Location: Olde English

  • Deanna Taylor

    Deanna Taylor

    Interview

    Transcript

    00:00 Victoria Bartolotto 

    Hello everybody. My name is Victoria, and today we are talking with Dr. Deanna Taylor, a professional creative working from and within South Carolina. As we get started, can you tell us about where you’re from and what your current career is? 

    00:13 Deanna Taylor 

    Yeah, so I’m originally from Georgia. I grew up in a little place called Kenneth Hall, Georgia, and I am currently working in out of Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina. And my career, I am a consultant, and I work in the room of Creative Arts Education and Wellness. 

    00:36 Victoria Bartolotto   

    Before we go into the details of your profession, we have a brief section of the interview called “One Career Sixty Seconds,” where you describe your job in sixty seconds or less in an elevator pitch style. Are you ready? 

    00:49 Deanna Taylor  

    I’m ready. 

    00:50 Victoria Bartolotto 

    All right, let’s start. 

    00:52 Deanna Taylor  

    Okay, so I started in eighth grade, and I really loved science. I moved through my career into science, and so now I focus on STEM learning through creative arts, mostly in the realm of making jams, jellies, and preserves, and attaching that to the way that people move through life and are coached. There’s also a little realm of taste testing in there and adding in the element of matching their taste test and what kind of fruit and preserves they like to what their business career or their coaching style is like as well. 

    01:32 Victoria Bartolotto  

    That’s so interesting!  With working in the culinary arts, specifically with preserving, is there anything about South Carolina, in particular, that is unique to preserving, or does it have some kind of influence on you? 

    01:47 Deanna Taylor  

    Yes, so I actually use only locally grown fruits, and those are harvested from my backyard. The tie to South Carolina is that I use pears, figs, and muscadines, and muscadines are really known for growing in the South. As a matter of fact, some of my clients don’t even know what a muscadine is. So, giving them the cultural piece of how it came to be here in South Carolina is one interesting piece.  

    The other part is I harvest the fruit from my backyard and then the neighbor’s backyard. So, my grandfather got me into looking more at the locally sourced fruit, because he started sharing the craft and everything with the people at his church. So now we harvest the fruit from people’s backyards, mostly his elderly neighbors and folks that aren’t able to get into the backyard, to get the fruit. We salvage it from going to waste, and then I turn that into jams, jellies, and preserves, and we share that with the community. I give some back to the neighbors as well. 

    02:50 Victoria Bartolotto  

    I know you mentioned in the form that you filled out that you started preserving over quarantine and COVID. Can you talk a little bit about that, and how that story puts you on the trajectory to be where you are now? 

    03:04 Deanna Taylor  

    Yes, so I moved to where I am now. I moved to Kershaw County in 2020 during the height of COVID. I was about six to seven months pregnant, and we moved to this space where it was like room for growing all these fruits and things, and I noticed that the squirrels and the birds were having a good time eating up all the fruit.  

    My grandparents taught us, and instilled, you do not waste food. You don’t throw anything away; you do not waste food. I grew up in that era where you know you saved everything; scraps and all of that. I started going back to my roots of asking my mom, my grandma, “Hey, y’all used to teach that canning thing, or y’all used to try to get me to do that, can you teach me again, because I want to pay attention now.” 

    So, I got into it because I wanted to save some of the fruits and not have things to go to waste. Then I just started with taste testing and letting neighbors and friends and family members taste the preserves and things, and then kind of progress from there. Now people request them on a regular. Folks have been asking for new flavors. I’m like, “Yeah, we gotta see about that one.” 

    04:17 Victoria Bartolotto 

    I know you also mentioned that you have a book that you wrote. Can you describe the process of going from doing the physical making of canning and preserving, and how you kind of put that down onto the page, possibly? 

    04:32 Deanna Taylor  

    The canning process, even picking up the fruit, is more about family and community, and bringing all of those elements back into the kitchen. Making it relevant for the generation that we have now.  I mentioned earlier that I was pregnant, and that was our second child in 2020. So, I have little people at the house that are also involved in the process. They help pick the grapes and wash the pears. To me, the book was looking more into those family connections and making sure that the kitchen is a place where it’s a lab. You’re in there experimenting; you’re trying things out. You’re seeing, “Do the kids like this? Do you like this? What kind of herbs things are you going to put in there?” So, the cookbook is actually a cookbook and a text. 

