brands that exist today.
In the moments when the going gets tough, we are constantly reminded not to doubt our ability to change and manuveur through change. Shifting our business concept has provided us the opportunity to expose people to our content and art. Even when business may be slow and no one seems to know our name, I feel humbled by the thought that someone will soon have a chance to be impacted by our vision and mission. This became a stepping stone for fully tapping into our talents and raw potential.
The greatest lesson that we had to unlearn was thinking that people will pour into us as much as we have poured into them. In the beginning before we discovered our path we operated very selflessly. We constantly fueled other people’s passions while putting ours onto the back burner. We decided to use the energy we could have put into ourselves into the next person, pushing them forward in a journey we too could embark on.
I use to think that everything I did for others would be reciprocated but that isn’t the case. What I had to unlearn in a sense was how to navigate expectations. It wasn’t about what could be received from others but instead what I could provide for myself. This journey we have taken has lead us to so much knowledge and perspective about ourselves. This is where you tend to discover the self love and personal development that aids in the mental health awareness necessary to pursue a dream. This awareness is what pushes us forward and helps us on this journey of success. It’s not about who else will support or feed into us, it’s about what we are capable of doing for ourselves.
If we can’t help ourselves then how can we continue to help anyone else?
As you know, we’re big fans of Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. (APP) is a small, black women owned business founded by family members of four generations. We are Jonnise Atwater, MBA a-k-a Amazon Warrior Empress (AWE) and Keon Atwater, CCP / Chef Keon, who are the CEO and VP of Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. (APP).
We are artist, advocates, event & media curators who create online content and live events to market/promote our products and services. Not only do we produce our own content, but we also provide platforms for affiliated artists and entrepreneurs within the communities we touch.
We started Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. with the intention of building our family legacy, establishing something that can be passed down for generations and a home that would house our many passions. Our mission is to curate experiences through our talk shows, podcasts, books, live and virtual events. Our passion is bringing people together to enlighten, empower, exchange artistry, share ideas, create conversations, and stimulate the minds.
So far, Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. has been featured for our various work in 10-12 publications within the past 3 years, self-published 6 books on Amazon and created multiple new products & services that support our self-love and mental health campaigns.
Our most exciting project would be our current book and food tour. Together we continue to use our creativity & passion as a guide to inspire, impact and influence our community in a positive and inspiring way.
Whether it’s food, fashion or art; Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. is full of surprises! People are able to not just relate to us but also connect with us through our many products, services, podcasts, blogs, events, youtube channels, books and content. By not putting ourselves in a box, we have found a way to reach multiple groups of people who resonate with our work in whichever way calls to them.
I am so grateful for our business journey and the personal development we have put in to arrive here. This journey has proven that even when people don’t see the vision or understand the mission, we must continue to believe in your purpose and push through.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Atwater Productions & Publishing LLC. just released our 6th self-published book on Amazon called “A Double Dose Of Fuego” by Jonnise Atwater, MBA aka Amazon Warrior Empress (AWE) and Chef Keon Atwater, CCP!
“A Double Dose of Fuego” was inspired by the erotic book series “Fuego Dosage” by Jonnise Atwater, MBA aka Amazon Warrior Empress (AWE) & the recipe guide series “A Dose of Fuego” by Chef Keon Atwater, CCP.
“A Dose of Fuego” breaks down the elaborate and erotic tales of “Fuego Dosage” through aphrodisiac based food with a plant based twist. We have all heard of pairing wine with food, but have you considered erotic literature & stimulates?
Chef Keon & AWE have curated an event like no other. Dive into a little behind the scenes and allow the chef to provide all you need to know about this dual concept that pairs poetry with food. This is an exclusive look at the yummy food served on our book & food tour, plus erotic poetry like no other!
Introducing the first of an unforgettable culinary and literary experience, where poetry and food collide seamlessly.
Be sure to check out our books on Amazon or Google us for more!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/atwaterprodpub
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atwaterprodpub/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Atwater-Productions-Publishing-LLC/100084362810392/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@naturalblackunicorn
- Other: https://a.co/d/aQA8Gqj
