You can follow Sumiko here.
Where are you from?: Mississauga, ON
Where do you live now?: Toronto, ON
What do you do for work?: I'm a freelance writer and a front desk girl at a nail salon.
What do you do for fulfillment?: Writing in any medium is very fulfilling to me. It's extremely cathartic.
What is your dream creative project?: To publish a collection of my poems.
Do you consider yourself a freshman, sophomore or senior in your field?: I'm a freshman in every sense of the word. I just finished my first year at Ryerson and I'm just starting my career!
What can’t you leave the house without?: My nameplate; it's my name in my mom's handwriting. She gave it to me on my 16th birthday and I've worn it every day since then. It is my most prized possession.
What's a typical day in the life for you?: As much as I hate to admit it, I check Instagram as soon as I wake up. Then I throw on a podcast (usually The Read), hop into the shower and get ready. I start my day with a beet smoothie to justify all of the unhealthy food choices awaiting me that day. Then I grab a coffee from Sanremo Bakery (a hood staple) and catch a bus downtown to head to school or work. After I'm all done, I like to meet up with my boyfriend for dinner and tell him all of the tea from my day. Then I head back home and do homework until I fall asleep. In between all of this, I am scrolling on Instagram or scribbling to-dos and haikus in my notebook.
Where's your favourite place to eat?: Jules Bistro
Where's your favourite place to dance?: Parts and Labour
Where's your favourite place to drink?: 416 Snack Bar. I have been really loving SoSo Food Club lately as well.
Where's your favourite place to shop?: Value Village. The hunt is therapeutic for me.
What are your go-to tunes for getting ready to leave the house in the morning?: Fallen by Mya, Astrodome Pt. 2 by Maxo Kream, Me De Amor by Sango, The Day The Niggaz Took Over by Dr. Dre, Feel Like Makin' Love by Roberta Flack, John Muir by ScHoolboy Q, Hurry by Teyana Taylor (and that man...) or the latest Soulection episode. A pretty random mix but most mornings I'm just listening to my music library on shuffle.
What are your go-to tunes for exercising?: Any soca or NOLA bounce music.
What are your go-to tunes for going out for a night on the town?: I'm Jamaican so when I'm having a night out, dancehall gets me hype.
What was your new years resolution?: Interestingly enough, it was to work with Olivia Seally in some capacity. Now I'm her intern!
What do you think are the qualities of a life well lived?: Frequent forgiveness and lots of laughter.
Kindly recommend 3 people that inspire you:
Kadeem Johnson
Aisha Jallow
Amani Bin Shikhan