Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani Mason
Hi Imani, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Chicago, Illinois (in 1997) and was raised in Chicago Heights, Illinois to a family of 6 (Mom, Dad, and 4 boys). Music was HUGE in our family and I ended up catching on quickly. My primary instruments growing up were the electric and upright bass and I was able to cultivate those skills by playing with my family and at school (in the Jazz Band & Orchestra) where I got to perform around the country and overseas in Spain. Once I got to the Illustrious, Tuskegee University (in 2015), to study Mechanical Engineering, I decided to join the University Choir, the Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir. There I spent the next 4.5 years cultivating my STEM skills by day and my vocal skills by night. By the time I graduated, I had the honor of serving the choir as the President, Student Conductor, Lead Bass Section Leader, Men’s Glee Club Member, and Choir Bass Player (for the Gospel Selections) while performing around the country and abroad (in Canada).
After college, I moved to the Nashville, TN area (in 2020) and immediately started my Engineering career working as a Mechanical Design Engineer w/ National Aerospace Solutions (NAS) by day and cultivating my skills on Electric Bass player by night. Over time though, I felt unsatisfied about the trajectory of my life. I was sure that I was doing the “right” things, but was unsure if I was doing the right things for ME. So after about 2 years working corporate, I paid off all my debt (college, car, medical, etc.), stepped away from my corporate job and moved into full time entrepreneurship and musicianship. However, even though I knew I was a great musician and locitican (my business is SweetRolls Traveling Loctician Services, where I’ve provided traveling hair care services for locs for the last decade +) I recognized that I was incompetent when it came to running a business. I then applied and got into the Venture For America fellowship and moved to Kansas City, MO (in 2022) where I aimed to work w/ start up businesses and learn hands on what was needed to be a successful entrepreneur. And after many experiences w/ different company cultures, I was able to establish myself in Kansas City as a Traveling Loctician (providing loc, hair care services to the KC Metropolitan area & partnering w/ the SweetTwists Salon as their Primary Traveling Loctician), an Artist and Musician (in the band, NAMI, that I created with another amazing KC artist, Nina Cherry), I create content and sell merchandise for the TCG called Magic: the Gathering under my Brand ThunderCondutor, and I am currently working w/ Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center as the STEM Instructor for the School Aged program (I am a 3rd generation educator and have finally found the place where I can leverage a lifetime of STEM & teaching experience, while also doing something that is contributing to my community).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge that I faced was finding what was right for ME. From stepping away from a great paying engineering career and leaving friends made in the South to moving back to the Midwest and having to navigate different company & social cultures that were not meant for me; staying true to ME has not been easy. However, as I tell many people who are closest to me, “When you’re doing the thing(s) that align most with you [spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically] it will not make sense to most people you meet [because we, as people, are each so different].”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As I tell many people, “I do a lot and it’s everything I love.”
My businesses:
– SweetRolls Traveling Loctician Services (SRTLS) is a side hustle turned business after a decade plus of serving clients all around the country. I provided luxury hair services to individuals w/ locs in their home and I specialize in loc restoration w/ the use of many different maintenance services (Palm Rolling, Interlocking, and Crochet Maintenance) & my portable washing system, that I designed, to provide Loc Detox & Washing services wherever they’re needed. What sets me apart is the attention to details, overall professionalism, and natural charisma that I bring to my client’s homes as I “Bring Life back to their Locs.” What I’m most proud of Brand Wise is my partnership w/ SweeTwist Locs Salon as their Primary Traveling Loctician and the development of my Portable Washing Machine, which has allowed me to provide much needed services to many of my clientele around the country.
– ThunderCondutor is my newest endeavor, started in 2023. I create Trading Card Game (TCG) content (for Magic: The Gathering) and sell merchandise to build community to help increase accessibility to this VERY expensive game. What sets me apart from other TCG content creators is my Charisma (being the able to share detailed breakdown in such an engaging manner) & Race and Ethnicity (TCG’s, especially Magic is a predominantly a game played by Caucasians and bringing my Color & Flavor to this game has been my Super Power). What I’m most proud of brand wise is the impact that I’ve had on the MTG community, providing educational yet entertaining content for Thousands of players around the world in less than a year. Lastly, I provide Paperback and Cardstock Proxies/Playtest cards, Coaching/Deck Rating services, and I have a Patreon (paid)/Discord (free) community where I talk strategy, jam games, and connect w/ players all around the world.
My Passion:
– My Artist & Musician career has led me to establishing Nami, in 2023, w/ my old colleague, Nina Cherry. It came to life through a serendipitous connection and shared musical vision during an impromptu jam session during some downtime while teaching music lessons quickly proved to be a natural and cohesive creative collaboration. Our genre-defying duo features the talents of Chicago-native and Nashville-
trained bassist and vocalist Imani Mason and Kansas City-steeped Nina Cherry on keys, vocals, and percussion. As we bring our original material to the forefront, Nami weaves together an eclectic mix of new tunes and fresh renditions funk, soul and jazz standards, providing energetic and memorable performances for all who experience them.
My Vocation:
– Lastly, after a lot of avoidance, I fully embraced my teaching career and started working w/ Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center and their STEM Instructor for the School Aged program. This has been my Vocational choice for the last 2 months and I absolutely have fallen in love with working with the kids and the rest of the Emmanuel team, and I look forward to sharing my charisma and STEM skills with them for the long foreseeable future.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
As you enter Adulthood, do what you love and the meaningful connections will find you. There’s no need to force anything because your community is out there. Just apply yourself in your passions, make them into what you desire, and the individuals that you are meant to collide with will be there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vagaro.com/sweetrolls-tls
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bass_imani/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thunderconductor