    My colleague and I collaborated on it and worked on it together. Her name is Dr. Regina Seifra, and it’s a cookbook. It’s a text, because we wanted to bring outdoors and like the growing process and bring it and put it on a plate for the children. There’s activities in there where let’s say, for example, in one chapter they’re going to create their own herb garden, and then they kind of plan ahead for the recipes and they grow the herbs that they’re actually going to use in the recipes and the food for later on. So, making a connection for them between growing and what you’re eating on your plate; that you can actually go through the experimenting phase and figure out what it is that you like and what you don’t like, and how things get there. 

    06:14 Victoria Bartolotto   

    I feel like that’s such an important story, even for like adults now just figuring it out. A lot of people don’t know where their food comes from. Learning about that process, I think, is something that a lot more people should know. So, you do this full-time. Was there any kind of moment in your creative journey that solidified that you needed or wanted to do this full time, or was there something that really kickstarted you into this, other than COVID? 

    06:46 Deanna Taylor  

    I would say my children. I have been in education for over twenty years, and I have done all kinds of studies, and I’ve worked in different settings. However, making sure that what I’m doing is bringing me joy, and being able to integrate what I do with what the children do has been one of those things. I’m not going to go the traditional job route, I’m going to move more into this creative space, more into the space where I can bring them to work with me.  

    How many children ask, “Mommy, can I go to work with you?”  My kids really like it. They enjoy being able to even get on a video camera and tell out the process. Like, “Okay, Mommy, first we pick the grapes, and then we do this.”  

    So going through the process and learning the names and being able to teach them is something that I wanted to be able to do. That pushed me, or pivoted me, into the space of being able to bring the real world to life for them and wanting other children to be able to enjoy the same thing, 

    08:02 Victoria Bartolotto  

    Yeah. Wow, that’s really sweet. Before thinking about doing this full-time, did you have any kind of fears about entering a creative industry that isn’t well known as a lot of other industries are? Was there anything that might have held you back from doing it full time? 

    08:19 Deanna Taylor  

    Yes, so I was leaving a position that had state benefits and all the things. So, jumping into it, I will say one of the fears was of failing or not being successful, but I had to learn to define success for myself and what that looks like.  

    Then also learning that just like I learned with my science degree, I may not be explicitly using that right this moment, but just like I learned with that degree, if you try something, you can tweak it and then make it better. Your business, and even with a business, doesn’t have to stay and do the same thing year in and year out. Although some businesses are well known for doing their own thing. On the creative side, if I do the same thing over and over, I don’t think I would have much of an audience.  

    To me, it brings the spice piece in, just like I have spices in my pear preserves, or whatever. I need a little cinnamon, I need a little all spice, if I put the same thing in plant and just pears by themselves, no offense, but in a jar of pears and nothing else, you need a little something to spice it up. I think jumping in scared and also knowing that there’s other avenues and ways and pivots that you can make within a business. That it’s fine, it’s okay, you’re being creative with multiple things, not just your actual medium that you’re using to express. 

    09:52 Victoria Bartolotto  

    Do you have any advice for young adults or students who possibly have an interest in starting their own business or jumping into something new?  Are there any particular skills or knowledge that they should have before entering either the preserving industry or just something creative in general? 

    10:09 Deanna Taylor   

    So, I would say my piece of advice is to stay true to you. Be authentic in what you do, because that’s what sets you apart and kind of makes it. Yes, there are tons of people out there making preserves. There are tons of people out there creating with their hands, creating with their minds, voices, whatever. But there’s something about you that makes you unique. So, focus in on that part and let that part shine through.  

    I don’t think there’s many people, at least I haven’t found any, that has an education and human resources background that now makes jellies and jam, so I kind of blend those things together.  

    Using that unique advantage and using it to your advantage, to speak to the world and to make something that you love and enjoy doing. Family is also very important to me, so sticking to those values and things that are important. Yes, making money is great; it pays the bills, but being happy in what I’m doing, actually bringing joy to other people, and telling my story is something that is priceless, for lack of a better word.  

