Joy
[ joi ] noun. A deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment. Something causing such a feeling; a source of happiness. An outward show of pleasure or delight; rejoicing.
Do you ever have moments in life you’re able to take a step back from and feel immense gratitude and happiness? Feeling the corners of your mouth form the cheesiest smile your small but mighty city has ever seen? I call them tiny joys. And the town of Lancaster PA is filled with them. Inspiration lies in the towns history but so much deeper than that. It’s the people, creatives, chefs, teachers, doctors, nurses, artists, activists and artivists that take our city to the next level.
What’s an artivist, you ask?
Meet Sir Dominique Jordan, the Prolific One, a poetic vanguard hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Between his spoken word poetry or words on paper, he uses his rhetoric to inspire others to use their vulnerability as a ‘superpower.’ He identifies as an Artivist who teaches Hip Hop culture all across the country while reminding his community far and wide that general creative expression (along with Hip Hop) can be used in the classroom/neighborhood to enhance the overall educational experience.
Sir Dominique has found a beautiful way to combine his passion for spoken word poetry and his love of hip-hop to educate the next generation of thought leaders and creatives. His intent with everything he puts into the world is to inspire social change and shed light on worthy causes such as Block Rite Project. Developed to beautify Lancaster City, build neighborly relationships, and empower young children and adults in a brand-new way.
So that whole artivism term is making sense now to you, right?
As if that wasn’t enough, Sir Dominique is the lead vocalist of the sensational, funky Hip Hop and R&B band, The Prolific Steppas. I can’t wait to sit down with the whole crew soon to talk about the magic that happens when they all come together.
Wait, wait.. we aren’t done yet.
Taking his work to the next level, Sir Dominique is the founder and CEO of The Artivist Corp, a young mentorship conglomerate, and Nobody’s Pen, a poetic writers collective. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what it is.
Sir Dominique and I have been trying to connect for a hot minute! I’m so glad we finally got to chat about his latest release, The Prolific One, which dropped at the end of 2022. The conversation sparked so many great moments that reminded me why I do what I do. A reminder to never stop living your truth as authentically as you can. A reminder to keep sharing those tiny joys with your community. That’s what life’s all about in my book. Dive into our chat below, and thank you, Sir Dominique The Prolific One, for sharing your craft with us.
Check out Sir Dominique on social media using the hashtag #WhatThatImpactDo. You can stream his music here!