We were lucky to catch up with Amber Jenkins recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’ve always been the cause of friction and anxiety amongst my family, I’ve always lived and went against ‘The Grain’. I’m from the South, South Carolina to be exact, it’s very traditional. That would be the best way to describe it, traditional. There is a blueprint that is readily prepared and passed down through Generations, if you do not follow it more than likely you’re the problem. We’re raised to stick to a certain script and if you detour you better be prepared to take your detoured route alone. Young girls are taught how to care for a family at an early age; cleaning the house, washing clothes. preparing meals, and the list goes on. Young boys are taught to work, typically forced to play sports and how to provide. It was always so interesting how young women are praised for getting pregnant, staying home and raising their children. Tending to a husband that usually does not love them but are defaulted to them because the two share some sort of commonality. The husband usually has no contribution other than money and yard work, he can pretty much do whatever as long as he kept his job to pay all the bills and take care of all finances. A Southern woman better not seek another option. Encouraged to work, of course, but still labeled as highly blessed and favored if she didn’t have to work. It’s very common for a young girl to be molded into either being a teacher, a nurse or landed a job at a popular Call Center. Dreams can never be a priority because you have to ‘make it’ even if it means robbing Peter to pay Paul. It’s also common for young boys to land a permanent job at a popular Manufacturing company, go off to the Military or become a police officer. While these positions are amazing and can offer a beautiful life, it isn’t meant for everyone. I grew up watching family be depressed, mean, agitated and continuously struggling clean up until it was time to transition. This energy was absorbed from being in environments that were unhealthy, overworking and living in a trance that was created by someone else who was scared.
I remember being a child watching my late grandpa, Bobby-Joe Jenkins, work in the yard or under the hood of his 85′ Oldsmobile Cutlass. He would tell me constantly, ‘You’re a star baby.” I always held a sacred place in his Spirit, my grandma, Pearl Jenkins, would always recount moments that he would predict where I would be. I was always different, I always wanted more. I’ve always been a daydreamer and my imagination is out of this world. I worked jobs, good jobs compared to others but I just never fit in. As a child I watched my mom type on a type-writer, she wrote a story about a black cowboy in 1995, I remember hearing the sound of her typing on that type-writer and it was so addicting. I literally would watch her and she would be intensely focused on this story; unfortunately Fear caused her to trash her type-writer and watch a Dream of hers be brought to fruition in 1999. Now did this writer take her idea, I doubt that. That’s the cool thing about dreams The Universe will construct but we have to simply imagine and believe. I dread going back to her face when the movie was released starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh. Although I was only 10 at the time or almost 10, I felt her pain. I felt her defeat and disappointment. I’ve never saw her write again, never heard her speak of it again. She was frustrated with herself, she was hurt by her standing in her own way. I now know that perhaps she didn’t want me and my sister, Desiree, to feel that so she taught us that if we get a job, get stable, find a husband who has great income we would be okay.
I got invited to co-write on a book called Carolina, I remember being shocked because I had just started blogging. I was not the best writer, I still am not HA! But I touched people’s heart, I made them feel safe. After submitting the manuscript my mind was blown, I did it. I was so proud of myself and I wanted everyone else to feel the same, but that wasn’t the case. I wrote my first book, solo, called Dear Lova’ and I did it all. A dear friend of mine, Laportia Sherman Shumate, posed for the cover and sent her blessings and we rolled with the punches. I continued to write, having family, an aunt in particular, tell me “Your sister has a real career.” and “Well you know Desiree is actually doing something with herself.” Given my sister is phenomenal and has one of the best catering companies in the Upstate, Catered Dreams, with her best friend Latoya Greene & I won’t say her name because it isn’t worth it. My heart shattered each time a comment like that was made, my dreams were important to me. I have never heard the excitement from my Mom about my writings that I hear from her when she talks about my sister or if I work from a company that slaves their employees and pays them nothing. I kept writing, I kept praying and meditating.
There was one moment, when I sat outside of my grandma’s house and I cried in the car. I walked up to this area where the garden once was, it was beautiful, I laid in the grass and shut my eyes. I asked Spirit ‘Why am I not enough?’ ‘Why don’t I just do what makes sense?’ ‘No one cares anyways!’ Then The Most High said, “Why are you looking for validation from people who aren’t even walking in their purpose? How do you believe their thoughts about you when they’re operating our of fear and scarcity?” I sat up and it was clear, my journey didn’t need guidance from them because it wasn’t meant for them. My journey is directed by a Spirit Counsel that The Most High created and assigned just for me. I have talks with my sister often about how our dreams are just that, our dreams. As she grows her catering business with her best-friend, she gets more brave. As I continue to write books that make people laugh and teach them lessons, my audacity increases TREMENDOUSLY!
I’ve always taken risks but the best one is the one I took on myself. A single mom of 6 children who’s a self-published author is making great progress in this writing game and I continue to do so. I am surviving this Generational Curse and I will succeed breaking it. Fear prevents us from taking risks. Risks teaches you lessons. Lessons help you grow. Authenticity stabilizes you. I could have continued school, stayed in an abusive marriage, became a Supervisor at a Fortune 100 company that is now laying off but I saw the bigger picture. Here I am, following my dreams and I am in love with myself. I am intrigued with the love that is felt through my work. 10 books later and I am still going, I love it. Soon you’ll see my movies and series featured on TUBI and Netflix. I’m for sure proud of myself and I know that my Ancestors are too.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was raised in a Jehovah’s Witness household, family actually. Religion never resonated with me, I’ve always been at one with Nature. Mother Earth and Father Spirit have always had a way of showing me there was another way. I take my Spirituality more serious than I have eve before because now The Most High is guiding me to use my Spiritual gifts to heal this world. Rather it be through Tarot/Oracle Readings, visions, my books and even Cinema. Honestly, I’m a lover. I am ruled my Venus so I naturally want love. I’m not ashamed of it either. For me, I allow everyone to be themselves, no judgment or anything. From other writers, I’m different because a lot writers write for a check, write and publish to appeal to things that will gain popularity, which isn’t bad because that’s kind of what leads to sells. haha! But I miss the Love Stories, I miss when you could read a book and relate. I’m realistically relatable, I remove that shield from people and from my books my readers know that I address the situation, expose my own personal wounds to make them comfortable and then I give gems inside to help resolve any issue.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
As an artist, I am a Free-Spirit. Non-creatives tend to think that artists are just unorganized, irresponsible weirdos who have no focus on real life. A lot of times they want us to ‘grow up’ or ‘be realistic’. Artist are so creative that usually there are 100,000,000 ideas floating not only through our minds but through our souls. We go with the wind and we go with what feels right. The most popular goal is, FREEDOM! Well tons of artists live in FREEDOM. It’s bigger than anything tangible, its more major than any dollar amount, it’s the true meaning of purpose. Creatives move with ambition and passion to change this world in the areas that people fear.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Actually yes, the goal is to bring back Black and Brown love stories that show that we are love, loved and loving. To bring movies to the screen that make remind of happy moments vs reminding us of the constant trauma our ancestors experienced. To make comedies that show the fun moments and memories of our families and to show the positive side of being apart of this tribe. I want to help guide people through healing and to their higher self. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/author/itsamberjenkins and http://www.itsamberjenkins.blog/
- Instagram: instagram.com/itsamberjenkins
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/itsamberjenkins
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/itsamberjenkins
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bamthemua
- Other: Podcast: “To Whom It May Concern” https://anchor.fm/itsamberjenkins
Image Credits
Torn (Book) Models: Mia Starghill, Alicia Saha, Frog Jenkins This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.