    I was trying to find something that wasn’t so cliche, but it’s good, I’m going to use it. So that’s the advice I would say: be true to yourself, be authentic, do your thing, and like let that thing that makes you unique kind of make you shine, and go for it with that. 

    11:39 Victoria Bartolotto 

    Yeah, thank you so much. That was amazing, and I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today. 

    11:46 Deanna Taylor 

    Okay, you’re welcome. Thank you very much. It was great meeting you, Victoria. 

    11:49 Victoria Bartolotto 

    It was nice meeting you as well. Have a great day. 

  • Joshua L. Shumak

    Joshua L. Shumak

    Interview

    Transcript

    00:00 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Hello, my name is Ryleigh Kelley, and today we are talking with Joshua Shumak, a professional creative working from and within South Carolina. As we get started, can you tell us your current career and where you’re from? 

    00:23 Joshua Shumak 

    I serve as the tribal liaison for the State Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement, as well as the Assistant Chief for the Wasamasaw Tribe of Barnertown Indians. 

    I am from Monk’s Corner, South Carolina, moved to North Charleston, South Carolina, and ever since I took on my state role, I’ve been in Columbia working statewide. 

    00:46 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Before we get into the details of your profession and what you do, we have this brief little section of the interview called “One Career, Sixty Seconds”, where you describe your job in sixty seconds or less, similar to an elevator pitch. 

    01:03 Joshua Shumak 

    Understood. 

    01:04 Ryleigh Kelley 

    So, let me get my timer started. Alright, are you ready? 

    01:16 Joshua Shumak 

    Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. Maybe I’ll have less than sixty seconds, maybe more. We’ll see. 

     01:21 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Alright, great. Okay, let’s begin. You’re on the clock. 

     01:25 Joshua Shumak 

    I’m Joshua Shumak, and I’m a Native American leader and cultural preservationist from South Carolina. I serve the Assistant Chief with the Wasmassaw Tribe of Warner Town Indians. 

    And for a little bit over the past decade, my work is centered around Native American affairs, where I focus on advancing tribal communities through policy, partnerships, and programming across the state. 

    My work mainly centers on historic and cultural preservation, food sovereignty, expanding opportunities for Native American artists and small businesses across the state. I’ve led some initiatives ranging from statewide cultural programming, film festivals, agricultural and community development projects that directly support tribal citizens. 

    And really, at the core of everything I do, I do it with a commitment to preserving our state’s Native American history and culture, and ensuring that Native American communities are represented, not just for our presence in the past, but as peoples who actively shape the future of the state. 

     02:21 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Oh, perfect! You had three seconds left. That was really good. Thanks for playing! 

     In your profession, is there anything South Carolina, or in your region, or in the city in particular, brings to your work? Does it have a unique influence on you compared to people in the same profession in different states? 

     02:45 Joshua Shumak 

    When we’re talking about Native American affairs, I think it’s really different state to state. I’ve worked in South Carolina for this past decade, but I’ve also talked with some of my correspondence and equivalents in Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, and even when I spoke at the UN, I got a lot of different worldviews and perspectives. 

     Each state has its own history, and that history and how it’s worked with its Native people shape where their Native people are today. There are some states where there’s a lot more opportunity, and there are some states where there’s a lot less opportunity. My job has been trying to find out where those opportunities have been in other states, and seeing if I can bring them into our states. Working with our Native American business owners, our Native American artists, seeing if I can put them into some more mainstream art shows. 

    I’ve worked with the Columbia Museum of the Arts. We’ve been doing our Native American Art Marketplace during Soda City for the past four years now. I know that the Native American Studies Center at USC Lancaster has also been a big supporter and are even doing their quarterly art shows now, along with their monthly programming. And there’s just so many different partnerships that are getting built out across the state. And so, even though we started in 2005, with statewide Native American programming and positioning, I think that we are slowly coming along. 

    04:08 Ryleigh Kelley 

    You mentioned that you spoke at the UN, is that correct? 

    04:11 Joshua Shumak 

    That’s correct. 

     04:12 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Could you talk a little bit more about that experience? 

     04:15 Joshua Shumak 

    That was the first time I had been to Geneva, Switzerland. It was a very interesting experience. The food is very different. I love the public transportation. You can just go anywhere by their little train system. 

