Spotlight: J Grin Artistry

” I don’t compromise- my goal is to always end to glorify God and point people to Him.”

I heard J. Grin Artistry perform a few months ago doing spoken word pieces off of her new album, Homegrown, and was excited to talk more with her about how it came to be. Her work is a unique blend of social justice and artistry, but I felt it would really encourage young professionals about their work and calling as well.

 

I loved your piece “Rise Up.” Tell me more about it.

It’s a wake-up call. The piece talks about the rich young ruler in the Bible, then Samson, then us. Represent should mean for us to “re-presence” someone. As Christians, we are made in God’s image and are called to re-present who He is. As a generation (we don’t understand where identity comes from). We adapt to this and become that and redo ourselves here, but Christians shouldn’t at all. We should be able to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “what do I give off? What do I represent? What does the fruit of my life say?

Tell me more about the story of Samson and how he relates to us today.  

Samson was so trusting in his own strength that he didn’t realize his strength was not from himself and was actually a God-given anointing. Samson was obviously dealing with pride. I think every day we struggle with this. I’ve seen so many millennials who are obviously anointed and called and have a lot going for them, but they’re flexing and acting like they own their own life. Our life is to be submitted to God. We are often proud to the point that it hurts us.

Why do you think we don’t worry more about pride and self-sufficiency in our work place?

(The beauty of walking through out pride and imperfections is it allows us to) give a solution to what seemed impossible. People don’t want to do it because they are afraid of what they could find- what could this mean about me? Or it makes people more unsettled about their past. Or they ignore it and act like they happily moved on. But if you started to question it, you realize you’ve not actually grown past that issue at all. Getting to the root is wrestling with it (and it’s not always fun, but) then you overcome.

You use the phrase “wrestling through our past” a lot in talking about your album, why is that?

(My pieces wade through) the nitty gritty of the struggle in our hearts, (dealing with the truth of our fears and condemnations and issues and ending up getting the audience to somewhere where they can actually see) the truth of God’s love and that that’s how He responds to us every day. Really, we all should generally wrestle with looking like Christ. It’s a heart shift that starts it all. When you decide you want to live for God and are not sure how it’ll work out, it becomes important to see God’s love. It is love that is a safety net that allows us to begin to heal from the past, bring victory to our lives so we can overcome the struggle, and then gives us the freedom to speak on it.

What is your biggest struggle with serving God with your work?

I am performance-oriented. I used to play basketball for years and it’s easy to say, “what can I bring to this?” We’re taught to keep on a good face, don’t face your past, keep going… (It’s easy to just do so.) But God has already given you desires- you don’t know how they all go together yet, but it’s impossible to miss it (if you trust Him).

How do we get to a place balancing our work and God’s heart?

Start with 1) Devotion– being performance oriented has no place in our relationship with him. 2) Yielded heart. and 3) Open spirit. Then we have to remain patient. We have to wait and grow more comfortable with who He is- talking and praying with Him- and then let Him stir on and breathe in our desires in His own way when the time is right.

You were previously working for God at the church. What about your work now? How do you glorify God with your writing and performing?

We think just showing up at our local church is all God wants from us- to do stuff by the textbook. But it’s not just about our obedience to show up. What has God deposited in me that I just can’t shake? How do I see the word and communicate it? (How do I bring the gifts and abilities God gave me and use them in my everyday life?)

How did you know it was time to make a career move and pursue your passion?

Basically, the grace ran out where I was. I was not sleeping well, time with God was distant, I was not fulfilled. I walked into church one day and felt nostalgic, even though I’d just been there the day before! I felt a transition was coming up. Then things just kept lining up perfectly (with the album). Seeing justice issues and millennials get ignored left me feeling so frustrated. I had had an interest in doing work and done some on the side for years, but this was the time to walk into what God had placed on my heart.

What advice would you give people who are trying to pursue their own passions?

Start somewhere. It will be a process and will take time. You’ll go back to the drawing board and it’s okay. At least write your vision down. Don’t be surprised if starting gives you the ability to do it. You’ll see fulfillment come as you go and passions rekindled. And when God lines things up perfectly, you’ll know it’s Him.

 

Homegrown is a unique album that is a combination of music and poetry that speaks to social justice and wrestling with issues in the culture that people are afraid to speak about. Janisha wanted to combine her roots as a person- a black, Christian woman growing up in St. Louis- coupled with issues in our generation that are far to often not discussed at all. “I wanted to give young black Christians a voice because they haven’t had one.” It was an incredible way to marry her voice in this generation with her calling from God. If you haven’t heard it yet, it’s available for free download at her website: www.jgrinartistry.com.