We recently connected with Jamiya Taylor and have shared our conversation below.
Jamiya, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The meaningful one would be “Mama and Her Thorn Garden”, a poetry collection that I’m looking to release in 2023. It took me a full year to write it, most of it being written from January ’22 to July ’22. During those months, I experienced the hardship of not having a stable living environment and didn’t really know what was next for me, while also turning the golden age of 25. I was unsure about myself as a person, my current path at the moment I was living, or how it would impact me in the long run. I just didn’t know. Out of those days spent in limbo and uncertainty, I was able to write some of the best pieces that I think I’ve ever penned. You know, I’ve always been told that some of the best art to be remembered in the world was created during that artist’s time in darkness. I can say that I truly believe that.
The last year of my life has been a rendition of me remembering who I am, doing the work to tend to my garden, and clearing away any thorns that kept me from still seeing the beauty in life. I was hiding behind a wall, but all eyes were still on me. My emotions and mind were in overdrive because what people don’t tell you is that not having a solid place of residency makes you vulnerable in ways that are unexplainable. All I wanted to do was survive and my craft is the thing that helped me make it through. “Mama and Her Thorn Garden” is the most meaningful project to date for me because I think that working on this project during my lowest time is what saved me. It allowed me to lean on my craft and remember that there’s still good in life and that being without a home for a short time was not the end for me. It was just the beginning.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Hey, everyone. I’m Jamiya (Jah-My-Yuh), a native of Riviera Beach, FL, but have been living in Tampa, FL for the last six years after moving there to attend college. I attended and graduated from the University of South Florida, where I double majored in English-Creative Writing and Women and Gender Studies. The classes I took and the material that I studied is an elements of my life that I tend to incorporate into my projects most of the time. I like for my characters to have real-life conversations and scenarios that are relatable and feel realistic. But, that’s not where I got my start in this industry. My start came a lot earlier than that.
I was 11 years old and in the 6th grade when I got my start in writing. Before then, I didn’t have any desire to write or to be a writer. I was just a kid who did a lot of reading. During that time, my language arts teacher, Mrs. Slocombe, had assigned us a project of rewriting the ending of Sharon Draper’s “Tears of a Tiger”. Anyone that has read that book knows how crushing it is to the heart, especially to the heart of a classroom full of preteens. Mrs. Slocombe wanted us to rewrite the ending of the book in whatever way we saw fit and surprisingly, I ended up getting the best grade on it out of the entire class. After she had read my alternate ending, she told me to keep going because I was good at it, and that if I studied and picked up on things along the way, I could go far. I don’t think Mrs. Slocombe realized it, but she lit a fire underneath me that is still burning bright 14 years later. That one assignment has allowed me to learn so much and has taken me on a journey.
After that, I continued to write countless amount of stories, books (published and unpublished), and poems. I wrote without confidence, not really knowing what kind of voice I wanted to put out to the world but there were things and tools put in place that helped me find that voice. One of those things was the writing community website, Wattpad. I wrote on Wattpad for the majority of my middle school years and all of my high school years, where I gained a mass following of 18,000 people from all over the world. Using that site allowed me to test my boundaries, gain some confidence, and gave me the right to fully call myself a writer and author. It also is what inspired me to self-publish one of my books for the first time, titled “Born to Die” in 2014, I was only about 16 or 17, but I was determined to start putting my name and face out on the market.
It was a mixture of romance and drama, genres that I like to explore when writing and/or starting new projects. It’s also a theme that usually exists within my poetry, while also being engulfed in the idea of love of all sorts. Publishing “Born to Die” at that age made me proud beyond words because of the work it took. I was just a teenager, but the way I was determined to finish and make it “perfect” was something to be recognized. From the writing to the editing to the formatting, I did it all. The cover of it is pretty simple, but I even did that myself. It was definitely one of my proudest moments until 2019 when I self-published my first poetry collection, “In the Midnight Hour”. It is a collection of poems written between the ages of 20 and 22, a project where I found my voice as a poetry writer because it wasn’t something I had indulged in a lot. Again, that was another project where I had done everything on my own from start to finish.
As a writer, a creative, and more than likely a brand, the type of creative works I provide are books and poetry pieces for those that like to read and those who are trying to get back into reading. I’m currently working on releasing another poetry collection and then another novel after that. The best way to describe my writing and the work that I put out is that it is something that is for everyone. I like to believe that I give a listening ear to the unheard. I like to say that I give a voice to the voiceless. I know that I create projects and pieces that let people know that they are seen due to the fact that everything I write is relatable. Yes, my novels may be fiction and my poems may start out as random sentences, but there’s a reality in all things imagined. The way I structure my words sets me apart from others because it’s real, and filled with emotion. It’s raw, provoking something in you to connect with what you’re reading. It’s honest, putting everything out on the table and not leaving room for misunderstanding.
I always say that I write for everyone, even if it’s usually for myself at the time. Whether it is now or later, my work is going to land in the hands of someone who needs to see it, even if they don’t think they do.
When it comes to my art, I want people to know that all of it comes from the heart. It all comes from a place of pure intention and thoughtfulness because I craft everything I put out with tender love and care. I take my craft seriously, making sure to never half-do anything that is attached to my name. Writing is so much more than a hobby to me. It’s therapy. It’s a hug after a long day and you arrive home to no one there. It’s a shoulder to cry on when you don’t have the strength to go to anyone. When anyone reads my work, I always hope that they feel the same way I feel about it. That they know and remember that their story matters too, even if it’s seemingly being told or said to them through a lens that is not their own.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist/creative is the connection that you’re able to make with people from all over and all walks of life. Usually, when an artist/creative starts out on their journey, it’s usually from a place to satisfy themselves. Not saying they start their journey selfishly, but a lot of us start working within these spaces and we are the only ones to lay eyes on projects for a while. As for myself, it was at least a year or so after the writing assignment that got me started that I signed up for Wattpad and put my work out on the internet.
The connection you get to make with others is rewarding because it lets you know that people are paying attention. It lets you know that people are taking in your work and are receptive to it. It tells you that your art and craft have a place in this world. Whether it’s 2 people, 200 people, or 2,000 people that connect with your work, the connection is still made. To hear people say how much they enjoy, relate to, and anticipate your work means the world to a lot of us artists and creatives. Why? Because it lets us know that nothing we do is being done in vain and that we’re making an impact with our purpose in one way or another.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
One thing I think non-creatives will struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is the why. People do and don’t need a reason to do most things. Most non-creatives I come across don’t see the vision, they can’t fully wrap their brain around why I do what I do. They usually don’t have the capacity to see or read beyond the surface level of what’s in front of them. They might see writing as something that’s pointless and boring like most of the world. The why behind why I’m taking this creative journey is that I believe I have a purpose to fulfill on this earth through my God-given gift of writing. Everything I produce has a why behind it, even if they don’t see what I see. I’m really just out here fulfilling a purpose that I know I have. That’s just something that not everyone will get and that is okay. To any non-creative reading this that has creative friends in their circle, try to understand what the reasoning behind their craft is. You’ll be amazed at what you hear.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiyathewriter/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiyathewriter?locale2=ms_MY
Image Credits
Jude Clarke @judeclarkeofficial on IG