    It was my first time speaking at that body. I think I was the first representative or tribal delegate from South Carolina to approach that specifically for the expert mechanism on the rights of Indigenous people.  

    The UN Voluntary Fund brought me up to represent South Carolina in that conversation; basically talking about what are the things that we’ve gone through, what are the things we are looking at, those to connect with some of our peers, both in the United States and the Indigenous population across the globe. 

    05:01 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Very cool, very cool. 

    You were talking about the UN and these really interesting experiences, but was there a defining moment in your life which had an impact on your creative journey? 

    And was there any particular project or something you produced which showcased your creativity in a way that it never had before? 

     05:25 Joshua Shumak 

    Well, coming from a Native community, I feel like I’ve been ingrained in the arts and culture since a very young age. I know that since 2005, I’ve been going to our local my tribe-specific culture classes, which are usually monthly culture classes where we do pottery, basket weaving, and beadwork.  

    I’ve been very blessed to have taken some apprenticeships through our cultural preservationist, Tammy Leach, who is a Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award winner, who herself learned some of her artistic skills from Will Goins, who was another Gene Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award winner. 

    And having been able to work since 2005 to present day, and now actively working in our community, I think one of the things that is the best that I have seen come out is some of the programming is what we’ve been able to do with our own youth. 

     For example, we just started our own master apprenticeship program based on the one I was able to take through the South Carolina Art Commission with Tammy, and now I believe we have about fifteen different apprentices being trained by five different masters, all from different tribes, to bring in some of that culture. 

    Something about Native American communities is that, especially on the East Coast, our culture was very targeted and erased due to the Code of Indian offenses, which was a code that existed that basically, illegalized a lot of our ceremonies, a lot of our arts, a lot of our practices. 

    It’s only now recently, within the past twenty to thirty years, we’ve been actively allowed and actively pursuing these practices publicly that had been stripped from us. And so that, all these tribal artists and culture bearers coming together, being able to bring them together, work together with them to re-inject that in our tribe and recultivate that in our youth is something that I think I’ve seen that is very important to my community. 

    07:15 Ryleigh Kelley 

    With this kind of tension that you’ve outlined, especially growing up in Native American community, being ingrained in the arts from such a young age, but also there is that external, cultural erasure slash pressure. Before entering your field, did you have any fears about becoming a creative professional? And if you did, what inspired you to continue beyond them? 

     I know you’ve kind of discussed that  throughout the interview, but, what really inspired you to just work beyond those barriers and try to push against those? 

    07:54 Joshua Shumak 

    I think that your question raises a few good points. I think almost it’s the wrong question, only because from my perspective, coming from a twentieth century child, twenty-first century, I think we are going through life not understanding our history. For me, I really didn’t start understanding the importance of the history of my community or these cultural practices, even though I grew up ingrained in it, until I was about fifteen to my early years in college. 

    When I started to get exposed more to other people, other communities, I started to really appreciate and realize the importance of my own community. And I think for me. The kind of the erasure of community that you see going along throughout the nation, just as urbanization comes with the rise of the internet. Some of the things that are fraying community bonds all across the nation, not just the Native communities. 

    It really helped inspire me. That it was so important to make sure that we were able to keep culture alive, keep practices alive, document it, and try to especially capture and inspire tribal youth. I think that having that cultural identity also can bring a lot of pride and be an anchor in a world that can blow you away. 

    09:15 Ryleigh Kelley 

    You’re talking about talking to tribal youth and bringing awareness to what you do. With that being said, do you have any advice for young adults or students who have an interest in pursuing a similar career in the creative world? Are there any particular skills one should practice or have before entering this industry? 

     09:40 Joshua Shumak 

    I think that we all take ourselves very seriously as people. I have that issue sometimes. I think once you learn it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to be silly, and it’s okay to learn, because I think a lot of things that stops people from getting involved in creativity, or even things that they don’t fully understand, is that discomfort that, “Will I be laughed at, will I pick it up?” 

    You will make mistakes, and it’s okay to make mistakes. I think that’s why it’s so good to have mentors within whatever field you’re trying to go into, and to be able to laugh at yourself.  

    It’s kind of the same thing when you go into public speaking. You have to know how to have fun with it. Otherwise, you’re just going to tremble and just sit there in that discomfort. I think it’s all about a mindset that you have to be okay with. Okay with learning something new, knowing that there are going to be bumps along the way. 

