I create under the name Jess Human, a visibility artist whose work lives at the intersections of storytelling, event curation, poetry, and documentation. My practice transforms self-study into art—using visibility as both method and message. Through vulnerability and reflection, I hold space for conversations that chip away at shame and stigma while centering the power of community care.

My lineage is rooted in Detroit, MI—a city of rhythm, resistance, and relentless reinvention. That soil shaped me into a storyteller who does not separate creativity from survival, or art from accountability. I carry forward the traditions of Black resilience and communal care, infusing them into every story I tell and every space I curate.

Since 2018, my body of work has explored the power of visibility to heal and connect. I began as a community journalism fellow with Detour Detroit’s Emerging Voices program, learning to document and honor stories often left untold. In 2019, I founded Copper House Detroit, a community-centered Airbnb that became both a cultural hub and a national symbol of creative reinvestment. Supported by a Cannabis for Black Lives mutual aid grant, Copper House became more than hospitality—it was a vessel for collective healing and gathering.

That same year, I launched Curvy Cannabis, a visibility campaign centering plus-sized bodies in cannabis culture, later featured in the 2022 Academy-qualified documentary Somewhere Higher. My practice expanded into corporate education through Cultivating Racial Equity in the Workplace, a microlearning series distributed by Torrance Learning and used nationally. Alongside that work, I created platforms such as Queer Xpressions and The Take Off, experiences which amplified identity and entrepreneurship for communities of color.

For me, art and justice are inseparable. I coordinated Blazing Silence, a human rights campaign naming and addressing sexual misconduct in the cannabis industry, while launching Golden Rose Apothecary, a ritual-making wellness brand featuring guided meditation toolkits. With Copper House as the heartbeat, I co-designed Revival Week and the Copper Creatives program, both rooted in collective creativity, self-expression, and belonging.

By 2022, I expanded into new mediums. I co-founded The Art of Impact Podcast, creating intentional dialogue around identity, entrepreneurship, wellness, and community. In 2023, I released my first book, Sis, You’re Copper—an educational memoir about identity, healing, and transformation—and curated immersive storytelling activations with the Detroit Foundation Hotel, bridging hospitality and art.

In 2024, my practice deepened through sound and imagery with the launch of the Copper Alchemy YouTube series, and I began publicly sharing my poetry. By 2025, my journey came full circle as my story was featured in the documentary Kiss My Grass.

Through it all, I remain rooted in Detroit’s legacy and in my own Copper Alchemy framework—spirituality, mental and emotional health, physical wellness, community and relationships, and capital. These elements guide my practice and remind me that prosperity, both personal and communal, emerges when we hold space for vulnerability, when we tell our truths out loud, and when we dare to see—and be seen—fully.