    10:33 Ryleigh Kelley 

    I resonate with that, because it can be easy to take yourself seriously, but I like that piece of advice to have fun with it, and whatnot. So that was the last of my questions. Is there anything particular that you would like to speak on, before we wrap up? 

    10:44 Joshua Shumak 

    I am bad at speaking about myself, but I’m really good at answering questions. So ask away anything that may have piqued your interest that you might want to know a little bit more about. 

    11:07 Ryleigh Kelley 

    I would love to hear about how you mentioned that you didn’t get really into learning more about your community until you were a teenager. Could you maybe talk about that experience a little bit more? 

    11:21 Joshua Shumak 

    Well, for me, up until I started to actually get truly engaged with my community. 

    It almost seemed like a little bit of a chore when you’re a kid, and you’re like, “Oh, why is history important? Why is this important? I want to go play video games; I want to go and do this fun thing over here.” I think it’s that aspect of not knowing what you’re sitting on.  

    It’s kind of like whenever someone in your family dies, or your grandparent dies, and you’re like, “I should have been closer to this person,” and then you hear all the stories about them after the fact. 

     And I feel like it’s kind of like that mindset where you suddenly have that shift, and you see what’s important, especially in your community and your context. And I think that shift happened to me, like I said, end of high school, early college for myself. 

     After that, I was very much involved in my community, working with tribal government, working with the cultural preservation team, bringing in cultural programming and other programming for my tribe, and some collaborations with other tribes around the state. 

    12:24 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Very cool. One common thread I’ve seen, or I’ve noticed, as you’re talking about is the kind of intention that you have behind your creative practice is mindset. And I feel like, especially right now, there’s all these different pressures and external forces. Especially as young adults, it can be easy to get swept up in that. When a young creative is kind of, like, trying to navigate all those spaces and craft their mindset. 

     I know you briefly talked about this a little bit, what are some pointers or just gentle reminders that young adults and young creatives should remember when they’re crafting that mindset, amidst all these different potential distractions and whatnot. 

    13:24 Joshua Shumak 

    I think you have to find joy in what you’re doing. I worked in beadwork with seed beads and master beadwork. I’ve also now started working more seriously in pottery. I find both of them very fun. I think sometimes, for me, some of the hardest things were actually doing hands-on art. 

    13:46 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Yes. 

    13:47 Joshua Shumak 

    Psyching myself up to get started, because I know it’s a long process, and once I get started, I’m good. Then it’s psyching myself up from there.  

    I think it’s a lot about community, too. Like, do you know somebody that you’re willing to go up to and say, “Hey, are you willing to teach me this? Is that available to you? Does your city have an art guild if your community isn’t as involved in it?” 

    I think a big part about Native American art that I feel is that it’s very stereotyped still. In that regard, where it comes from. It’s very hard for emerging Native artists who are practicing folk art specifically to be able to put their art in places contemporarily. Because you see these museums sometimes that — let’s bring up Catawba pottery, for example. That is a very strong folk art. It has a very unique, distinct style to it. 

     And you see sometimes, a museum or an art museum may say, “We have this piece from 1924, why do I need to invest in this kid’s piece from 2026?” And so you see that that does not happen as much. 

     And I think just the fact that folk art is less celebrated across the United States right now means that a lot of these grants that museums have don’t really apply to that category, so sometimes it’s hard to get that breakout for Native artists who specifically are using folk art. 

    I was even talking with South Arts and different programming that could be involved in potentially making funds specifically for African American community, the Native American community’s art acquisition in museums, which I think would be very, very needed. But I think sometimes they can be discouraging, so I think sometimes trying to find these opportunities is very hard for young Native creatives. 

    15:45 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Like you said, that’s kind of hard to find these opportunities for Native creatives. Do digital platforms like social media, the rise of all these technological advancements, do you feel that it might complement young Native artists, or does it complicate their efforts, especially as they’re trying to find more opportunities? 

    16:15 Joshua Shumak 

    I feel like it is adjacent. I wouldn’t say it complements, but I would say it’s adjacent. I feel like it is a way to get them out there to people who do value folk art and the art that is being created, but I do think there is still sometimes that issue when it comes to Native Americans breaking into the contemporary greater art field. It’s very exclusive for Native art for a long time. Because the art sells, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it’s hard for a young Native creative to be celebrated outside of the niche Native American or folk art-specific community.  

    17:00 Ryleigh Kelley 

    You said you talk about poetry, let’s discuss! Feel free to add it, whatever it is about that. Yeah, I can’t believe we missed that. 

    17:11 Joshua Shumak 

    Well, one of the things that I think I was very blessed to have been able to go through is the Berkeley County arts program. I started out getting into the lottery to be able to go to Howe Hall Ames Elementary School for the Arts. Then I went to Marrington Middle their art program, and then I was able to go into the Goose Creek High School art program, where I really started to go into the creative writing field, specifically poetry, and I’ve been able to publish quite a few poems since my high school years. 

     And a lot of it goes around some of that theme of identity, culture, and even into that, what Native communities today are facing, which includes a lot of land loss, cultural loss, trying to reclaim culture and some of the struggles and victories that we face every day. 

    18:04 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Is there any particular style or creative style of poetry that you like? 

    18:11 Joshua Shumak 

    I usually do free verse spoken word, only because my creative writing teacher really hated rhyming poetry. He wanted us to do very different things, sometimes avant-garde poetry, which is all about doing unique poetry writing styles. Sometimes you basically speak around a poem instead of saying the poem. Sometimes it’s the words that are missing in the poem. Things along that line. 

    18:40 Ryleigh Kelley 

    I love to hear that. Very cool to hear about your background in that as well. You have a creative writing component and a hands-on craft component. I’m curious on how all of those flow together in your creative process. Is there one that you feel really speaks to you more? Do they all have some sort of personal component? 

    I do digital work as well as creative work, and those are all in different conversations with each other. I’m curious for you, how do those kinds of mediums of art and your creative practice talk to each other? 

    19:31 Joshua Shumak 

    Of course, poetry, I think, is the only one that actually talks. 

    I think that that one is one that you can go into a lot more different directions with what you are actually saying. I feel like that almost goes hand-in-hand with beadwork. I know that that usually in itself, is like painting a picture, but without words. What am I trying to express?  

    Some of the beadwork I’ve done has been more nature-based. It has more symbolism, especially when you’re talking about making regalia, or sometimes the tribal symbols, putting that together, what that means to the community or myself. And I feel like it’s almost the opposite with pottery. I feel like pottery is almost more of a resilient, defying art form. 

    One of the things I try to incorporate in my pottery is in my slip, which is what we use to bind the different coils of clay together for hand building, I try to include some soil from either the Charleston Peninsula or Edisto Beach State Park, which is our first contact location. And that way, in each of my pieces that I’m creating, there’s a little bit of our history in it.  

    We are basically using the Earth, putting back into the Earth, creating things from nothing. I almost feel like art in itself is just such a big gift. From the creator to be able to create things ourselves. 

    21:01 Ryleigh Kelley  

    I really love to hear how, especially with pottery and the bead making. I love to hear about resilience. I think it’s interesting through something like that it speaks to that, whereas poetry maybe could be more literal, and like, “I’m literally telling you what it is.” 

    21:30 Joshua Shumak 

    I would even say that through poetry and beadwork, those two pieces of art, saying something and painting a picture. I would say pottery is the opposite. Pottery, it tells you what it wants to be and it tells you what it doesn’t want to be. 

    21:47 Ryleigh Kelley 

    Yeah. Alright, well, I love how we went on that little tangent. Thank you for sharing about your poetry background as well. I really appreciate that. 

    Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. I really appreciate it. 

    22:03 Joshua Shumak 

    Will do. Thank you very much. Hope you have a good rest of your day. 

  • Deanna Taylor

    Deanna Taylor

    “Find ways to blend your passions and expertise into a story that transcends time and individual backgrounds.” 

    Quick Facts

    Level of Education: Graduate School

    Years of Experience: 2 Years

    About

    Deanna Taylor uses food and storytelling integrated into the world of arts, science, and entrepreneurship to blend generations while resurrecting the art of canning. During the pandemic, while watching squirrels in her backyard take one bite out of her fruit, she was inspired to research ways to keep the food from going to waste. Since then, Deanna has been producing jams, jellies, and preserves with the help of her family. 

    Throughout her journey, Deanna begun using “the jars of preserves to coach others into entrepreneurship while focusing on preserving their peace.” Along with her family, she now gets help from neighbors, church members, and other figures within her community, preventing as much fruit as they can from going to waste. At the end of the process, Deanna utilizes the preserves for storytelling, gives back to those who donated, and even makes a profit.

  • Ronald J. Rossmann Jr.

    Ronald J. Rossmann Jr.

    “Create relentlessly, and don’t be afraid to fail. Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s a necessary part of it.”

    Quick Facts

    Years of Experience: 10 Years

    About

    A writer, director, and producer with ten years of experience, Ronald J. Rossmann Jr. Is the Owner and Creative Director of Be Your Own Hero Productions, LLC, a York, SC-based independent film and storytelling company. His passion for science fiction and horror was ignited in his early years by his uncle who cemented Ronald in classic genre films such as “Thing from Another World” and “Forbidden Planet”. Though he spent years crafting stories privately, it wasn’t until Ronald’s late thirties and forties that he began sharing his work with the world. 

    His filmmaking journey began with a web series shot in a single take for its first two seasons, eventually expanding to over forty episodes. He then moved into feature filmmaking, starting with a fan film before writing and directing his first full-length horror feature, “You’re It”. For Ronald, storytelling is not just a passion; it is essential. He describes it as “a lifeline” he cannot imagine existing without. What sets his creative process apart is a deep investment in developing complex, authentic characters audiences can genuinely connect with. From there, the story reveals itself. “In many cases, the characters begin to guide me,” he says, “revealing their choices, their struggles, and the paths they’re meant to take.” 

    One of the most meaningful aspects of Ronald’s journey is the origin of Be Your Own Hero Productions. It began as a cosplay collective, a group of performers dedicated to appearing at charity events and community functions, always fully in character and committed to creating immersive, joyful experiences. The mission: to bring heroes, hope, and smiles to people who need it most. Over time, those bonds and that shared creative spirit carried over into filmmaking. The name was born from a period in Ronald’s own life when he had to find a way through darkness. With the mission to bring light to other, he often reflects, “Sometimes you must be the one to stand up, to push forward, and to pull yourself out of the darkness.” 

    Outside of filmmaking and writing, Ronald serves as COO of a major staffing firm. He draws a clear distinction between the two sides of his life; the first building futures for others and the second producing worlds from the inside out. He encourages emerging creatives to understand their own capacity, receive and apply constructive criticism, develop the skill of self-editing, and above all, avoid comparing themselves to others. “This isn’t a competition,” he says. “It’s a craft.” 

  • Joshua L. Shumak

    Joshua L. Shumak

    “Stay connected to your community and honor what came before you”

    Quick Facts

    Education Level: Graduate School

    Years of Experience: 10 Years

    About

    Joshua L. Shumak, Vice Chief of the Wassamasaw Tribe, works to preserve and promote Native American culture in South Carolina through leadership, cultural education, traditional arts, and community partnerships. Growing up, he recognized the importance of cultural knowledge, art, and storytelling in sustaining identity. He began by engaging in cultural preservation efforts and learning traditional arts from Native artists and cultural leaders, which developed into a broader commitment to advocacy, education, and community engagement. 

    The uniqueness of his work comes from its intersection of culture, community leadership, and public service. As Vice Chief of the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians as well as the Tribal Liaison for the State of South Carolina, he operates between tribal communities and state institutions, fostering collaboration and mutual understanding. His work emphasizes “the intersection of culture, community leadership, and public service.” 

    He emphasizes the importance of remaining connected to one’s community and understanding that creativity is not only about producing something new, but also about honoring what came before. For Indigenous artists, creative work carries stories, teachings, and responsibilities. He encourages aspiring creatives to learn from elders and mentors, to understand the meaning behind traditions, and to develop their voice from their cultural roots. 

    Joshua prioritizes the fact that Native cultures are living cultures. The tribe’s traditions, arts, and stories are not just part of history—they continue to evolve and thrive today. He tries to “help create spaces where Native voices, artists, and communities can share their stories in their own words, and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to learn and carry those traditions forward.”